The True Decisive Battle, New York and Chicago's King's Mountain Begins!

The moment the game ended, the tide of online opinion shifted subtly.

Much of the fire that had been focused on Van Gundy was quickly diverted onto Lakers head coach Harris.

"What the hell was the Silver Fox doing? Popovich had practically written his tactics all over his face, and Harris didn't react at all?"

"Kobe got double-teamed three times in the final three minutes, and Harris just stood there watching? Not a single tactical adjustment? With that level of coaching, he still wants to lead the OK Duo to a championship?"

"At least Van Gundy was half a beat slow. Harris was completely disconnected, wasn't he? Is his brain full of mush?"

The fans' fury was overwhelming.

In fact, this dissatisfaction had been brewing within the Lakers' front office for quite some time.

The OK Duo had risen faster than anyone expected. They had already shown the terrifying potential to build a Dynasty, while the coaching ability of "Silver Fox" Harris had, in many people's eyes, clearly failed to keep pace with the growth of this devastating duo, becoming a bottleneck preventing the team from going further.

The idea of replacing the head coach had long been circling in the minds of Jeanie Buss and Jerry West.

Coincidentally, similar undercurrents were stirring within the Chicago Bulls' front office.

Although Phil Jackson had just earned worldwide praise with a brilliant lineup adjustment, it could not fully mend the enormous rift that had long existed between him and general manager Jerry Krause.

Krause had always believed that it was the front office's operations that brought championships to the Bulls, not the coaches and players.

Last season, he had insisted on sending Scottie Pippen away despite Jordan's fierce opposition, making the conflict public.

If Jordan had not threatened retirement and forcibly demanded