Tim Floyd called a timeout. He benched the underperforming Cassell and Luc Longley, sending in the team's sixth man, Toni Kukoč, in an attempt to have this European Magic Johnson orchestrate the offense and revitalize the entire team.
However, that substitution became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
After Kukoč took the floor, the ball naturally began flowing toward him.
But the problem was that Karl Malone had been planted in the low post for ages, only to realize the basketball simply was not reaching his hands.
Kukoč was more accustomed to working with perimeter players or driving with the ball himself before kicking it out.
After calling for the ball several times inside to no avail, Malone simply stopped moving, standing symbolically in the paint with impatience written all over his eyes.
He began to suspect that the front office had instructed the coaching staff to deliberately suppress his numbers in order to gain a more favorable position in trade negotiations.
That inner suspicion brought the Chicago Bulls' offense to a complete standstill.
A bizarre scene unfolded on the court: Jordan and Kukoč fought their own battles on the perimeter, while Malone merely "watched" from the paint.
The Knicks keenly seized the opportunity. With Li Fei facilitating, they unleashed a devastating 15-2 run, instantly stretching the lead beyond 20 points.
Li Fei was completely at ease on the court. At times, he attacked and scored himself; at others, he transformed into a point forward, tearing apart the Bulls' defense with pinpoint passes.
His composure stood in stark contrast to the Bulls' chaos.
Tim Floyd was drenched in sweat on the sideline. He called two consecutive timeouts, yet still could not halt his team's collapse.
His tactical adjustments looked utterly pale and powerless against the Knicks' mature system.