Boiling a Frog in Warm Water!

"We can't double-team Kobe anymore! When he's leading the second unit, we can't double-team him!" Phil Jackson's face darkened. The Bulls' defensive performance over the last few possessions had utterly disappointed him!

The champion Bulls took the most pride in their impenetrable perimeter defense, a steel barricade that had dominated an era. Yet Kobe had completely dismantled it with the Lakers' second unit?

If he did not have to consider the players' tempers afterward, Larry Brown or Popovich would have been cursing the Bulls players out by now!

What kind of defense was that? Hesitant and indecisive, with rotations that showed none of the peak Bulls' trademark speed!

Peak Bulls defense should have been able to rotate while double-teaming Kobe, reducing the openings created by the double-team to nearly nothing!

They had done it in last year's Finals! Why could they not do it now?

The Zen Master thought it over and figured it was still an issue with the second unit.

Even though Ron Harper was old, his defensive experience and ability still far surpassed Brian Shaw's. And Joe Smith's mobility allowed the Bulls to execute their help defense better!

The Zen Master's final decision was to let the starters trade blows! They could double-team then!

But in this kind of bench battle, they would simply let Kobe go one-on-one against Jordan.

For this game, the Zen Master planned to have Jordan play for however long Kobe was on the court.

Even if that meant all 48 minutes!

It was a decision made jointly by the Zen Master and Michael Jordan.

"The game resumes! After the timeout, the Bulls have adjusted their lineup. Pippen and Rodman have gone to the bench for a rest, with Ron Harper and Joe Smith checking in."

"Brian Shaw, Ron Harper, Jordan, Toni Kukoc,