Frankly, He Ximeng himself didn't know the final outcome, but things were in the hands of man. Since Harris had ultimately chosen to let him play and indirectly adopted his suggestions—though delayed, they were adopted nonetheless—it was now up to He Ximeng to orchestrate the Lakers' final five minutes of the game.
Before the timeout ended, He Ximeng had a private word with O'Neal.
As the "Big Shark" was the team's leader, O'Neal's attitude would have a decisive impact on whether He Ximeng's plan could succeed.
O'Neal was straightforward: "As long as it helps the team win, I'll do anything!"
With the leader's endorsement, He Ximeng's subsequent work would be much smoother. As for whether it would ultimately succeed or not, he'd leave that to fate.
He Ximeng's choice was not complicated: call for Campbell's high pick-and-roll, try to draw Rodman out, exploit the mismatch with a bounce pass to O'Neal, then feign a cut to the baseline, only to reverse-cut back to the right 45-degree angle.
By then, Harper would have been drawn away by Campbell, and Rodman, misled by He Ximeng's baseline cut, quickly sank into the paint. By the time Longley in the paint loudly warned Rodman to guard outside, O'Neal had already passed the ball back to the cutting He Ximeng, who received it outside the three-point line and shot.
It was decisive, but luck was slightly lacking.
The ball rolled around the rim and finally slipped out. However, O'Neal aggressively grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it back to He Ximeng: "Again!"
He Ximeng received the ball and shot again, this time under Harper's close defense, a desperate act with a touch of tragic heroism.
If this shot missed...
There were no "ifs"! To evade Harper's interference, He Ximeng lofted the shot very high. Amidst the expectant gaze of the entire crowd, the ball precisely hit the rim!
It was just a relatively ordinary three-pointer, but the fans at the scene treated this ordinary three-pointer with the fervor of a game-winning shot! Not only was it the Lakers' first three-pointer in the fourth quarter, but it also reignited the Lakers' fans' hope of victory. The Lakers still had a way to break the deadlock!
Amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd, He Ximeng, who had just made this crucial three-pointer, calmly retreated on defense. Aside from a simple high-five with his teammates on the court, he showed no other celebratory gestures. Because he knew, the real battle had just begun.
As expected, after He Ximeng's three-pointer narrowed the score to 3 points, His Airness immediately responded with a strong shot of his own, pushing the lead back to 5 points.
It was the Lakers' turn to attack. Would He Ximeng choose to shoot again?
For this possession, the prelude remained the same: He Ximeng called for Campbell to draw Rodman out, then bounced the ball to O'Neal. However, this time Rodman retreated more resolutely, keeping his eyes fixed on the ball in O'Neal's hands, attempting to steal it when O'Neal passed back to He Ximeng.
O'Neal was sharp enough to see Rodman's posture and knew he was ready to pounce and intercept. Therefore, O'Neal did not pass back to He Ximeng but instead passed to Campbell in the middle.
Campbell didn't hold the ball, passing it directly behind him to Eddie Jones at the top of the arc!
Pippen was guarding Eddie Jones.
Eddie Jones had originally planned to use Campbell's screen to drive past Pippen! But upon seeing He Ximeng's movement, Eddie Jones rationally chose to pass!
After passing to O'Neal, He Ximeng had directly cut along the baseline, through the paint, and around to the weak side, using Kobe's off-ball screen before suddenly flashing to the high post.
Ball and player arrived simultaneously. Eddie Jones immediately passed the ball to the cutting He Ximeng, who received it, stopped abruptly, and shot from three-point range.
Rodman, who had been chasing He Ximeng, was hindered by Kobe. Jordan, who had been guarding Kobe, switched with Rodman and came to guard He Ximeng.
But He Ximeng's shot was quick and decisive! The moment he received the ball, he chose to pull up for a turnaround jumper, giving Jordan no chance to block.
Jordan could only stretch his arms with all his might, attempting to disrupt He Ximeng's vision.
But this tactic wasn't very effective against He Ximeng.
Under the tutelage of Kobe, Jordan's "little fanboy," He Ximeng had long been accustomed to aiming for the basket through muscle memory, not by sight!
The ball flew over Jordan's shining head, traced a beautiful arc, and ultimately found its mark precisely!
It was a classic stop-and-pop jumper after an off-ball cut, in the style of Thompson, excelling in its stability, accuracy, and decisiveness.
The deficit was narrowed to 2 points!
If He Ximeng were coaching, he would likely call a timeout at this moment. But Phil Jackson remained composed on the bench, appearing profound.
Some said Phil Jackson was being pretentious and feigning depth, a sign of insufficient in-game adaptability.
He Ximeng believed this view was somewhat biased. Phil Jackson's numerous championship titles couldn't have been won by mere pretense!
Others claimed Phil Jackson's inscrutable demeanor provided the Bulls with an unknown strength, pushing the argument into the realm of metaphysics.
In fact, He Ximeng believed that Phil Jackson's actions were remarkably similar to those of coach Tyronn Lue in the future!
Tyronn Lue's strategy in crucial moments was to hand the ball to LeBron James.
Phil Jackson was essentially the same! In crunch time for the Bulls, wasn't the strategy to give the ball to the greatest player in league history?
Even if Phil Jackson wanted the players to pass to someone other than Jordan, the players wouldn't agree. In that case, what more could Phil Jackson say?
Every time the Bulls entered a do-or-die situation, Jordan would immediately step up to take over the game. What Phil Jackson needed to do, or could do, was not much. At most, he could select the most suitable tactic from several Jordan-centric plays to counter the current opponent and recommend it to Jordan. Whether Jordan accepted it or not would depend on his mood at the time.
Coaching a superstar was by no means as easy and enjoyable as fans imagined.
Facing the Lakers' relentless pursuit, any ordinary team might have committed unforced errors or failed to score.
However, the Bulls were no ordinary team; they were five-time champions and had experienced far tougher situations. The Lakers' current predicament posed only a minor threat.
Under immense pressure, His Airness chose to directly isolate Kobe Bryant!