The large cluster of centers hoarded by the Bulls finally paid off. Luke Longley, Robert Parish, and Benoit Benjamin, the three centers, created quite a bit of trouble for the fatigued O'Neal. At this time, O'Neal faced centers from the opposing team who were always full of energy and couldn't dunk over them anymore; he needed to rely on skills. Yet the Bulls' defensive adjustments were too quick...
However, the real key wasn't the defense.
Because the Lakers really played aggressive offense, allowing 60 points in the first half, the Bulls hadn't suffered like this all season. By now, midway through the third quarter, the Bulls had already given up 71 points, placing this game among the top matches in terms of points conceded in the same time frame this season.
The focus was still on offense!
On the offensive end, the Bulls relied on Jordan's initiative from the start to create shooting opportunities for his teammates, then used teamwork to execute his attacks.
