Gan Guoyang scored 12 points and made 4 assists in the first quarter. His explosive start was truly worrying—could he make the game irreparable in just one quarter?
Jackson didn't see it that way. He believed Gan was digging a hole for Jordan, but with Gan's scoring ability, there was indeed that possibility.
In any case, after some consideration, Jackson decided not to focus on Jordan but instead asked the others to step up their defensive intensity and aggressiveness.
"Don't let their ball move. Disrupt every single pass! Scottie, you must double-team Gan decisively—keep harassing him, don't stop."
Jackson emphasized defense and then carefully planned the tactical choices for the second unit, knowing the performance of the bench would be crucial to winning or losing.
A key reason the Pistons lost 0:4 to the Bulls was their weak bench. With the starters exhausted, too few players could step up to sustain them.
