The Bulls attempted to start the game by having Grant go one-on-one in the low post.
Grant received the ball, used his footwork to face the basket, and bypassed Sabonis.
But his final hook shot was blocked by Gan Guoyang and went off target.
Gan Guoyang turned and grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Trail Blazers launched a counterattack.
Porter was blocked on the perimeter by the Bulls and passed the ball to the trailing Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang, holding the ball on the perimeter, organized the offense.
This was the strategy that defeated the Bulls in last year's finals.
This season, Phil Jackson practiced defending it multiple times during training.
It basically requires Jordan, Pippen, and Grant, the three best defenders, to guard step by step.
But this time Gan Guoyang wasn't in a hurry to attack, instead passing the ball to Sabonis in the low post.
Sabonis turned around and hooked the ball in for two points. The Trail Blazers took the lead, 4-0.
