The series' progression was exactly the same: a 2-0 lead, then tied 2-2, winning the pivotal game, losing the sixth game, and going into game seven.
Before the Eastern Conference Finals began, Phil Jackson did not anticipate facing the Pacers would be so brutal, being pushed to the brink.
In the first two games, the Bulls won quite easily, with Jackson following the advice of Harper and Pippen to change the defensive matchups.
Pippen was assigned to guard Mark Jackson, while Harper pursued Reggie Miller, and Jordan defended the Pacers' small forward.
This allowed Pippen to best suppress the Pacers' organizational core while also preventing Jordan from being exhausted by Miller's constant movement.
The Bulls comfortably took a 2-0 series lead.
But in Indiana, the Bulls always fell just short of victory by a hair's breadth.
Losing both games was very unfortunate, and Jackson knew it was a sign of the team's overall decline.
