After Stunning Loss, Pistons Try to Bounce Back

The Detroit Pistons, down two games to one to the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Assn.’s Eastern Conference finals, can regain home-court advantage in the series by taking today’s Game 4 at Chicago Stadium, which will begin at noon (PDT).

To do so, the Pistons must first get over the shock of losing last Saturday’s game, the one Michael Jordan won for Chicago with three seconds to play, 99-97, after Detroit had led most of the way.

“I think we need to recover emotionally,” Detroit Coach Chuck Daly said. “That was a tough one to take.”

What surprises Daly is the way his team has been unable to put away Chicago, even though several key Bulls have played in sub-par physical condition.

In Game 2, Bull forward Scottie Pippen sat out the final 13 minutes with an injured foot, and Jordan and center Bill Cartwright were weakened by the flu. Saturday, Pippen played with discomfort, and fellow forward Horace Grant was the latest flu victim. Grant, who had 20 rebounds in Game 2, was so queasy that he rushed to the locker room with the game in progress.

Neither he nor Pippen scored in double figures, and Grant had but three rebounds. But Chicago won.

Jordan’s 46 points carried the Bulls, and Daly said Sunday, “We have to start doing something differently on defense--and, I think in particular, Isiah Thomas has to.”

Thomas does not guard Jordan, but Chicago backup guard John Paxson hurt Detroit with 12 points, mostly with Thomas on him. Jordan’s defense limited Thomas to five points. Thomas had scored 33 in Game 2.

There was speculation that Thomas had reinjured his left hand early in Saturday’s game, when Jordan stripped the ball from him, but Thomas denied it. Thomas fractured a bone in that hand several weeks ago, and Coach Doug Collins of the Bulls noticed that Isiah dangled his hand behind him during portions of Saturday’s game.

With Thomas and Bill Laimbeer (four points) lagging offensively, Detroit forward Mark Aguirre had his best game of the playoffs, 25 points. It was the kind of scoring the Pistons expected from Aguirre after acquiring him from Dallas for Adrian Dantley.

Jordan, for one, claimed he was glad to have Dantley gone.

“A.D. gave us more problems,” Jordan said. “He was the type of guy when the game was close to isolate and cause problems for us. It seemed like he was always getting fouls or a basket.”

At key moments late in Game 3, when Detroit needed a basket, Aguirre would be on the bench.

After Jordan scored with three seconds remaining to put Chicago ahead, 99-97, Daly did make a substitution--but brought in Vinnie Johnson, not Aguirre.

Johnson was wide open after the inbounds pass, but Laimbeer didn’t see him. Instead, he passed to Dumars, whose three-point shot struck the backboard hard and clanged off the front of the rim. Had it gone in, this series would be 2-1, Detroit.

“For whatever reason, adverse conditions seem to follow us everywhere we go,” Laimbeer said. “But, we’re usually good at recovering.”

That remains to be seen. Detroit, like Chicago, is trying to win the NBA title for the first time.