Suddenly, Pistons Find Themselves in a Tied-Up Series : Pro basketball: Defending NBA champions falter in Chicago, 108-101. Each team has won two games on its own court.

Look who’s back. It’s the Chicago Bulls, down, two-love, 72 hours ago and rapidly moving off center court--or any NBA court, for that matter.

These things don’t happen to the Detroit Pistons, not the way they’ve been giving teams the fold-spindle-and-mutilate treatment in the playoffs. Not the way they led the Chicago Bulls, 2-0, in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals and had a 14-point cushion in the second quarter Saturday. From this comes . . .

A tie?

From this comes trouble. The Bulls, losers of six of seven to Detroit heading into the weekend, Monday afternoon made a series appear, taking an 18-point lead in the second quarter and holding on for a 108-101 victory to complete a two-game sweep at Chicago Stadium.

“They held serve, as they say,” Piston Coach Chuck Daly said. “It’s a tired expression, but it’s true. They held the home-court advantage.”

In the process, the Bulls turned this into a three-game series for a berth in the NBA finals: Wednesday at Auburn Hills, Friday in Chicago and, if necessary, Sunday back in Michigan. More remarkably, considering the state of affairs at halftime just a few days ago, Chicago gave the Pistons their first back-to-back playoff losses since Games 6 and 7 of the 1988 championship round against the Lakers.

Monday, it took a Detroit comeback just to make things interesting, even if the raucous 18,676 inside Chicago Stadium could have ridden the surge all the way.

By the end of the first quarter, the Bulls led, 28-16, Detroit having shot four of 16 and committed seven turnovers. In the second quarter, when Detroit gave the ball away seven more times and improved from the field all the way to seven of 20 (35%), the Chicago advantage never dropped below 10 points.

It peaked in the first half at 51-33, when Michael Jordan hit a 10-footer from the right side 37 seconds before intermission. The Pistons had a stretch of 8:32--from 5:57 of the first quarter to 9:25 of the second--without a field goal, 16 possessions good for four free throws. By halftime, they had 14 turnovers and only eight assists.

So now which team wins with defense?

Chicago, which Saturday surprised the Pistons by having Jordan handle the ball more, this time had a new approach on the defensive end. A trapping defense did more than cause turnovers. It never allowed Detroit into a normal offensive flow.

“If you let them come down and set up, they’re the best team in the league at executing the half-court offense,” Chicago guard John Paxson said.

By making the Pistons shoot down themselves--30.6% from the field by halftime, their 30th point not coming until 2:16 remained in the second quarter--the Bulls maintained control. It stayed that way, too, the lead reaching 57-38 when Paxson connected from 20 feet out with 9:20 left in the third quarter.

There was no hint of trouble for Chicago, which opened the second half much as it played the first. Then, suddenly, the Pistons snapped into form.

Within four minutes, the lead was cut to 62-52. With 3:29 remaining, Joe Dumars’ three-point basket made it 66-59. It went to six and--back in the game for real--to 67-64 when Dumars hit another three-pointer, this time with 2:17 left. Detroit had a 26-10 run in 7:03, Dumars accounting for 17 points and Dennis Rodman getting four on two put-backs within 64 seconds. It took the Pistons 19:44 to score 26 points in the first half.

The cushion was 71-68 going into the fourth quarter. From there, Jordan--who took just two shots in the previous 12 minutes--and the Bulls responded, getting the lead back to 86-76 with 6:10 remaining. They got as far ahead as 92-78, but the Pistons charged again, to no avail.

“They showed a lot of poise when we closed on them in the third quarter,” Piston Vinnie Johnson said. “Give them credit, as they played good. Last year, with what we did today, they would have crumbled.”

Detroit, which never led after 8-6, drew within five points with 1:17 to play. Jordan, who played 43 of 48 minutes, took himself out for a 30-second rest.

The Pistons were forced to foul, and the Bulls answered by going 11 of 14 from the free throw line in the last minute. Jordan had six in that span, capping a nine-assist, 42-point afternoon that included 16 of 19 on free throws.

“If he continues to do that in the next three games, or whatever it takes, they’ll win the series,” Daly said.

Such a statement comes with solid backing, and not just a three-day weekend in which Jordan struck for 30 of 58 from the field, 27 of 32 free throws, 89 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. The Bulls have beaten Detroit four times in 12 tries, and Jordan has scored at least 40 each time.

“I admire him,” Daly said. “I don’t have to like it, but I admire it.”

NBA Notes

Isiah Thomas, on Chicago’s pressure defense: “It’s like we do to other teams, but sometimes the tables turn. Nine out of 10 times we do it to someone, but sometimes it happens to you.” . . . The Pistons are 48-6 at the Palace of Auburn Hills this season, including 7-0 in the playoffs. . . . Dates for the finals, regardless when this series or Portland-Phoenix ends, were announced Sunday: Game 1--June 5; Game 2--June 7; Game 3--June 10; Game 4--June 12; Game 5--June 14; Game 6--June 17; Game 7--June 19.