Chicago Forces Game 7 : Pro basketball: Bulls pull away in the third quarter when Jordan scores 18 of his 29 points. The 109-91 victory over Pistons ties the series.

The NBA Eastern Conference finals took their natural course Friday night, surprising only the people who haven’t paid attention to these playoffs.

Six games, six victories for the home team in this series alone. But none bigger than this, Chicago’s 109-91 victory over Detroit at Chicago Stadium, the Bulls avoiding elimination and forcing a Game 7 Sunday at Auburn Hills, Mich., for a spot in the NBA finals.

“We should have beat them, we should have beat them,” Piston Dennis Rodman said. “It’s really frustrating when you give any team life. It makes it difficult for you, because it pushes you to the wall. It’s just difficult.”

The Bulls--once trailing in this best-of-seven series two games to none, and 14 points behind in the second quarter of Game 3--have the momentum back. They also have support for Michael Jordan.

Craig Hodges, the reserve guard from Cal State Long Beach who began the night having made 21% of his shots in the series, sank seven of nine--including all four three-point attempts--for 19 points.

Sixteen of those came in the second half, which went well with the Bulls’ usual single-prong attack. Jordan, having made three of five in the first half, had 20 of his 29 points in the last two quarters on eight-of-15 shooting.

The damage was done in the third quarter, which began with the Bulls leading, 47-44. Soon, the Pistons were in a four-of-20 shooting slump, and that wasn’t the worst of it.

Detroit went without a field goal from 6:41 to 1:25, a total of eight possessions. Pistons’ scoring during that stretch came on three free throws. The Bulls’ lead was 15 by the time Mark Aguirre broke the drought with a short jump shot, and it was 17 by the end of the quarter, 80-63.

Chicago finished that quarter with a 23-9 run. In those final five minutes, the Bulls scored on 10 of 12 trips downcourt. Jordan made seven of 10 en route to 18 points in those 12 minutes, and that was after opening with two misses.

When the Pistons tried to double-team Jordan and trap other Chicago players into turnovers, Hodges made them regret it. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter.

“You’re only as good as your next shot,” Hodges said. “You may make your first three and then miss the next four, so that doesn’t matter a bit. I was only concentrating one shot at a time.”

Much of the credit should go to John Bach, a Bull assistant coach. He was the one looking through tape of earlier games in the series and noticed Hodges’ left hand coming off the ball too quickly on his release. It only made sense that the shots would be misguided.

When Hodges arrived before the game, Bach told him of the flaw. That corrected, Hodges broke out of a slump, if only temporarily, in which he shot 50% in the first round against Milwaukee, 37% in the second round against Philadelphia and 21% in the first five games against the Pistons.

But when it mattered most, he found the right form.

“It was really tough when Michael was hitting his outside shots,” Detroit’s Vinnie Johnson said. “There is nothing you can do but play hard and hope he misses. Then, Hodges found his spot and hit shot after shot. It was a great time for them when he found it.”

It couldn’t have been better. The Pistons never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way, that coming at 90-79 with 5:23 to play.

The Pistons had been sent back to Auburn Hills with a loss and, worse, a 3-3 series. Bright spots?

At least they’re going home.

Eastern Conference Notes

Chicago’s Scottie Pippen was fined $2,000 by the NBA because of the flagrant foul he committed in the fourth quarter of Game 5 at Auburn Hills, Mich., it was announced Friday. Pippen was assessed personal and technical fouls for the incident. . . . Chicago guard John Paxson was taken for X-rays after the game to check his right ankle. He reinjured it after landing on the foot of Piston Isiah Thomas in the third quarter, making his status uncertain for practice today and Game 7. . . . Detroit forward Dennis Rodman continues to be bothered by his badly sprained left ankle, but said after going 31 minutes he will definitely play Sunday.

The Pistons’ Vinnie Johnson missed all 10 of his shots. . . . Only four teams have come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a seven-game series: Boston against the Lakers in 1969, the Lakers against San Francisco in 1969, Baltimore against New York in 1971 and Portland against Philadelphia in 1977. . . . Detroit is 0-3 in Game 7 situations.