Bulls to Face Piston Malice in the Palace : Pro basketball: Chicago must play Game 7 today in Auburn Hills, where it has gone 0-5.

The Detroit Pistons head into Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls today at the Palace of Auburn Hills with far more big-game experience. But the Bulls have Michael Jordan, which can neutralize a lot of factors.

Besides, as Detroit Coach Chuck Daly said of the Bulls: “They’re fairly playoff hardened. I don’t know if we have an advantage on that point.”

Chicago has been in similar circumstances two years in a row. Last season, the Pistons won in six games. This time, the Bulls can finish a comeback from an 0-2 deficit with one more victory.

“All we can do is lay our guts on the floor and see what happens,” Jordan said.

Beating the Pistons in Chicago Friday proved the Bulls’ fortitude, but Chicago hasn’t won here all season--a stretch of five games, three in the playoffs. Today, they may be without starting guard John Paxson, who took treatment but did not practice Saturday after re-injuring his right ankle in Game 5.

The return of Craig Hodges should be of some comfort to the Bulls. Hodges’ 19 points helped the Bull reserves outscore their Detroit counterparts for the first time.

Only once in their 24-year history have the Bulls been this close to the title round. In 1975, they held a 3-2 advantage over the Golden State Warriors, only to lose it.

But Friday night, more than one Bull was heard to say today will be for a franchise and a city, not just a team.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of speeches made,” Jordan said. “Certainly, as a leader I’ll have to throw my two cents in to let them know that (in) the years I’ve been in Chicago, we’ve progressed each and every year. We’ve taken it a step further, and this is an opportunity to take it another step further. We may never get this opportunity again.”

And the Pistons will have history to contend with, too. Trying to join Minneapolis/Los Angeles and Boston as the only franchises to win back-to-back titles, Detroit is 0-3 in previous seventh games. The most recent attempt came against the Lakers for the 1988 championship.

Plus, only four teams have come back from 2-0 down 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.

Eastern Conference Notes

The championship round will open Tuesday night. If Detroit wins today, the Pistons will have home-court advantage. If the Bulls win, the series will begin at Portland and go to Chicago for Games 3, 4 and 5 in the 2-3-2 scheduling format. . . . After losing Friday night, the Pistons arrived at Midway Airport and were told that the nose of their private jet had been cracked when a fuel truck backed into it. . . . Michael Jordan has shot 48.7% and averaged 35 points in the three games at Chicago Stadium while shooting 39.2% and averaging 22.8 points at Auburn Hills. . . . The Bulls are shooting only 41.5%.