Hot Pep Talk Sparks Lakers : Pro basketball: Pfund gets angry, then uses a smaller, younger lineup and L.A. defeats Bulls, 91-88, to sweep season series.

Go figure.

The future arrived on wobbly colts’ legs Tuesday night. Randy Pfund threw another rookie, Duane Cooper, into the rotation, rejuvenating his Lakers, who rebounded from their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks to defeat the two-time defending champion Chicago Bulls, 91-88, ending their seven-game winning streak and sweeping the season series, 2-0.

Intent on avoiding another glazed-eyed performance, Pfund went to a smaller, younger lineup and, for good measure, bawled everyone out at the morning shoot-around, regardless of age or championship rings.

“He got on our gluteus maximus,” said Sam Perkins. “He went down the line--’And if you don’t like it, you can get on the sidelines.’

“And if we weren’t into the game, he was going to pull people. He spoke his mind. He used all the curse words. He was on fire. He was hot.”

It would be nice to report that the Lakers came out on fire, too, but it would be inaccurate. Michael Jordan scored 22 of his 36 points in the second quarter, and the Bulls took a nine-point lead.

The Lakers, however, went on a 7-2 run in the last 1:10 of the half, and it was 54-50.

The Bulls’ seven consecutive victories included several of the underwhelming variety, in which they toy with teams into the fourth quarter and then turn it over to Jordan. Their overall victory margin is down from last season’s 10.4 points to 5.5. Scottie Pippen’s scoring average is down from 21 to 18.5, his shooting from 51% to 47%.

Coach Phil Jackson seemed resigned to a season of energy conservation, nursing his Olympics-tested superstars along while waiting for John Paxson and Bill Cartwright to rebound from off-season surgery.

Said Jackson before the game: “This team knows where it needs to be at the end of the season. That’s all that matters.”

In that case, Jackson might not have been unduly distressed to see the Lakers grab a 79-72 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Bulls went ahead with an 8-0 run with Jordan resting on the sideline. A three-pointer by Trent Tucker, a three by Paxson and Pippen’s 18-footer and back came Michael into the game.

Everyone knows what usually happens next, but not Tuesday night.

Jordan, 14 for 24 at that point, missed six of his last seven shots.

Pfund, needing someone to guard Jordan with Byron Scott injured, used Green.

“I wanted to get A.C. on the floor,” Pfund said. “I knew he’d play Michael with a lot of energy.”

Green, a power forward by trade, had never played Jordan for any extended time, so Pfund didn’t know what to expect.

“Not really,” Pfund said. “What did he get tonight? Thirty-six? For us, pretty good. Last time he had 54 against us, right?”

The Lakers went ahead to stay on James Worthy’s free throws with 1:19 to play. With 12 seconds left, Vlade Divac hit a 15-footer to make it 91-88.

Jordan walked the ball up but was short on a three-pointer.

The ball went out of bounds. Perkins, however, was called for traveling.

The Bulls got the ball back and set up an in-bounds play. However, the Lakers guarded everyone and Pippen was called for five seconds . . . just as Jordan broke free.

“I had the ball (when the whistle blew),” Jordan said, grinning.

What was in front of him?

“Nothing. Dunk. Maybe a foul.”

Opportunity kept knocking. The Lakers in-bounded the ball with four seconds to play, but Pippen tipped Divac’s pass to Horace Grant who tried to pass it to B.J. Armstrong upcourt, only to see Sedale Threatt bat it out of bounds with 1.1 seconds left.

The Bulls in-bounded to Jordan. Green, making sure Jordan couldn’t get off the tying three-pointer, shoved him off balance. Referee Jim Kinsey made no call. Jordan’s shot came down in the lane.

Said Pfund: “We used to always have a saying with the Lakers in the old days: ‘Watch what teams do the night after they play the world champions.’

“I think you need to check us out (tonight) in Minnesota to see how we play.”