This Bull Run Tramples Knicks : NBA playoffs: Chicago attacks early and often in 93-79 victory to set up Game 7.

They spent years going for the kill, especially at the old-home arena ticketed for the wrecking ball, but here were the champions in an unusual predicament Friday night, suddenly aiming simply for survival.

The Chicago Bulls hadn’t faced this situation in two years, since the same Eastern Conference semifinals against the same New York Knicks in 1992. When the latest test came, in what could have been their final game at Chicago Stadium before moving across the street to a new building next season, the emotion and the response matched the urgency of the moment.

Bulls 93, Knicks 79. As if they were worried.

“This is an experienced, veteran team with three championships,” said Chicago backup guard Steve Kerr, looking for his first. “They don’t let things like that bother them.”

Indeed, the Bulls did much more than scratch and claw to survive and set up a deciding Game 7 on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden for a trip to the conference finals. They raced to a 15-point lead barely 11 minutes into the game, pushed it to 19 in the second quarter and dug in for the tough stretch, when the Knicks got within eight late in the third quarter.

That challenge was turned away. Then, when New York made another fourth-quarter charge, and the noose seemed to be tightening on the Bulls in a scene reminiscent of their collapses in Games 1 and 2, the answer came loud and clear again. The nine-point advantage with 7:51 left went back to 15 within about 3 1/2 minutes, and the Knicks went away for good.

The moment that said it all?

Scottie Pippen hammered a right-handed dunk in the face of Patrick Ewing midway through the third period, giving him a quick shove while descending to send him to the ground and stood over the fallen Knick center under the basket taunting him.

“It started bad for us and continued to be that way the rest of the game,” New York Coach Pat Riley said. “It’s a very simple situation now for both teams. It comes down to one game, set, series. . . . The quicker we can leave this one behind and gather our forces for Sunday, the better off we’ll be.”

Said Bull guard John Paxson: “I think we came out and responded great tonight. The start we had was indicative of how we wanted to play this whole series. And now we have to carry that type of beginning into Sunday’s game.”

Even the return of Derek Harper made little difference for the Knicks. Back after a two-game suspension for fighting with Jo Jo English, he came off the bench for the first time in his eight playoff appearances but quickly inherited a prominent role when Greg Anthony proved ineffective (three points, one assist, four turnovers in 15 minutes).

Harper played 31 minutes, getting booed each time he checked in and almost every time he touched the ball and jeered every time he committed a foul or mistake. The result was 11 points, three assists and three turnovers on a night when nothing seemed to get the New York offense going, a notion most evident in their 37.3% shooting from the field. Take away the game-high 26 points from Ewing on nine-of-18 shooting and the 18 from John Starks while going six of 12, and the 10 other Knicks combined for 35 points and 28.9% shooting.

The Bulls weren’t much better--39.8%--but they were good enough with B.J. Armstrong scoring 20 points and Horace Grant adding 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead their domination on the boards. Now to carry over the effort, to a time when, unlike Friday, both sides will be trying to survive.

“It’s a game that will be played with a lot of energy and force,” Riley said. “Let’s get to Sunday.”