BULLS MAKE A RARE TRIP INTO A SEVENTH GAME : INDIANA 92 CHICAGO 89.

Byline: Chris Sheridan Assocaited Press

Michael Jordan slipped.

Or maybe he was tripped.

Either way, the Chicago Bulls fell.

The Bulls won't be going to the NBA Finals just yet - and maybe not at all. Instead, they're going to a Game 7 - something Jordan hasn't experienced in six years.

Jordan had an unusually mortal moment when the Bulls needed him most, falling as he drove to the basket for what would have been a tying hoop with less than five seconds left Friday night.

He lost the ball, the Pacers recovered and finished it off with a free throw for a 92-89 victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Game 7 will be Sunday night at the United Center. One more slip-up could mean the end of the Bulls' dynasty that has won five NBA titles in the 90s.

``It comes down to one game, this is fantastic,'' Reggie Miller of the Pacers said. ``It's something you play for all year, a chance to go to the Finals and play the best team.''

The home team has won every game in this series, and it was the friendly confines of Market Square Arena that helped the Pacers rebound from their Game 5 debacle.

Indiana hasn't lost at home in two months, and now they'll be going for a road victory in a building where the Bulls have never played a deciding seventh game.

``Granted, we're facing an uphill battle. They're in a comfort zone at home, they have more experience, but in some kind of way this team loves those challenges. This is going to be a fantastic opportunity for this franchise,'' Miller said.

It will be Chicago's first Game 7 with Jordan on the team since the second round of the 1992 playoffs.

The Bulls cried foul after the game, again saying the referees had treated them unfairly. They were particularly upset with a late illegal defense violation and the lack of a foul call when Jordan fell.

``It was an obvious foul at the end,'' Jordan said. ``People may think I tripped over my feet, but I'm not that clumsy. Even if that was an (accidental trip), those accidents have to be called no matter what the time may be. It was pretty obvious.''

For the Pacers, it will be their third Game 7 in a conference finals in five years. They lost in 1994 to New York and in 1995 to Orlando.

This time, they can thank Travis Best, Rik Smits and Dale Davis - and not Miller - for getting them there.

Best refused to flinch despite being guarded by Jordan for most of the final minute. He hit a driving 6-footer over Steve Kerr with 33 seconds left for an 89-87 lead and actually drew a foul on Jordan with 8.5 seconds left that led to two free throws that gave Indiana a 91-89 lead.

Chicago called a timeout to set up a final play, and it was no surprise to anyone when the Bulls inbounded to Jordan.

Guarded by Derrick McKey, he made a move to his right and stumbled. coach Phil Jackson popped off the bench looking for a foul, but the ball popped loose, and McKey grabbed it and was fouled.

With confetti prematurely falling from the rafters, McKey made the first free throw and then purposely missed the second so that the clock would expire.

The Bulls walked off dejected, and it was only a matter of minutes before they were criticizing the officials.

``Obviously they swallowed the whistle on that last call,'' Jackson said, referring to the play when Jordan slipped. ``He got tripped - what in basketball is more evident than a guy getting tripped? He didn't fall on his own.''

Smits finished with 25 points on 11-for-12 shooting, Davis had 19 points and eight rebounds and Mark Jackson added 13 points for the Pacers. Miller shot just 2-for-13 and had eight points.

``I didn't think we'd see a line like we did from Reggie Miller, and that if we did, we'd win the ballgame,'' Phil Jackson said.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (Color) Indiana's Dale Davis goes over Chicago's Scottie Pippen for a third-quarter slam dunk.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Box: CHICAGO vs. INDIANA