The Pistons, who appeared invulnerable in two blowout victories, was getting a taste of its own punishment, trailing by 19 early in the third quarter.

And that’s when Chauncey Billups wrote a real Hollywood ending.

With 21 points, seven assists and no second-half turnovers, Billups directed the Pistons’ crushing comeback for an 81-74 victory at the United Center in what has to be the most dispiriting turn of events yet for a Bulls team that lost by 26 and 21 points in the first two games.

"I talked to him a little bit about being aggressive and making them guard him, making them work a little more,” Pistons head coach Flip Saunders said of Billups. “He is normally more aggressive in the second half. That is his nature. He was more aggressive looking for his shot. And he made big shots. He made shots to get us going, he made shots to keep our momentum going, and he made big shots that got us over the top.

“There are a lot of guards in the league and then there are money-type players - which he is. He delivers when it is on the line."

Tayshaun Prince scored 13 of his team-high 23 points and Billups added 10 in the pivotal third quarter, as the Pistons erased the Bulls’ lead to a single point by the start of the fourth with a 30-12 run. After scoring only 28 points in the first half, Detroit exploded for 32 in the quarter and didn’t have a second-half turnover until 2:22 remained in the game.

"The guys just felt comfortable with me out there,” Prince said. “They got me the ball and I got a couple of things going to the basket and then some outside chances. We started out the second half by running things for Rip (Hamilton). He kicked it out to me and that was the big key as we kept the ball moving. We talked at halftime and said we just have to put the first half behind us. We just came out in the second half to have fun and we knew our energy and defense would carry us."

Rasheed Wallace, whose 3-pointer pulled the Pistons within one just before the third-quarter clock expired, scored on a fall-away jumper to open the fourth and gave the Pistons their first lead since 6-4.

Wallace was Detroit’s most active defender early in the game and finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.

Chicago hung around most of the fourth quarter, but clearly had been rattled. Two Ben Gordon free throws early in the third had given Chicago a 49-30 lead, but the Bulls missed five free throws in the fourth, including a pair by Andres Nocioni with 1:24 remaining that would have made it a three-point game.

Luol Deng and Gordon were assertive early for Chicago, both reaching double figures in the first half, but they also were the chief culprits (at least in terms of most attempts) in another sub-35 percent shooting effort. Gordon was 4-of-16 for 16 points and Deng was 8-of-22 for 21 points. The Bulls shot 33.7 percent in the game.

"They made plays, they made shot after shot,” Gordon said. “We couldn't find the bottom of the basket."

Despite Chicago scoring only 30 points in the second half, the Pistons had been just that bad in the first 24 minutes. A poorly executed but tightly contested opening 12 minutes that had 9 ties was followed by a 24-10 Bulls run in the second quarter - the whole second quarter. The Bulls harassed the Pistons into 33.3 percent shooting (13-of-33), including 0-for-8 from 3-point range and eight turnovers in the first half.

Richard Hamilton attempted the Pistons’ first free throws of the game with 3.7 seconds left in the second quarter. It was only by making both that Hamilton spared the Pistons a single-digit scoring quarter. Hamilton had 14 of Detroit’s 28 first-half points on 6-of-12 shooting. He had only two points after halftime as Billups, Prince and Wallace took over.

"There was no panic situation for us,” Saunders said. “We were able to grind our way back into the game. The danger for a home team getting a big lead is when that lead goes down and the momentum changes, the crowd can be taken out of the game. The crowd becomes restless. When we started to make a run we really gained a lot of momentum."

The Pistons, who had not swept a playoff opponent in nearly two decades prior to this postseason, are on the verge of their second straight sweep. They have now tied the 1989 Pistons’ record of seven victories to open the playoffs – and they did it in style, with a 26-point swing on the road against the NBA’s best home team during the regular season.