Today’s Second-Round Series Opener

NEW YORK KNICKS at CHICAGO BULLS, 2:30 p.m., Channel 4

* Season series: Chicago, 3-1.

Knick Coach Jeff Van Gundy’s job is riding on this series. If he wins a game, he might keep it. If he wins two, they might give him a ticker-tape parade. For the Bulls, playing on a level all their own, it’s another mismatch. They beat the Miami Heat by a whopping 23 points a game. Miami, a 42-game winner, was no powerhouse, but then, neither is New York, which won 47--25 fewer than the Bulls. The Bulls’ only problem is Michael Jordan’s back. On Friday, he told Jay Leno that the pain in his back was about a 6 on a scale from 1 to 10. Scottie Pippen ended the regular season in a slump but shot 56% and averaged 20 points in the Heat scrimmages. The Knicks surprised the Cleveland Cavaliers, sweeping them behind John Starks. He averaged 20 points, making 64% of his three-point shots. However, the Cavaliers double-team all post players and give up outside shots. The Bulls don’t. This is an NBC special. After Tuesday’s game in Chicago, they’ll take three days off before Games 3 and 4 in New York next Saturday and Sunday. Said Seattle assistant Bob Weiss of starting the Houston series a day before the Bulls, who were finished a day earlier: “They’re scheduling Chicago around Jordan’s chiropractor.”