Its chairman, Alan Greenspan, told Congress yesterday that the second-quarter surge of inflation, as reported Wednesday, seemed "a bit surprising."

The score was tied at 21 after one quarter, but the Knicks started their second-quarter surge with an 8-0 run to take a 29-21 lead.

"We were on our heels," the Giants' defensive coordinator, John Fox, said of the Redskins' second-quarter surge.

And with their second-quarter surge, they proved they were not going to accept defeat tonight.

The Rangers, with a second-quarter surge, seem so improved behind Mark Messier and Brian Leetch, who may be approaching his prime as an attacking defenseman.

The Commerce Department's tally of the national output showed the second-quarter surge reflecting gains in all major components except trade and spending on nonresidential structures.

The second-quarter surge in private purchases of Treasuries may reflect a bit of bubble buying as well, as plunging bond yields and rising prices attracted speculators.

Two 3-pointers by Laimbeer and another 3-pointer by Thomas sparked a 12-2 second-quarter surge that pulled the Pistons back within striking distance.

But after Seattle's second-quarter surge, the Knicks ended up making the impression.

While this was much less than the second-quarter surge of 7.5 percent, the earlier period benefited substantially from a rebound following the California earthquake in January.