THE NBA / MARK HEISLER : Fast Start by Celtics’ Veterans Shows They’re Not on Last Legs

Robert Parish of the Boston Celtics says he enjoys the challenge of playing against younger men.

Because he’s 37, that’s every center in the league.

With Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, 34 and 33 respectively, that’s a 104-year-old front line, but the Celtics are thriving at a fat 21-4.

Their season started, shall we say, inauspiciously? Brian Shaw sued the team to try to remain in Italy. Dave Gavitt, hired to succeed Red Auerbach, wooed Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski but failed.

Gavitt was left to promote assistant Chris Ford to coach. Ford said he wanted to go back to fast-breaking to take advantage of the young legs of the since-reconciled Shaw, Reggie Lewis and rookie Dee Brown.

Bird, not as keen on running as he was when he could, said he would believe it when he saw it.

To which McHale, always a natural rival, responded:

“It takes five guys to run. If four guys run, the fifth guy is just a free safety out there. If everyone’s not doing what’s best for the team, we might as well pack it up and go home.”

The season before, Bird had sniffed publicly about soon-to-be-outgoing coach Jimmy Rodgers. This time, Ford gathered the team together the next day, read the Bird quotes out of the newspaper and called Bird down in front of everyone.

Bird immediately came to grips with the new regime. He’s been cheery and productive, if not on his pre-heel surgery level.

“I’m not close to being the way I used to be,” he told the Boston Globe’s Jackie MacMullan. “My confidence just isn’t where it once was, and it probably never will be again. I thought last year I’d get it all back, but it never happened.”

In last week’s showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers, Bird had 24 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and six steals. He’s close enough to what he was, as are the Celtics.

Frisky: The night after the Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons in Boston, Parish had 23 points and 13 rebounds in 27 minutes at Miami against 25-year-old Rony Seikaly of the Heat.

Search for Showtime: Why don’t the Lakers run the way they used to?

Mike Dunleavy says it’s not by design. Several factors enter in:

--It didn’t start this season. The Lakers ran less in recent years and won more by defense.

--The Lakers lead the league in defensive rebounding by keeping their guards in. Magic Johnson and Byron Scott average 11.3 rebounds a game. Maybe they have improved enough to sneak Byron back out on the break?

--Johnson and James Worthy are playing so many minutes--39.2 a game each, second in the league to Pooh Richardson’s 41.9--that they have to pay for it somewhere.

--They haven’t made it the first priority in practice. Dunleavy says he’s cut back on the running drills to rest his players between games.

One thing that is not happening is players grumbling about it, causing unrest of the type that led to the firing of Paul Westhead. Everyone seems to realize they are in a period of adjustment.

But they could use the easy hoops.

Pigeons: Are the Lovabulls the Chicago Bulls’ cheerleaders or the Pistons’ name for the Bulls themselves?

When Detroit’s skid reached 1-7, Chuck Daly said: “Right now, we’ll take a win over anybody, even a high school team.”

Providentially, the next opponent due into the Palace was Chicago, which fell, 105-84.

As usual, all the Bulls but Michael Jordan wilted. Jordan had 33 points. No other Bull scored in double figures.

Jordan had 13 baskets. The other 11 Bulls combined for 22. Said Jordan: “They’re just better than we are.”

Over four seasons, including playoffs, the Bulls are 9-28 against the Pistons, 2-14 at Auburn Hills, Mich.

One reason is that Dennis Rodman simply owns Scottie Pippen, who is supposed to be the Bulls’ No. 2 scoring threat.

The teams will meet again Tuesday in Chicago. Says Bull Coach Phil Jackson: “If we don’t do any better, we’ll take a look at who we’ve got out there.”

NBA Notes

Sacramento General Manager Jerry Reynolds, who traded Danny Ainge for Byron Irvin, whom he traded, too: “I always said my goal is to build a championship team. Unfortunately, it’s in Portland.” . . . Nice scouting report: With Houston in town, Charlotte Coach Gene Littles said Akeem Olajuwon isn’t surrounded by the same quality players as Pat Ewing and David Robinson, and called Kenny Smith and Sleepy Floyd “journeymen.” Outraged, the Rockets beat the Hornets, barely. Said Rocket Coach Don Chaney: “I guess it shows the kind of respect people have for us around the league.”

The Kings’ Ralph Sampson isn’t playing and is resisting management suggestions that he become an assistant coach or retire or just go away. He did get into a fight at practice with Bill Wennington. “Ralph elbowed me in the face,” Wennington said. “I’m not here for that, contrary to popular belief.” . . . Michael Jordan, after the Bulls took a 36-5 first-quarter lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers: “They looked like chickens with their heads cut off.”

Sacramento’s Wayman Tisdale, after making 10 consecutive shots against the Orlando Magic: “The basket looked as wide as my rear end.” . . . Said Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons of Phoenix’s 6-1 record since Xavier McDaniel reported: “The funny thing is that we’re not playing all that well. When we do start to play Suns basketball, there’ll be very few teams that can stay with us.” . . . Reality asserts itself again: The four expansion teams started the weekend with an aggregate 28-game losing streak.