THE NBA / MARK HEISLER : Down the Stretch in the Wild, Wild West

For NBC execs, terrified of another ratings dud Detroit-Portland finals, and for basketball fans in general, we have good news.

The NBA has had few races like this one, with three teams on 60-victory paces and others on track for 59, 57, 55 and 55.

For Western teams, the bad news: Five of the big seven are out here.

Out on the frontier, podner, it’s been hard and getting harder.

Utah Coach Jerry Sloan was reportedly in trouble when he started 2-5.

The Lakers’ Mike Dunleavy wondered what he’d gotten into at 2-5.

Phoenix’s Cotton Fitzsimmons had to be talked out of resigning in mid-February.

Portland’s Rick Adelman, his lead down to 1 1/2 games, last week wondered what had happened to “the fire we had earlier.”

San Antonio’s Larry Brown certainly must have gazed fondly at the highway at some point.

One of the East’s twin towers, Boston or Chicago, figures to compile the best record, while the West teams spend the last five weeks of the season bashing each other.

“All I know, last year we won 54 games and didn’t have home-court (advantage) in one series,” says Fitzsimmons from Phoenix.

“All those five teams are doing it again. Plus, Golden State’s improved over last year, Houston’s improved over last year and Seattle’s improved over last year.

“This year we’ll see another first-round playoff like Phoenix-Utah last year--55 and 54-win teams, and it went down to the last shot of the series.”

Fitzsimmons is still at the old pop stand in his dual capacity of coach-personnel director.

However, after a loss at Houston Feb. 16 left the Suns eight games behind Portland and 4 1/2 behind the Lakers, he volunteered to resign.

Team president Jerry Colangelo, twice Sun coach himself and aware that you have to keep your bench leader away from sharp objects at night, declined the offer.

The joke going around then was that having assembled the best 1-through-12 roster in the NBA, Cotton couldn’t figure out what to do with it.

He’s figured out something. The Suns are 10-1 since.

“Let’s face it, I’m an unorthodox coach,” Fitzsimmons says. “I just change ‘em around.

“John MacLeod said, ‘The amazing thing about him is, he not only changes his lineup game to game, but half to half.’

“If you coach the way I do and lose, they’re going to rip you. The media’s going to rip me. Some of the players are going to rip me. They just don’t understand their role--have you ever heard that before?

“I don’t worry about it. Worst thing that can happen is I can be strictly player personnel director tomorrow.”

In this business, conference and season, career options are handy.

The front-runners(?): When the Blazers rallied from an 11-point deficit at Boston while Houston upset the Lakers in the Forum two weeks ago, a Portland writer called it Black Sunday for the Lakers.

Last week came Purple and Gold Sunday for the Blazers, who came down from that Mt. Hood retreat, refreshed after a week off . . . and lost at home to the Celtics.

The Blazers have problems: a tougher schedule than the Lakers or Phoenix; Clyde Drexler’s sore right shoulder that may be a factor in his 40% shooting over eight games and their minus-one rebounding margin in that time, compared to a plus-five margin before.

Thus, they have enough to occupy them and could profitably stop worrying about the officiating, a hard concept for them.

The NBA doesn’t keep such numbers but Harvey (Superstat) Pollack of the 76ers says Portland’s 47 technical fouls lead the league.

Included was one Jerome Kersey got in the two-point overtime loss to Boston. Very nice, Jerome.

The schedule: Watch out for. . . .

Phoenix?

The Suns, like the Lakers, have only seven more road games, but the Suns’ are easier.

Of the seven, the Lakers and Suns have four common opponents.

The Lakers’ three others are San Antonio, Utah and Portland.

The Suns’ three others are Denver, Sacramento and the Clippers.

Portland plays 11 of its final 18 on the road, including a six-game, nine-day trip in early April that concludes at Houston and San Antonio.

NBA Notes

Can you spell s-e-l-f s-e-r-v-i-n-g? Agent David Falk nominates Georgetown’s John Thompson for the Knick general manager’s post, noting: “There is no one Patrick (Ewing) has more respect for than John.” Falk represents both Thompson and Ewing. How about c-o-n-f-l-i-c-t o-f i-n-t-e-r-e-s-t? Falk is so desperate, it is suspected that he is appealing over the head of new Knick president Dave Checketts to Madison Square Garden boss Richard Evans. Checketts is thought to be leaning toward his one-time Jazz aide, Scott (Son of Big Guy Frank) Layden or former Celtic coach Jimmy Rodgers.

Things being what they are, the Knicks are introducing celebrities for a bow. At a recent game: Elliott Gould, Julius Erving, Jeff Hostetler. The announcer then asked for a special New York welcome for Donald Trump, who got one all right--a crashing boo. Said an NBA official, “They couldn’t have booed louder if it was Saddam Hussein.” They then introduced Trump’s companion, Marla Maples, who was cheered wildly.

The Knicks won 10 of 11 after John MacLeod installed a motion offense. Said MacLeod, “The players seem to like this. Why did it take so long? Well, we were trying to establish a half-court game.” . . . Non-person Mark Jackson played 20 minutes in the surge.

Rocky Mountain hi: New Nugget co-owner Bertram Lee, who advocates in the media guide an “involvement of the Nuggets organization and personnel in the life of the community,” was evicted from his posh Denver apartment for non-payment of the $3,000 monthly rent. Lee didn’t appear at a hearing. His furniture was seized to pay three months’ back rent. His silverware and china were thrown in the street. . . . A call from the governor: Nugget majority owner Bob Wussler huddled with General Manager Bernie Bickerstaff to discuss Paul Westhead. Said Wussler: “We’re extremely fond of and high on the coach. My feeling is we’d like to go out and get him the players he needs and get him back for a couple of years.”

Bernard King, a sunbeam up until his inspirational comeback landed him in the All-Star game, has turned reclusive. King dislikes mention of his past misadventures with petty theft and drugs. The Bullet publicity department is so solicitous of his feelings, staffers have been known to snip offending paragraphs from stories before King sees them. . . . You can’t say the Bullets’ and Crenshaw High’s John L. Williams is a shadow of himself. More like two shadows. The 6-8 Williams is supposed to weigh 265 but looks 275. He and guard Ledell Eackles look like the full-figured rappers in Run DMC or the right side of the Raider line. Williams is still considered part of the Bullet future but Eackles will be available.

Akeem Olajuwon has begun calling himself Hakeem, the original Arabic spelling, but pronounced the same way. Hard to get used to? Hakeem was spotted giving autographs with the old spelling. Olajuwon says Hakeem means “a wise man, a doctor.” Akeem presumably meant “a prodigious talent but maybe a trifle headstrong.” . . . Ostrich vs. rhino: Manute Bol and Charles Barkley got into a fight at practice, starting when Bol playfully slapped Barkley, who then tackled Bol and was pulled off by the rest of the 76er roster in its greatest challenge of the season.

A funny thing happened on the way to the victory stand: Said new Sonic Ricky Pierce: “I don’t want to put pressure on anyone, but we now have the team together to win a championship in the next couple of years.” Seattle promptly lost three in a row. . . . A correction: As things stand, the Lakers would face Houston in the first round of the playoffs.

Atlanta had its heart set on dumping Moses Malone to save his $2.5 million salary but is wondering who its next center is. Bob Weiss benched Jon Koncak, starts Tim McCormick, a seven-year, five-team journeyman, and brings Malone--still the class of the group--off the bench. In a long audition, Koncak finally proved beyond argument that giving him a $12.5-million, six-year contract was ludicrous. . . . The Hawks signed 7-foot-1 Gary Leonard amid questions about how Minnesota’s Bill Musselman could refuse to trade, then waive his 1989 No. 2 pick. Said Indiana General Manager Donnie Walsh: “I’m amazed at what Minnesota did with him. I don’t understand how you give up on a young 7-footer like that.” Partial answer: Former Marine Musselman didn’t like Leonard’s uncombative demeanor.

Despite Chicago’s rampage, skeptics remain. Said Pooh Richardson after the Bulls had routed the Timberwolves: “I was thinking toward the end of the game about someone asking me the question, if Phoenix and the others are as good as the Bulls. My answer is, they are.”