THE NBA / MARK HEISLER : Who Craved This Matchup Most: Bulls, Magic or NBC?

Battle of the network stars: Now to blow out all the records for ratings on a second-round series.

It’s the Orlando Magic vs. the Chicago Bulls, Shaquille O’Neal vs. Michael Jordan. Don’t worry about buying David Stern a birthday present this year, this will do.

In a sign of what is to come, NBC has scheduled today’s Game 1 for 5:30, Eastern time (2:30 here), which is a close as it can come to putting it in prime time without pushing back “Jurassic Park” to a midnight start in the East.

Because this series is sure to attract some first-time fans, we’ll start with the basics.

--Will Mike guard Shaq?

Only in dire emergencies, like everyone else fouling out. Jordan is 6-6 and although he was once defensive player of the year, he’s just another smurf to O’Neal.

--OK, who will guard Shaq?

Everybody else. The Bulls have a three-man committee at center (translation: three stiffs) and are in the enviable position of being able to let them all foul out without losing anyone significant.

Thus Will Perdue, Luc Longley and Bill Wennington can use up their 18 fouls on the Hack-a-Shaq tactic that worked so well for the Indiana Pacers last spring and the Boston Celtics last week. Against Boston, O’Neal got off fewer shots from the floor (54) than he did from the free-throw line (55) and the Celtics trimmed six points off his regular-season average.

--Will former Bull Horace Grant say anything bad about Chicago General Manager Jerry Krause?

Only when asked, which should happen about 100 times a day.

--Will Chicago Coach Phil Jackson say anything bad about Grant?

Count on it. Phil zinged Horace for sitting out games last year with a bad back. Phil thought Horace was just protecting himself in his free-agent year. However, Grant was prepared for that one. He had looked up Jackson’s playing record, which showed that Phil sat out more games than Grant ever did.

--What’s the deal with this Jackson guy, anyway?

Not the hippie he used to be. The guy who once protested the Vietnam War now chuckles at his former assistant coach John Bach’s tasteless use of “death cards” and does commercials for Cadillac.

Greatest trash talker among NBA coaches. Specializes in who-are-these-guys jibes. He’s more diplomatic these days since his club isn’t as good; if he still had Grant, he could go back to some big-time sneering.

--Who coaches the Magic?

Brian Hill, at least through this series.

--Does the Magic’s home-court advantage mean anything?

Sure, as long as it keeps it. Charlotte’s home-court advantage lasted until the opener, which the Bulls won. Overall in these playoffs, home teams are only 16-13.

--Whom do you like?

The Bulls. The Magic had all it could do to handle the Celtics, for heaven’s sake. After the Magic shot four for 23 in the fourth quarter of its Game 2 loss, the Orlando Sentinel (which has never been past the first round of the playoffs, either) ran a banner headline: “MAGIC: CHOKE CLASSIC.” Magic players boycotted the press. In Boston Garden, they complained about the heat in the dressing room and the tight rims. In Game 3, they trailed the Celtics by three points with 1:10 left before winning, whereupon they huddled on the floor for a thanksgiving prayer. Dominique Wilkins missed a free throw with 16 seconds left that would have tied Game 4.

Deliverance is not yet at hand. The Bulls are a lot better than the Celtics.

--Why did it take so long for the NBA to release a schedule for this series?

It’s not often they play Game 1 with the last six games listed as To Be Announced. This suggests heavy in-fighting between NBC, which carries weekend games, and TNT, which gets the rest. Jordan series are customarily dragged out over three Sundays to give NBC maximum Mike exposure. If NBC had its way, this one would last seven Sundays.

THE OTHER MATCHUPS: (SORRY LAKER FANS)

LAKERS VS. SAN ANTONIO--It has been great fun, but this is a horse of a different fire department. The Lakers have no good match for David Robinson (note to Del Harris: Antonio Harvey?), have no one capable of keeping Dennis Rodman off the boards and besides, how long can Nick Van Exel carry them? Against Seattle, he sat out a total of nine minutes while outscoring Gary Payton, 99-71, and turned the ball over eight times all series.

Of course, Avery Johnson could turn into Avery Johnson. Rodman could jump ship. It’s not the way to bet, but it could happen.

PHOENIX VS. UTAH OR HOUSTON--Charles Barkley is playing golf while the Jazz and the Rockets sort this out. He must be rooting for the Jazz, another team without a center. Hakeem Olajuwon is averaging 36 points against James Donaldson.

The Suns have won 10 of their last 11, including the sweep of Portland in which Barkley averaged 34 points and 14 rebounds. Kevin Johnson played well but hurt his ankle or groin or whatever. If he’s sound, the Suns should beat whomever.

INDIANA VS. NEW YORK--The Knicks have home-court advantage but are otherwise up against it against the younger, deeper, just as physical and rested Pacers.

Reggie Miller, who told confidantes he was saving it for spring, averaged 32 points in the sweep of Atlanta. Patrick Ewing averaged only 18 as the Knicks trudged past Cleveland. Ewing claimed he had sore calves, which was a new one. Maybe they’re hiding the hamstring pull that sidelined him the last two games of the regular season?

Playing the Knicks means trying to keep Pat Riley out of your head. Riles says the Knicks are “demons” who are haunting the Pacers. For his sake, let’s hope so.

THEY GOT LEFT IN JORDAN’S DUST

Didn’t you used to be . . . the Charlotte Hornets?

In three seasons with Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson, they have won one playoff series--three years ago. After last week’s dismissal in Chicago, they went howling into the night as usual, incensed at not getting a call when Jordan tipped Hersey Hawkins’ elbow on a last-second over-the-head layup.

Mourning cried about the injustice of working so hard only to have it “taken away from you,” but this wasn’t the star system, just standard NBA officiating, which errs on the side of letting the players decide the game.

A year ago Hue Hollins made a name for himself, calling a touch foul on Scottie Pippen and handing the Knicks Game 5 of their series. Hollins was wrong. Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore and Ronnie Nunn were right last week.

“Did I get a piece of him?” Jordan asked, grinning. “I probably got his whole arm.

“If that’s what they’re crying about over there, let them cry.”

The Hornets have actual problems they never address. Owner George Shinn has dangled Coach Allan Bristow but keeps him because the team likes him.

The players are loyal but short. With a 6-9 center, a 6-5 power forward and a 5-3 point guard, they were four inches per man smaller than the Bulls.

There is a Muggsy Bogues problem: not that he’s small, but that he can’t shoot. Jordan shadowed him and was free to double-team ‘Zo and LJ.

However, Muggsy is a fan and player favorite and has a lot of clout in an organization that runs on sentiment. He’s signed through the decade, so they’d better think of something.

FAREWELL TACOMA, HELLO HARD TIMES

With all the weeping about Boston Garden’s farewell, how about a few words about the Tacoma Dome?

True, it lacked leprechauns and banners. It wasn’t conveniently located over a railroad station or even in the same city as the franchise, Tacoma being 30 miles of bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic south of Seattle. It hosted two playoff games, neither of which sold out. The lights were so bad, NBC trucked in its own for the playoffs and they went out in Game 2.

OK, so it was a disaster.

General Manager Bob Whitsitt, who rebuilt the SuperSonics, fled last spring, leaving his protege, George Karl, behind. Karl, gifted, flawed and emotional, has been looking around since, fearing the rages of owner Barry Ackerley. The front office is paralyzed, presided over by Ackerley puppet Wally Walker.

After the Game 4 loss to the Lakers, Karl did another of those interviews, insisting he wants to stay and almost weeping on the shoulder of TNT’s Kevin Kiley.

(Translation: No good jobs open at the moment. Suggestion: Charlotte?)

It has been that kind of century in Seattle.

FACES AND FIGURES

The honeymoon’s over, here comes the marriage: Cleveland Coach Mike Fratello is at odds with forward Tyrone Hill, who angered the organization by taking a limo to New York for Game 1 (he had been frightened by a very rough plane ride). Hill was ordered to fly back with the team, which he did with so many tranquilizers in him, John (Hot Rod) Williams had to drive him home. Hill’s agent, Ron Grinker, says Hill and Fratello are “oil and water.” . . . Also, Fratello, a New Jersey native and a man who can recognize a bad situation when he finds himself in one, is rumored to be interested in the Knick job if Riley leaves. . . . Remember that Rocket-Knick series that drove viewers away last spring? It was a thing of beauty compared to the Cavalier-Knick series. The closest thing anyone could come to defending it was Derek Harper. “Who cares if it’s ragged?” he asked. “If you’re looking for something pretty, go to a fashion show.” . . . Reggie Miller has outscored his man in 21 consecutive playoff games, dating to the Pacers’ 1993 first-round series against New York. Miller has averaged 25 points and shot 48% while holding Steve Smith, Stacey Augmon, John Starks and Nick Anderson to 13 points and 41%. . . . Still knocking them dead in Atlanta: Final game of the Pacer-Hawk series drew a reported 12,106, including two high school bands, an unknown number of Turner Broadcasting employees who got free tickets and 945 Pacer fans who flew in for the game and serenaded the Hawks, “Na-na-na-na, hey, hey, goodby.”