Heinsohn Might Be Pro-Celtics, but He Can’t See It

For the first time since last spring’s NBA championship series, Dick Stockton and Tommy Heinsohn will be announcing a game between the Boston Celtics and the Lakers when the teams play Sunday at 12:45 p.m. at the Forum.

The teams met once earlier this season, the Celtics beating the Lakers Jan. 16 at Boston, 104-102, but that game was not televised by CBS.

People in these parts last year accused Heinsohn, a former Celtic player and coach, of being pro-Boston.

A case could be made for that. There were two flagrant fouls in the series, one by the Celtics’ Kevin McHale, the other by the Lakers’ James Worthy. Heinsohn viewed McHale’s as part of the game. He wasn’t so charitable about Worthy’s, claiming it was the worst kind of foul because it was from behind. It was a bad foul, but so was McHale’s.

Then, in the seventh game of the series, he seemed to relish the Celtics’ pending victory.

Heinsohn says he was not biased toward the Celtics. Stockton supports that contention.

“I swear, Heinsohn was not rooting for the Celtics during that series,” Stockton said this week. “I’ll take a lie detector test on that one. People in Boston thought we were pro-Lakers.”

Heinsohn said: “I thought the Lakers were going to win the series. I have the utmost respect for Pat Riley and the Laker organization. Riley has done a fantastic job of coaching the Lakers. He has managed to squeeze every ounce of speed out of that team.”

Heinsohn also said there were people in Boston who considered him and Stockton pro-Laker.

So what was it? Were Stockton and Heinsohn pro-Boston or pro-Los Angeles? Stockton, by the way, is a former Boston Red Sox announcer who now lives in New York with his wife, Leslie Visser, a sportswriter for the Boston Globe.

Jack Craig, longtime TV sports columnist for the Globe, was asked his opinion.

“I don’t recall anybody accusing either one of them of being pro-Los Angeles,” Craig said.

So were they pro-Boston?

“I thought Heinsohn bent over backward trying to be fair,” Craig said. “At least until the seventh game.”

Craig said he is not particularly fond of Heinsohn’s work on the network. “He is better on Sports Channel,” he said. Sports Channel is a pay-TV service that carries 40 Celtic games. Heinsohn is the commentator.

“I think he is too cautious on the network,” Craig said. “I think he is afraid of losing his audience.”

But back to the argument as to Heinsohn’s loyalties. The problem is that Heinsohn sees games involving the Celtics through the eyes of a person very close to that team. Even when he is critical of the Celtics, it is coming from a former Celtic who currently travels with the team.

It’s a tough spot to be in. Chick Hearn would probably have the same problem if he were on the network.

One thing is certain, however. No announcer is ever as biased as a loyal fan. So whenever Heinsohn says even one thing that could be construed as pro-Boston, the Los Angeles fans jump him for it. As Heinsohn is discovering, it’s tough to please everyone.

Stockton continues to improve as a pro basketball play-by-play announcer. He’s probably the best to have worked the game on the network level. He’s smooth, articulate and informative.

Still, Stockton is no Chick Hearn, so Laker fans who admire Hearn’s quickness and knowledge of the game may not be particularly impressed by the more laid-back Stockton.

Stockton understands. “Chick Hearn is the best pro basketball announcer in the country,” he said. “He sets the standard.

“But Chick has the luxury of being a local announcer. His listeners are familiar with his team. He doesn’t have to give a lot of background. And he can always take the Lakers’ point of view. If they are going great, he can say so. If they’re going bad, he can try to explain why.

“It’s different on the network level. You have to straddle that line and give the point of few from both sides.”

Seen sitting next to NBA Commissioner David Stern during last Sunday’s All-Star game was Arthur Watson, the president of NBC Sports. Does that mean NBC is interested in obtaining the NBA rights when the contract with CBS expires after the 1985-86 season?

Yes, NBC is interested, a network spokesman said. NBC has never carried pro basketball, but it has become disenchanted with college basketball because of TV saturation and declining ratings.

And what about ABC? Jim Spence, senior vice president in charge of ABC Sports, said: “I guess I should have accepted my invitation to the game, too.”

Spence added that, yes, ABC may be interested in obtaining the NBA rights, especially if the United States Football League sticks with its plans to move to a fall schedule in 1986.

“I’m probably the No. 1 basketball fan in the television industry,” Spence said. “Yet, my network doesn’t carry any basketball at all.”

But if things remain the same, CBS may put up quite a fight to retain NBA rights. It’s a nice position for the NBA to be in.

Coming back: Tracy Austin will resurface this weekend at the Lipton International Players Championships at Delray Beach, Fla. No, she’s not playing in the tournament. She has been hired by ABC to work the women’s final Saturday between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert Lloyd.

Austin, who has not played tennis competitively in more than a year, says she hopes to return soon.

A bad back, a shoulder injury and various other injuries made her decide to take some time off. “I’m feeling great now,” she said. “I’m working out about three hours a day. I’ve been hitting balls since last month. I’m very anxious to get back on the circuit.”

Notes CBS reported Thursday that last Sunday’s All-Star Game got a national rating of 10.9, the highest rating ever for a daytime All-Star game. The previous high was a 10.1 for the 1978 game. The 1972 game was played in prime time and it drew a 13.3 rating. . . . WTBS has made some changes in its NBA schedule to take advantage of the popularity of Chicago’s Michael Jordan and Boston’s Larry Bird. The cable network is dropping three games--Lakers vs. Kansas City Feb. 21, Denver vs. Kansas City March 7, and Portland vs. Phoenix March 21--in order to carry Lakers vs. Chicago Feb. 19, Detroit vs. Chicago March 12, and Boston vs. Washington March 23. . . . ESPN had experimented with giving scores of boxing matches as they progressed. The cable network tried it for three fights, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission has decided not to allow it anymore. It is forbidden in other states, too.

Part 2 of the fascinating transcontinental bicycle race, the “Race Across America,” will be featured on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” Sunday. The entire show will be devoted to the race. ABC sportscaster Jim Lampley, who made the trek across the country with the cyclists--the winner finished in 9 days 13 hours--said covering this event was the most memorable experience he’s ever had in broadcasting. “And that includes the Olympics,” he said. “Here we were, creeping across the country at about 15 m.p.h., getting very little sleep and working almost nonstop. I was glad when it was over, but I feel fortunate to have experienced something like this.” . . . Some cable subscribers may have noticed recently that they’re not getting some ESPN events as scheduled. According to an ESPN spokesman, the problem is that on Feb. 4 the network switched satellites--going from Satcom 3R to Galaxy I--and this has caused some problems in some areas. Some cable companies apparently have not yet made an adjustment.