A consumer’s guide to the best and...

A consumer’s guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, played, heard, observed, worn, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it’s in play here.

What: “Ten Greatest Games in NBA History”

When: Five-part series starts tonight,

6 PST

Where: Classic Sports Network

Don’t get me wrong--I love the Classic Sports Network. Give me the grainy film, the Lou Gehrig speeches and the Ali chatter. All that . . . and the frozen tundra.

About the only thing I don’t like on that channel is the golf. The only thing more boring than watching golf today is watching yesteryear’s golf. Hey, the paint is dry! Besides, we’ve got the senior tour.

Tonight, CSN starts what should be a gold mine of a series: In a continuing salute to the 50th anniversary of the NBA, CSN put together the “Ten Greatest Games in NBA History,” as voted by the NBA media.

Some of the choices are indisputable. Game 5 of the 1976 NBA finals between Phoenix and Boston, which went to three overtime periods, was voted No. 1. No. 2--Game 7 of the 1970 finals between the Lakers and the New York Knicks--made Willis Reed a limping legend. “Havlicek stole the ball!” was before my time, but I hear it was great. CSN ranked it third.

But beyond those, and rookie Magic Johnson’s 42-point performance in place of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game 6 of the 1980 finals (No. 8), the selections are a tad questionable.

If you’re going to choose Magic, why not his MVP All-Star game the year he was found to be HIV-positive?

And, hey, Dr. J, how’d they forget your moves?

You know, I heard Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, but it wasn’t filmed. I’m thinking that’s a game for any list.

Now, for the top 10 baseball cards. . . .