Walton, as if spitting out pits, said, ''He's a gunning guard.''

Jones said: ''He thought he was a shooter when I first met him. So Bill sets his record for most field goals in the N.C.A.A. final, but they were all layups. Wooden never let him two feet from the basket, and he came to the pros and said he had to shoot. It was the ugliest thing. He said, 'Give me the ball,' and it went 'clank.' ''

They developed a friendship on a Trail Blazer team riven by infighting. ''Steve Jones saved my life,'' Walton said. ''I came in as the highest-paid player in team sports and the quality of my life went down because of the selfishness and greediness from players interested only in their own publicity. It just blew me away. Steve Jones taught me how to be a professional. Unfortunately, as Steve and Coach Wooden are so quick to point out, I'm the slowest learner they ever saw.''

After a year as Portland teammates, Jones retired to call games for the Blazers, and Walton led the team the next season to the N.B.A. championship. But Walton was still afflicted with a severe stutter, which did not prevent Jones from interviewing him.

''He was my worst interview,'' Jones said.

''Steve would ask a question, answer it, ask another, answer it, then say, 'Thanks for the time, Bill,' '' Walton said.

''He was still stuck on 'the,' '' Jones said.

Usually, they are at philosophical war. One raises a point, the other tries to squash it. Walton frequently (and eagerly) saws off the very limb he is balanced on, easing Jones's work.

A hard foul by the Bucks' Darvin Ham on Wednesday led to this exchange:

Breen: ''Was that one close to a flagrant foul?''

Walton: ''No, he had his chest on him. Arguably, it wasn't even a foul.''

Breen: ''Now you're losing your credibility.''

Jones: ''Credibility is something Bill's never been concerned with.''

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When Walton, Jones and their designated referee (Breen, Tom Hammond, or in the past, Greg Gumbel) click, they embody how a three-man crew should work.

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''If the middleman doesn't understand us, it's not going to work,'' Jones said.

''He has to understand that Steve is always wrong,'' Walton added. ''When I don't do a game with Steve, I put a picture of him with that big Afro and beard from the 70's and that dazed and confused look next to me.''

During Game 5, they debated the logic of Philadelphia's Allen Iverson hoisting shots willy-nilly, ending the night at 5 for 27.

Jones: ''Remember, Bill, it's not how many shots you take, it's how many you make. So somebody has to make shots for Philadelphia.''

Walton: ''I couldn't disagree with you more. It's about how many you take.''

They continued their colloquy yesterday, as Walton said: ''Steve argues that if you make 5 of 6 shots, it's more effective than taking 100 and making 6. It comes down to how many shots you jack up. None of this backing up and waiting to shoot.''

That was heresy to Jones, a former shooting guard, whose brother, Nick, played for Golden State. ''You need guys to make shots or Ervin Johnson will shoot all the time,'' he said. ''What kind of a coach lets guys shoot all the time?''

Walton read from the game's stat sheet. ''A missed shot for Allen Iverson is the same as a basket for the Sixers,'' he said, referring to the Sixers' strong rebounding. ''He takes 27 shots and makes 5, yet he has a better game than Glenn Robinson or Sam Cassell, who went 7 for 18.''

Jones said: ''If he'd said that in the fourth quarter, there would have been a violent disagreement. Al stunk up the joint, but his team courteously bailed him out.''

Game 6 tonight (or if there is a Game 7 on Sunday) could be the finale for the team of Jones and Walton, if Walton replaces Doug Collins as the lead N.B.A. analyst. If so, they will have to feud by long distance, which evidently will not reduce the affection between them.

''I love him,'' Walton said. ''I tell him that on a daily basis.''

Jones said, ''He's definitely burned some brain cells.''