WORTH NOTING ON TV

* FRIDAY

NBA Basketball (The Sports Channel, 7:30-10 p.m. E.T.): The 1993-94 pro basketball season gets under way, and the Boston Celtics start a new era as they open tonight against the New York Knicks. The Celtics have lost several key players: Larry Bird, who retired prior to last season; Kevin McHale, who retired this year; and Reggie Lewis, who died last summer. * SUNDAY

Cathedrals in the Sea (TBS, 10-11 p.m.): M.A.S.H. actor Mike Farrell travels to French Polynesia, Florida, and other sites where coral reefs teem with life under turquoise waters. He, his son, daughter, and a biologist or two dive with sharks and colorful fish. The one-hour program examines the destruction of coral reefs around the world from pollution, rising water temperatures, and other adverse conditions. The scenery is breathtaking; it's hard to imagine that, beneath the surface of the pristine water, insidious problems threaten these colorful worlds.

Where Angels Fear to Tread (PBS, 9-11 p.m.): Masterpiece Theatre presents the 1991 British adaptation of E.M. Forster's first novel. The story concerns a middle-aged English widow who falls for a young Italian playboy in turn-of-the-century Italy. The film is full of lush cinematography. Helena Bonham Carter, Rupert Graves, Judy Davis, and Helen Mirren star.

The Military Mess (CNN, 9-10 p.m.): This one-hour program investigates how the US military has been dumping and leaking toxic, nuclear, and chemical pollution at bases throughout the United States. New reports from the Environmental Protection Agency, citizens' groups, and the military itself look at the problem.

C-Span Sunday Journal

(C-Span, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.): Weekly video magazine gives viewers summaries of the week's events, newsmaker profiles, viewer call-in programs, and a look at the upcoming agenda for next week.

Please check local listings for these programs.