Joe Tait can relate.

''I feel old, fat and tired,'' the signature radio voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers said. ''Some days, I feel like I could go on forever. Other days, I'm not sure I'll make it past noon.''

Tait will make it past noon today to call Game 3 of the first-round playoff series between the Cavs and Bulls tonight over Cleveland's powerful WTAM-AM (1100).

Most nights, the station can be heard in Chicago. That has been a magic reality that extends back to when it was WWWE-AM and, before then, the old rock powerhouse KYW-AM.

Tait, 72, has said that next season will be his last. If he sticks to that, the breed of working NBA broadcast greats will be down one.

He has been announcing Cavs games since their inaugural season of 1970-71 -- approaching 3,500 national anthems -- with a two-season break.

Fed up with the operational nuttiness of owner Ted Stepien in 1981, Tait bolted for enemy airwaves.

The first was with the New Jersey Nets, who also had a kooky TV analyst named Phil Jackson that season still trying to find a root pad for his midlife incense and peppermints.

In 1982-83, Tait came to Chicago to work TV games alongside Johnny ''Red'' Kerr while Jim Durham soloed on WIND-AM (560).

''Jerry Reinsdorf made me an offer I couldn't refuse,'' Tait said. ''He wanted me on SportsVision, the fledgling cable outfit. John and I worked along with Jimmy Angio, the director. The Bulls were terrible, but the year was great. So much fun, so many laughs.''

But once stability was restored in Cleveland -- and Stepien was all but mandated out of the league -- Tait was back with the Cavs. And still is.

He and wife Jean -- long a thoroughbred breeder, owner and trainer at tracks such as Mountaineer, Penn National and hometown Thistledown -- live on a 15-acre farm about 40 miles southwest of Quicken Loans Arena.

''In a year, the house will be paid off,'' said Tait, Evanston-born and a graduate of Monmouth College. ''Then all I want to worry about is taking care of Jeannie and enjoying the sunsets.''

In the interim, some memories and opinions:

• On career influences: ''Growing up around Chicago, it was fellows like Bert Wilson, Jack Quinlan, Red Rush, Bob Elson, Jack Brickhouse, Vince Lloyd.''

• On whether it is still fun: ''I enjoy doing the play-by-play. But everything else has changed so dramatically -- the game presentations and the sideshows. I attempt to ignore that as much as possible.''

• On whether the ''sideshows'' are overdone: ''In my opinion, yes. But the people who are paying the bills believe that's the way to go, and they are putting 20,562 in the seats now every night. I hasten to add that if No. 23 [LeBron James] weren't there, we wouldn't be seeing 20,562.''

• On the rough years: ''During the reign of terror of Ted Stepien, I came into Richfield Coliseum with the Bulls. By actual count, there were 137 fans -- 137 -- in the building for the game.''

• On the psychology of the Cleveland fan: ''Cleveland fans have become very defensive because ... they have been whacked from head to toe.''

• On Joakim Noah's comments about Cleveland: ''I don't know what ol' Joakim was looking for. Since I came here in 1970, the city has made giant strides in the downtown area. It's really a nice town.''

• On whether Cleveland ever will forgive Noah: ''Before Game 2, I was standing in the family room with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and somebody brought that up. 'Z' just said, 'Hey, I know him, and he is a nice man.' I just said, 'Z, if you believe that, I'll accept it at face value -- even if he does have a big mouth.'''

• On being asked about James: ''I give them my answer, and then if they want to go deeper or microscopic, I just say, 'Look, I don't know the man personally; I know him professionally. I am impressed with who he is and what he does.' I'm old enough to be his grandfather.''

• On refereeing today: ''One of the factors in this league now is that you have referees -- and I'm not knocking them -- who have an entirely different philosophy on how the game should be played, what's a foul and what to let go. From night to night, you're not going to necessarily get a basic resemblance in how a game is called.''

• On his favorite season: '''The Miracle in Richfield [1975-76],' which people always say is funny because the Cavs didn't get out of the Eastern Conference finals. But it was a great group of guys -- Jim Chones, Campy Russell, Bingo Smith -- plus a great old pro in Nate Thurmond, who, like Shaquille O'Neal today, tried to rise to the occasion to help the team succeed.''

• On his all-time favorite Cavs player: ''Danny Ferry. And he only wound up here because he wouldn't sign with the Clippers and Ron Harper, who was here, had been hanging out with drug folk. Gordon Gund gave Wayne Embry two weeks to get Harper out of town, and he made the deal for Danny, who became the hardest-working player I've ever seen. And Harper cleaned up his act.''

• On whether this is THE year for the Cavs: ''Could be. They have a legitimate chance. I will go no further than that.''

• On his final sign-off: ''Except for the time around Stepien, I have enjoyed every minute of it. And whoever said it, I agree: 'It's always better to leave one year too soon than one year too late.'''