NBA PLAYOFFS: 1st Round

The playoff puzzle fell into focus with Wednesday night’s regular-season finale. Here is a first glimpse at the playoff pairings: Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers figure prominently in the Western Conference playoff picture.

Western Conference

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) vs. No. 8 Utah Jazz (48-34):

The Jazz is one of the few teams in the Western Conference that could give the Lakers a tough series, but it limped toward the end of the season and finished 3-7 in its final 10 games. In the regular finale against the Lakers, the Jazz lost, 125-112, prompting Utah Coach Jerry Sloan to tell reporters: “We didn’t give them much of a battle and knowing that we’re going to have to play them again, it looks pretty bleak. Hate to say that, but it’s one of those things.” Label Sloan the eternal optimist. The Lakers finished with the top seed for a second straight season and knocked the Jazz out of the playoffs last season. They are finally healthy with Andrew Bynum picking up where he left off before a knee injury caused him to miss a large chunk of the season. He averaged 17.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in the four games since his return. The reserve guard Shannon Brown saw steady minutes as the season closed.

No. 2 Denver Nuggets (54-28) vs. No. 7 New Orleans Hornets (49-33):

One of the more intriguing matchups. Carmelo Anthony has never made it out of the first round of the playoffs in his career, but this is the first time his team has had home-court advantage. Like Detroit, the dynamics of the team changed after the Billups-Iverson trade, but Denver saw a change for the better. Last season’s Hornets were a feel-good story in the N.B.A. and they pick-and-rolled their way to the second seed. The Hornets took a step back this season, but New Orleans seemed to emerge out of its slumber after a rescinded trade that would have sent center Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The message that got through: they had better do it now or never.

No. 3 San Antonio Spurs (54-28) vs. No. 6 Dallas Mavericks (50-32):

The Spurs have made it out of the first round of the playoffs every season since 1999-2000. This year the streak is at risk. The versatile guard Manu Ginóbili is sidelined, and Tim Duncan ached throughout the year. Tony Parker will be looked on to carry more of an offensive load than in prior playoffs, and Roger Mason Jr. and Matt Bonner, relative newcomers to the playoffs, will have to excel under the brighter lights. Their counterparts, the Mavericks, have not made it out of the first round since reaching the N.B.A. finals in 2005-6. If they are able to make a run, perhaps the team’s owner, Mark Cuban, will finally be able to justify his trade that sent Devin Harris to the Nets for Jason Kidd.

No. 4 Portland Trail Blazers (54-28) vs. Houston Rockets (53-29):

The Trail Blazers return to the playoffs for the first time since 2002-3 and have a home-court edge thanks to Wednesday’s win over the Nuggets. They possess almost all the requisites for a deep playoff run: a go-to scorer in Brandon Roy, deep shooters, an inside presence, length, athleticism and defensive prowess. Everything, that is, except postseason experience. After an unsettling beginning to the season when Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady alternated missing games with injuries, the Rockets cobbled together a decent season. They still lack a go-to scorer after McGrady underwent microfracture surgery, so expect Yao Ming and Artest to shoulder the offensive load. Von Wafer is a wild card for Houston, and his athleticism usually riles up the crowd.