First look at Lakers-Jazz series

* Regular-season records: Lakers 57-25, Jazz 54-28.

* How they got here: Lakers defeated Denver Nuggets, 4-0, in the first round. Jazz defeated Houston Rockets, 4-2, in the first round.

* Season series: The Lakers won three of four, but the loss was their worst of the season, a 120-96 drubbing on Nov. 30 in Salt Lake City.

* Key matchup: Forget the players for a second. Coaches Phil Jackson and Jerry Sloan together have a staggering 2,065 regular-season victories and 273 playoff wins. It should make for an interesting chess match between two of the league’s most respected coaches. The two have met twice in the NBA Finals, Jackson’s Chicago Bulls defeating the Jazz, four games to two, in 1997 and 1998.

* Final thoughts: Few teams can match up with the Lakers in length and versatility. The Jazz is one of those teams: Their starters include 6-9 Carlos Boozer, 6-9 Andrei Kirilenko and 6-11 Mehmet Okur who roams the outside as much as he does the interior… . If Hornets guard Chris Paul overtook the Jazz’s Deron Williams as the point guard of the future, it wasn’t by much… . Kobe Bryant averaged 29.8 points against Utah during the regular season.

– Jonathan Abrams