NBA PLAYOFFS : THE REST : Can Any Team Prevent Celtic-Laker Reunion?

In the final, mundane days of the National Basketball Assn.’s regular season, both the Lakers and Boston Celtics, waiting for the playoffs to arrive, plodded through games like characters from “The Night of the Living Dead.”

Now that the 82-game prelude to the playoffs is behind them, the Lakers and Celtics can begin the process of elimination that, by late May, is expected to have led the teams to a third consecutive meeting in the NBA championship series. The Celtics won in seven games in 1984, the Lakers in six games last spring, and another showdown seems inevitable.

If what happened during the regular season means anything, the Lakers and Celtics shouldn’t find too much resistance on the road through the playoffs. The Celtics, inspired for all but the last few regular-season games, compiled the NBA’s best record (67-15), and the Lakers once again breezed through the Western Conference, posting a 62-20 mark.

Of course, the NBA playoffs often feature something the regular season customarily lacks--surprises. There are playoff teams besides the Celtics hoping to deny the Lakers a chance to become the first team since the 1968-69 Celtics to repeat as champions. In the West, Houston and Denver both seem to believe that they can dethrone the Lakers. In the East, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and upstart Atlanta once again will have the best chances of beating the Celtics. But nearly everyone else around the league is thinking Lakers-Celtics, again.

One interested observer is Cedric Maxwell, the former Celtic power forward and power speaker. Maxwell, traded to the Clippers for Bill Walton after last season, said he thinks the Celtics will win back the championship.

“Right now I think the Celtics have got the better ballclub,” Maxwell said, uncharacteristically serious. “They seem to have all the quality ingredients to win it. They got more support off the bench, tremendous size. Chief (Center Robert Parish) has had more rest, and Walton is a guy who can come in for a spell and contain Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). I look for them to win it.”

Maxwell paused. Perhaps realizing that he now plays in Los Angeles, even if it is for the other team, Maxwell re-evaluated his position.

“I’m here now,” he said, smiling. “Maybe I should pick the Lakers. Yeah, it’s the Lakers.”

Maxwell still has time to change his mind several more times. It will be at least five weeks before the Lakers and Celtics have a chance to meet--if each makes it that far.

In the meantime, the 16-team playoff field will be systematically pared in three preliminary rounds, starting tonight and Friday night with the best-of-five conference quarterfinals.

The Western Conference first-round series match the Lakers against San Antonio, Houston against Sacramento, Denver against Portland and Dallas against Utah. Should the Lakers win, they will play the winner of the Dallas-Utah series. Houston, a likely winner over Sacramento, will play the winner of the Denver-Portland series.

If the teams that are supposed to win, do, the Lakers will play the Rockets in the conference final. Houston and Denver seemingly are the only Western Conference teams with any chance to keep the Lakers from a fifth consecutive trip to the championship series.

“We match up great with them,” Denver Coach Doug Moe said. “I’m not worried about the Lakers. I’m worried about getting far enough to play them.”

Said Rocket center Akeem Olajuwon recently, when asked about the Lakers: “I know we can beat them.”

Even Dick Motta, coach of the Dallas Mavericks, likes his team’s chances.

“If I were the coach of another team and I had to face us in a seven-game series, I’d be nervous,” Motta said.

In the Eastern Conference, it will be Boston against Chicago, Milwaukee against New Jersey, Detroit against Atlanta and Philadelphia against Washington in the first round. Boston figures to handle the Bulls and will meet the winner of the Detroit-Atlanta series, which could be the most competitive of any in the first round.

Milwaukee probably will play the hurting 76ers in the second round. Last season, Philadelphia swept the Bucks in four games. This time, the Bucks may be able to get past the 76ers, who may not have center Moses Malone for the first round. Malone injured his right eye socket seven games before the end of the regular season, and the 76ers say he is doubtful for the Washington series.

Definitely out for the entire playoffs is 76er guard Andrew Toney, who has suffered fractures in both feet and a groin injury. Bob McAdoo, who has been out with a hyperextended left knee, probably will be in the 76er lineup.

If a Boston-Milwaukee series occurs, the Celtic front-court domination should be enough to put the Celtics back into the final series. The Bucks’ center tandem of Randy Breuer, Paul Mokeski and Alton Lister is no match for Parish, Kevin McHale and Walton.

A major reason for people projecting the Celtics past either the Bucks or 76ers on the way to their supposed dethroning of the Lakers is Boston’s bench.

“With Walton, they get shot-blocking and rebounding--every night,” Coach Hubie Brown of the New York Knicks said. “And (Jerry) Sichting is the perfect third guard.”

A brief look at the playoff teams, excluding the Lakers:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

HOUSTON (51-31)

Akeem Olajuwon has recovered nicely from mid-season arthroscopic knee surgery. Ralph Sampson survived a scary late-season spill that left him briefly unconscious and bruised. The rest of the Rockets have survived point guard John Lucas’ latest drug relapse.

Lucas is back in a Southern California rehabilitation center, but the Rockets have done fine without him. Allen Leavell took over at point guard, then broke a bone in his left wrist. When that happened, Coach Bill Fitch inserted 6-foot 8-inch Robert Reid at point guard. That experiment has worked, to a degree. Opponents now have an even more difficult time matching up against Houston, but Reid has slowed the Rockets’ running game.

PORTLAND (40-42) Center Sam Bowie has been out since he had shin surgery in February. He took many of the Trail Blazer hopes with him. Mychal Thompson, normally a power forward, will start at center. Portland’s hopes depend upon strong play by Kiki Vandeweghe, who is averaging 24.8 points, and Clyde Drexler, 18.5.

This could well be Jack Ramsay’s last playoff series as Portland’s coach. Rumors persist that Ramsay and the Trail Blazers will part after the playoffs.

DENVER (47-35) The Nuggets will have the toughest path to the Western Conference championship series. If they get past Portland in the first round, the Nuggets will probably have to play Houston.

Nugget center Wayne Cooper has a sprained right ankle, and Coach Doe Moe said Tuesday he wasn’t sure Cooper will play. Since Portland is without Bowie, however, the possible loss of Cooper might not hurt Denver much in the first round.

Otherwise, the Nuggets are as prepared for the playoffs as they were last season, when they took the Lakers to six games in the Western Conference finals. Alex English, 29.8 points, is still scoring, forward Calvin Natt is still rebounding and intimidating opponents, and point guard Fat Lever is still running one of the most seemingly undisciplined but exciting offenses in the NBA.

DALLAS (44-38) For so long, Coach Dick Motta has blamed the Mavericks’ playoff losses on the lack of what he calls a legitimate center. Now, Motta says he has one in 7-2 James Donaldson, acquired from the Clippers in late November for Kurt Nimphius.

Will Donaldson make a difference? Perhaps.

The Mavericks now have somebody to contest Utah’s 7-4 Mark Eaton in their first-round series. But Donaldson has been woefully inconsistent throughout his career and that could hurt.

Adding to the problems, Motta and star forward Mark Aguirre have been feuding--again. Aguirre was benched for a spell during an early April game after attempting an ill-advised shot and, since then, words have passed between player and coach.

UTAH (42-40) The Jazz pulled the biggest upset of last season’s playoffs by dumping Houston in the first round. Don’t expect a repeat performance.

Speaking of feuds, star forward Adrian Dantley, averaging 29.8 points, and General Manager-Coach Frank Layden aren’t getting along. Layden, in fact, has said that he’ll leave if Jazz owners don’t agree to trade Dantley.

They can’t trade Dantley yet, though, and he is one of the keys if the Jazz wants to go anywhere in the playoffs. The others are Eaton and rookie forward Karl Malone.

Dantley won’t start Friday night because of muscle spasms in his lower back.

SACRAMENTO (37-45) The Kings didn’t want to finish eighth in the conference and meet the Lakers in the first round, so they finished seventh and will have to play Houston. Good luck, Kings. They simply can’t match up inside against the Rockets’ Twin Towers.

Expect an early exit, although Sacramento may win one game at home, where they are tough to beat thanks to vocal fans and a small arena.

SAN ANTONIO (35-47) Spur guard Alvin Robertson swears that the club did not intentionally lose late-season games in an attempt to beat out Phoenix and make the lottery, not the playoffs. “We tried to win every game, I can assure you,” Robertson said. “We just didn’t have enough healthy players.”

Injured big men Artis Gilmore and Steve Johnson have returned. Their presence may make the Lakers work harder before eliminating the Spurs in three games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

BOSTON (67-15) Coach Don Nelson of the Bucks calls the Celtics a team without a weakness, and he may be right.

Larry Bird is playing as well as he ever has, which some say is better than any other player in NBA history. Bird finished the regular season fourth in league scoring at 25.8, seventh in rebounding at 9.8, and first in free-throw percentage at 89.6%. He also averaged 6.7 assists a game.

Beyond Larry Bird, the Celtics feature a front line of Robert Parish, 16.1 points, and McHale, 21.3, and a backcourt of Dennis Johnson, 15.6, and Danny Ainge, 10.7. Walton, Sichting and Scott Wedman are the top reserves.

The Celtics finished 40-1 at home this season and don’t figure to lose at home in the playoffs, either--at least not until the championship series.

MILWAUKEE (57-25) The Bucks were bounced from the playoffs by Philadelphia in four games last season, but they have bounced back well this season.

Led by guard Sidney Moncrief, 20.2 points, and forwards Terry Cummings, 19.8, and Paul Pressey, 14.3, the Bucks easily won the Central Division with the third-best record in the NBA. The Bucks have done it with balanced scoring and tenacious defense. Their opponents averaged 19 turnovers a game.

All the Bucks lack is a dominant center. Until they get one, it will be difficult for them to beat the Celtics.

PHILADELPHIA (54-28) Injuries have hampered the 76ers, but they can still turn it on when they have to. Two weeks ago, they beat the Celtics by a point at home, thanks to Julius Erving’s desperation three-point shot.

Erving is playing better than at any point in the last two seasons. Second-year forward Charles Barkley, who has a 20-point average, has become the team leader, and point guard Maurice Cheeks, fifth in the league in assists at 9.2 a game, has been steady, as usual.

The 76er chances seemingly hinge on Moses Malone’s ability to bounce back. Malone may be back at full strength for the second round. If he’s not, the Bucks won’t have to worry about being dominated inside, as was the case last season.

ATLANTA (50-32) The Hawks were the surprise team this season. Under Coach Mike Fratello, Atlanta finished second in the Central Division with 50 victories. Last season, the Hawks lost 50 games.

The difference has been the emergence of Dominique Wilkins as an all-round player. Always a prolific scorer, Wilkins has added rebounding and defense to his game. Occasionally, he even passes the ball. Wilkins won the NBA scoring title with a 30.3 average.

Atlanta also has three 7-footers--Tree Rollins, Jon Koncak and Kevin Willis. Inexperience, however, may prevent the Hawks from going far in the playoffs this time around.

DETROIT (46-36) Last season, the Pistons gave the Celtics a scare in the second round. If Detroit beats Atlanta, the Pistons will once again face the Celtics in the second round. This time, they probably won’t put up much of a fight.

The Pistons have a good bench, guard Vinnie Johnson and big men Earl Cureton and Rick Mahorn. Overall, though, they aren’t dominating enough to be a real factor.

WASHINGTON (39-43)

Kevin Loughery, who took over for Gene Shue as coach less than a month ago, hasn’t had enough time to change the Bullets much.

They likely will be without center Jeff Ruland, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Had Ruland been healthy, Washington might have had a chance against the 76ers without Malone.

NEW JERSEY (39-43) The Nets are another team without its big man. Darryl Dawkins is out for the duration with a groin pull, putting added pressure on power forward Buck Williams and center Mike Gminski. That tandem should challenge the Bucks inside, but the Nets aren’t deep enough to overcome Milwaukee’s superior talent.

CHICAGO (30-52) This is what Michael Jordan wanted, a playoff spot. But Jordan undoubtedly wishes Chicago didn’t have to play Boston in the first round.

Even with a healthy Jordan, the Bulls will be out quickly. Maybe they would have been better off missing the playoffs and landing a pick in the draft lottery.