History Doesn’t Favor Lakers or Clippers : NBA playoffs: As No. 8- and No. 7-seeded teams, respectively, they face long odds in first round that begins tonight.

With apologies to the Lakers, who are not likely to see much more of the NBA playoffs, the first round exists to separate men from boys.

Neither of the two top teams, the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns, figure to be seriously threatened. In nine years since the league went to the present system, no No. 8-seeded team has upset a No. 1, or even won a game on the No. 1 team’s home court. Overall, the No. 8s are 7-54 so at least the Lakers are not carrying the weight of great expectations on their backs. The No. 7-seeded teams are 3-15 in their 18 series against No. 2s, a number that offers the Clippers more hope than their 0-4 record against the Rockets.

Since the Clippers are capable of great things when focusing on the task at hand rather than the impending free agency that faces half of Coach Larry Brown’s eight-man rotation, the Rockets are not home free. Likewise for the West’s other top team, the Seattle SuperSonics, whose 55 victories won them only a rematch with the Utah Jazz, which ousted them in five games last spring. Here’s how it shapes up:

WEST

No. 1 Suns vs. No. 8 Lakers--Kevin Johnson, Mr. Celebration, just did it again. The man who tried to pick up 300-pound Oliver Miller in preseason and popped his groin in the process, just ran into Charles Barkley in the melee that celebrated Barkley’s winning shot at Portland and banged his knee. Johnson, rested in back-to-back games down the stretch to save his tight hamstrings, is expected to miss the start of this series. That’s the good news for the Lakers. The bad news is, no one else got hurt. The Suns led the NBA in scoring at 113.7 points per game, 3.6 ahead of the second-place Charlotte Hornets. Against the Lakers, they averaged 117 points and went 5-0. The opponents’ problem is whether to play Barkley one on one and let him roll up points or double-team and let the other Suns shoot from the perimeter, which doesn’t work, either. Led by Dan Majerle (167) and Danny Ainge (150), the Suns broke the NBA record for three-pointers (398). Ainge made 40% of his three-pointers, which translates to 60% on two-pointers and Majerle made 38% of his, which translates to 57%. The Lakers could scarcely be at a lower ebb. To preserve James Worthy, they only play him 25 minutes per game and in the other 23, they don’t have anyone else to run a play for. When Sedale Threatt shoots from the outside, some of his teammates bristle. Free-agent-to-be Byron Scott had snits with Threatt and Coach Randy Pfund. Pfund is beset by speculation that he will be fired. Anthony Peeler was put on the roster, even though his sprained foot won’t be ready until the finals. Add it up and it spells U-N-D-E-R-D-O-G.

No. 2 Rockets vs. No. 7 Clippers--On paper this doesn’t look so competitive, either. The Rockets, who had not advanced past the first round since Ralph Sampson was there, arose with a thunderclap at midseason, going from the 14-16 start everyone expected to the 41-11 finish everyone is now trying to account for. Since they did not add any players, the answer lies in improved chemistry, which couldn’t have gotten any worse, what with owner Charlie Thomas branding Hakeem Olajuwon a malingerer and Olajuwon replying Thomas was a “coward.” The most impressive thing about the Rockets, and the scariest thing for Brown, is their revival wasn’t based on a lot of shooting from the outside. Two years ago, the Rockets posted a 52-30 record and rode some hot outside shooting into the playoffs and the Lakers cut them down like a shock of wheat, 3-0. This season, it was team defense. Olajuwon led the NBA in blocks. The Rockets finished No. 3 overall, holding opponents to 46% from the field. Fortunately for the Clippers, this series won’t be played on paper but on the court where they are erratic but explosive. With Danny Manning a year away from the free agency he says he will pursue, and Ken Norman two months away, and Ron Harper and Gary Grant possible free agents, too, this could be the last hurrah for the current cast.

No. 3 SuperSonics vs. No. 6 Jazz--The young SuperSonics are still trying to adjust to Coach George Karl’s system, an NBA version of Dean Smith’s all-for-one-one-for-all North Carolina system. When the SuperSonics’ press is working, they can play with the elite teams. Their 7.1-point differential was the highest in the league. In mid-March, they were 40-17, the second-best record in the league. After that, they flattened out to 15-10 and Karl benched starting forwards Shawn Kemp and Derrick McKey. The SuperSonics won four of their last five games but still weren’t attacking the ball as they did in better times. The Jazz, 33-18, at the all-star break, sank like a rock thereafter, finishing 14-16. It lost 13 games at home, one fewer than the previous three seasons combined. Mark Eaton had to abandon his try for a comeback from arthroscopic knee surgery, leaving the Jazz without the anchor to its defense. John Stockton missed 1,000 assists after five successive years over 1,100.

No. 4 Trail Blazers vs. No. 5 Spurs--Portland has the home-court advantage and the big question mark: Will Clyde Drexler make it back with his pulled hamstring? “Until we know anything further, the team’s just going to make preparations like I’m not going to be there,” Drexler said, sounding less than optimistic. “I think that’s the best way to approach this.” The teams split the season series, 2-2, but the Trail Blazers have a problem with David Robinson. Portland shot only 42% in the four games; Robinson averaged 27, with 13 rebounds and four blocks. Against him, the Trail Blazers will send out their committee: Mark Bryant, Cliff Robinson and Kevin Duckworth.

EAST

No. 1 Knicks vs. No. 8 Pacers--Through controversy, Pat Riley kept improving his team, which started 21-14 and finished 39-8. Now he owns the home-court advantage through the East, which means any Game 7 against the Bulls will be played in New York. The Pacers are not without hope. “I’m excited,” Reggie Miller said. “We know they’ll be overlooking us.” Which Pacers will show? They’re a big, deep team with a 7-4, 6-11, 6-11 front line. Two years ago, they scared the Celtics to death in a five-game series, but in their ’90 and ’92 appearances, they went 0-3.

No. 2 Bulls vs. No. 7 Hawks--How the mighty have fallen. The Bulls won 57 games, 10 fewer than last season, the third-worst drop in the NBA behind the wounded Warriors and the hopeless Mavericks. Now the Hawks are saying out loud that they prefer playing the two-time defending world champions to the Cavaliers, who have beaten Atlanta 10 in a row. “I don’t think the season record (2-2) has too much bearing except we know we can play good basketball against them,” Hawk Coach Bob Weiss said. “The shorter the series, the better, so if we’re going to go anywhere, it’s nice to play the Bulls in the first round.” Says Dominique Wilkins, the voice of reason: “It’s either put up or shut up because you know Michael (Jordan) is going to be on a mission.”

No. 3 Cavaliers vs. No. 6 Nets--The Nets were No. 4 in the East when Kenny Anderson was lost, followed by Chris Dudley. Drazen Petrovic was sidelined for three weeks and the Nets lost all their momentum, dropping 10 of their last 11. The Cavaliers became the first team to lead the NBA in field-goal shooting (49.7%), three-point shooting (39%) and free-throw shooting (80%). They have been criticized as soft and the Nets are still a physical team, the No. 2 offensive rebounding team in the league. Larry Nance has a fracture of the tip of his left index finger but is expected to play. The Cavaliers were 35-6 at home and won 11 of their last 12, so the Nets’ luck is holding: all bad.

No. 4 Celtics vs. No. 5 Hornets--The Hornets are young and coming, but the Celtics have experience and the home court. Second-year forward Larry Johnson and rookie center Alonzo Mourning became the first tandem to average 20 points and 10 rebounds since the 76ers’ Charles Barkley and Moses Malone in 1986. The Celtics won 47 games and grabbed the No. 4 seeding by beating up on losing teams: 26-13 vs. 21-22 against .500 or above teams. “We’ve been inconsistent all year,” says Kevin McHale, making his farewell appearance. “. . . When we were young, we weren’t that inconsistent but maybe we were better.”