WESTERN CONFERENCE

Three teams with losing records qualified for the NBA playoffs in the Western Conference, making them three decided underdogs in the first round.

What has happened to this once-proud conference?

All the “rising young powers” went down the tubes. Remember John Elway leading cheers (“Are you r-r-r-ready to Mutombo?”) as the Denver Nuggets upended the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994? Remember Mutombo lying on the floor, clutching the last rebound? Remember the Three Js in Dallas? The Golden State Warriors with Don Nelson and Chris Webber?

All gone.

Of course, the No. 3 Houston Rockets and No. 4 Lakers are overqualified, having sunk because of injuries, and the No. 5 Portland Trail Blazers got off to a 29-28 start while searching for the right bail bondsman.

The Lakers and Trail Blazers, presumably, are competing to see who gets the Utah Jazz in the second round, when Houston and Seattle should be squaring off.

1. UTAH JAZZ vs. 8. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

* Season series: Jazz, 3-1.

Be careful what you wish for, it’s here.

The Clippers made a stirring dash into their third postseason appearance in Los Angeles, after Larry Brown’s two in 1992 and 1993. Losing centers Brian Williams to free agency and Stanley Roberts to injury, they clawed their way in without one, using a 10-man rotation.

But the Jazz is not only better, bigger and deeper, but too professional to look past the Clippers. L.A. has to deal with Karl Malone, coming off what will probably be an MVP season (27.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 55% from the field). They have never won in the Delta Center, which opened in 1991, and haven’t won in Utah since April 1989.

Counting playoffs, that’s 0-19 and the first two games are you-know-where.

* Prediction: Jazz, 3-0. The light at the end of this tunnel is an oncoming Mailman.

2. SEATTLE SUPERSONICS vs. 7. PHOENIX SUNS

* Season series: 2-2.

Something finally went right for the SuperSonics when the Lakers lost at Portland. Otherwise, Seattle would face the Trail Blazers and the possibility of its third first-round exit in four years.

Shawn Kemp had 49 points and 22 rebounds in his last two games, but the SuperSonics had problems before his three-month funk. They missed Frank Brickowski and Vincent Askew. They didn’t know what to do with their $35-million prize, Jim McIlvaine; by season’s end, Coach George Karl was starting old Terry Cummings at center. They were 3-9 against the Jazz, Rockets and Lakers.

However, the Suns and Danny Ainge’s eccentric three- and four-guard lineups represent a veritable bye, unless an awful lot of three-point shots go in.

* Prediction: SuperSonics, 3-0. Needing only to win at home over the Grizzlies to move up to No. 6, the Suns were routed, 121-107. That’s a bad sign.

3. HOUSTON ROCKETS vs. 6. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

* Season series: Rockets, 4-0.

This season was a breakthrough for the young Timberwolves, who improved by 14 wins, broke the club record by 11 and became the last member of the expansion class of 1988 and 1989 to make the playoffs.

However, they cooled off after the 22-11 run that brought them to their high-water mark, 29-27, in late February. They were 3-12 against winning teams after the all-star break. Their 30-year-old rookie center, Dean Garrett, was a pleasant surprise, but at 230 pounds he is no match for big centers such as Rik Smits or . . . Hakeem Olajuwon.

Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Clyde Drexler didn’t play half the season together, but when they were, they were 31-8. Late pickups Sedale Threatt and Eddie Johnson can help, since this is spot-up-jump-shooting heaven.

However, the Rockets are giving off strange vibes.

“They were arguing among themselves,” Seattle’s Sam Perkins said after a recent game. “I don’t know if he [Barkley] is well-liked here. He brings them another dimension, but when he has the ball, that means someone else doesn’t have the ball. All I know is he and Drexler were going at it and cursing each other out.”

* Prediction: Rockets, 3-0. Against the Timberwolves, they can argue and sweep at the same time.

4. LOS ANGELES LAKERS vs. 8. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

* Season series: Trail Blazers, 3-1.

Guess there’s almost no chance of the Lakers going in overconfident now, is there?

One through 12, the Lakers have the NBA’s youngest, biggest and best collection of talent. But you can only play five--and all five have to play--which is how they got into this fix, instead of having the week off against the Suns.

The Trail Blazers finished 20-5 and the postseason should be enough to focus their little miscreants’ minds on the business at hand, rather than getting in bar fights or terrorizing charter airline offices. But you never know.

The Trail Blazers are loaded with size and skill themselves, lacking only maturity and a wider window, since center Arvydas Sabonis is 32.

At 7 feet 3, 290 pounds and slowed to a shadow of what he was by Achilles’ tendon injuries, Sabonis isn’t a physical match for Shaquille O’Neal, but with his great artistry, he tries to neutralize him. Last week, when Sabonis scored seven points in a row after the Lakers took that late six-point lead wasn’t bad.

* Prediction: Lakers, 3-1. Assuming, of course, their starting guards don’t get torched, 38-20, as they did in Portland on Sunday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE: Rivalries Are Great, but Can Anyone Threaten Bulls? Befitting a conference in which six teams won 54 games or more, the Eastern Conference draw offers red-hot rivalries all over.

Miami-Orlando in the first round, along with Larry Johnson vs. Anthony Mason in the New York-Charlotte series.

There is also the prospect of Miami and Pat Riley, who faxed in his resignation to the Knicks, vs. the Knicks and his old friend/now archenemy, Madison Square Garden President Dave Checketts, in the second round.

And of course, that old reliable, Bulls vs. anybody.

1. CHICAGO BULLS vs. 8. WASHINGTON BULLETS

* Season series: Bulls, 2-1.

If the Bulls’ myth of invincibility wasn’t demolished by that 1-3 finish, it was mussed up a bit.

Of course, they get Dennis Rodman and Toni Kukoc back, this is the postseason and they are the Bulls. They always blitz opening-round opponents--they’re 21-2 in the ‘90s--so everything should be all right.

However, the Bullets won the last meeting, with their towering front line of 7-7 Gheorghe Muresan, 6-9 Chris Webber and 6-9 Juwan Howard outrebounding Luc Longley, Scottie Pippen and Jason Caffey, 30-15. The Bullets have young legs.

However, the Bullets also have young heads, and a hole in their game. “Shooting” guard Calbert Cheaney made four three-point baskets in 30 attempts all season. Point guard Rod Strickland connected on 13 of 77. The Bullets made 331, against an NBA average of 496.

* Prediction: Bulls, 3-1. In an upset, the Bullets win one.

2. MIAMI HEAT vs. 7. ORLANDO MAGIC

* Season series: 2-2.

The balance of power in the Florida archrivalry has shifted, with O’Neal’s exit returning the Magic to the pack, and Riley’s arrival raising the Heat from it.

The Heat was No. 3 on defense, but Tim Hardaway (20.2 points) and Alonzo Mourning (19.9) led an offense that ranked only No. 21.

Riley teams play like demons, none more than this one, but they aren’t such outgunned overachievers, with P.J. Brown, Dan Majerle, Ike Austin, Voshon Lenard and Jamal Mashburn.

The Magic was 24-25 under Brian Hill, 16-4 in Richie Adubato’s start, 5-8 afterward.

The organization managed to upgrade from Jon Koncak at center to Felton Spencer to Rony Seikaly, who had one of his best seasons (17 points, nine rebounds). But Penny Hardaway (21 points) was hardly the successor to Jordan he was supposed to be.

* Prediction: Miami, 3-1. The Magic is soft and it’s in against the hard guys of the East.

3. NEW YORK KNICKS vs. 6. CHARLOTTE HORNETS

* Season series: Hornets, 3-1.

The Knicks, given up for dead and seemingly headed for No. 6 after losing six of seven home games, finished 4-1, including wins at Miami and Chicago.

Patrick Ewing, whose sore knees have kept him out of practice for six weeks, showed that at 33, he can still turn it on, averaging 26 points in the closing run. Allan Houston, a $56-million disappointment until then, averaged 19 and shot 52%, 47% on threes.

The Hornets, obliged by fiscal folly to discard Johnson and Mourning, were stunners. With Rice, former Knick malcontent Mason (16 points, 11 rebounds, 5.6 assists) and a Vlade Divac-Matt Geiger tandem (21.5 points, 14 rebounds) they started 16-13, a pleasant surprise--then finished 37-16.

The hype centers on the matchup of embittered- in-New-York Mason, who still calls Ewing “their so-called star,” and shellshocked-in-Gotham Johnson.

In four meetings, Mason had 60 points, 31 rebounds and 19 assists to Johnson’s 51, 17 and and seven.

* Prediction: Knicks, 3-1. Playing in New York makes you playoff tough and the Hornets’ 0-2 finish suggests they’re dinged up and worn down.

4. ATLANTA HAWKS vs. 8. DETROIT PISTONS

* Season series: Pistons, 3-1.

General Manager Pete Babcock and Coach Lenny Wilkens, one of the most underrated management teams, turned the Hawks around, trading for Steve Smith and Christian Laettner, capping it off by signing Dikembe Mutombo.

They were No. 4 in defense, finishing 46-19, but stripping the roster for Mutombo left them thin. Mookie Blaylock, Smith, Laettner and Mutombo averaged more than 37 minutes, placing all four in the league’s top 40. The highest-scoring reserve was Henry James, at 6.5.

The Pistons had an unbelievable season as Coach Doug Collins found a hard-to-guard scheme, spreading defenses and letting Grant Hill (21.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists) penetrate and score or pass to Joe Dumars, Lindsey Hunter and Terry Mills on the three-point line. They were 43-14 before reality hit in March, after which they were 11-14.

* Prediction: Hawks, 3-1. For the Pistons to win, a lot of three-point shots have to drop.