No. 2 Portland vs. No. 3 Utah, Tonight, 7:30 TNT

Season series: Jazz, 2-1.

* Outlook: The key stat is that, despite being the lower seeded team, the Jazz had the better record, making it the home team. Otherwise, you wouldn’t think Utah even had a chance. Taking five breathless games to (barely) eliminate the Kings (the Kings?) makes you wonder if they still are what they’re supposed to be, especially when they can’t begin to guard Vlade Divac (Vlade Divac?) in the post. Now the Trail Blazers are going to come at them with their waves of reserves, and especially big men: 7-foot-3 Arvydas Sabonis, 6-11 Rasheed Wallace, 6-9 Brian Grant and 6-11 Kelvin Cato. Fortunately for the Jazz, the Trail Blazers don’t have an established great player to depend on in crunch time and the Jazz does.

* Prediction: Do I have to make one? Jazz in seven, if slump-bound John Stockton pulls out of it.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

No. 4 Atlanta vs. No. 8 New York, Tonight, 5 PDT, TNT

* Season series: Hawks, 2-1.

* Outlook: This is another matchup between Patrick Ewing and one of his best friends, fellow Georgetown alum Dikembe Mutombo. And as Alonzo Mourning, the third musketeer in their group could tell you, ancient or not, it’s hard to knock the old fellow off the mountain. With a sore Achilles’ tendon taking away his mobility, and a pulled muscle in his side on top of it, Ewing outplayed Mourning in Game 5 with a remarkable 22-point, 11-rebound performance, setting the stage for the Knick rally and Allan Houston’s dramatic shot. And Mourning is better than Mutombo. The Hawks are what they are, solid defensively, adequate at best offensively. The Knicks seem to be becoming more than they are at the right time.

* Prediction: Knicks in six.