FIRST LOOK: KINGS VS. LAKERS

Forward: Chris Webber, the Kings’ most valuable player, averaged 23.2 points and 10.8 rebounds in the team’s nine playoff games, after he averaged 19.8 points and 11.5 rebounds in five previous postseasons. He shot 38.8% in eight games last season, including 42% against the Lakers. The subject alone makes him touchy. Asked about his previous playoff performances on Tuesday night, he spat, “I don’t even respect that question.” Though Webber sprained his ankle in Monday’s Game 5 victory against the Dallas Mavericks, it’s another difficult matchup for Robert Horry and Samaki Walker, who already have dealt with Rasheed Wallace and Tim Duncan. Peja Stojakovic, who is expected to be out at least the next two games because of a sprained ankle, shot 37.7% while being defended by Rick Fox during last year’s playoffs.

Center: Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard pound Shaquille O’Neal as best they can, draw him out of the middle on offense, flop around a little on defense, and hope they can hold on long enough for the rest of the Kings to do their thing. For the size of the mismatch, O’Neal did not destroy the Kings in the regular season, when he averaged 25.3 points and 11.8 rebounds in four games. Last postseason was different. In that sweep, O’Neal scored 33.3 points and took 17.5 rebounds.

Guard: Mike Bibby, who replaced the reckless Jason Williams in an off-season trade, outplayed Steve Nash in the final two games of their series. In his first postseason, Bibby has averaged 18.3 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds. He also has made nearly half of his three-point attempts. The Kings defend Kobe Bryant with Doug Christie, who is rangy and game enough to occasionally pester the Laker swingman. Still, Bryant shot 50% and scored 25.5 points a game against the Kings this season, and averaged 35 points in last year’s Western Conference semifinals.

Coaching: Phil Jackson has had to work a little harder this year, primarily because of injuries to O’Neal and the improvement from the rest of the Western Conference. But he has run his playoff record to 148-51 by keeping O’Neal edgy and allowing Bryant room to play outside the triangle. Rick Adelman got a lot of votes for coach of the year because of the Kings’ strong regular season. He coached the Portland Trail Blazers into the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, losing to the Detroit Pistons and then to Jackson’s Chicago Bulls.

Analysis: The Kings earned home-court advantage because of their NBA-best 61-21 record. Against the Lakers, however, they lost three of four games, the losses by an average of more than seven points. Unfamiliar arenas don’t frighten the Lakers, who have won a record 11 consecutive road playoff games. They beat the Kings, 97-96, at Arco Arena on March 24, and won two regular-season games and two playoff games there last year, when they swept the Kings in the conference semifinals. Sacramento is 4-0 on the road in this postseason against Utah and Dallas. This is the Kings’ first trip to the conference finals since 1981, when they played in Kansas City and lost to the Houston Rockets.

Tim Brown