Marquee Matchup Starts at the Point

More than 15 years ago, Jason Kidd would board a bus in the hills of Oakland for a ride downtown and lessons on some of the city’s toughest playgrounds.

His mentor? Gary Payton, Kidd’s opposite number in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Kidd’s New Jersey Nets, the defending Eastern Conference champions, and Payton’s Milwaukee Bucks square off in a highly anticipated point guard matchup.

Game 1 in the best-of-seven series is today at East Rutherford, N.J.

“We both want to win,” Kidd said. “He’s a competitor. I know who I’m going against.... I just don’t want him to beat us, but that’s what brings out your best. You’re going to play some friends.”

Kidd -- at 30, four years younger than Payton -- actually played for Payton’s father, Al, on an all-star team in middle school.

The younger Payton and Kidd met a couple of times back then, but they didn’t form a bond until Kidd started heading downtown to learn how to be a point guard.

“Jason grew up just playing on the basketball court,” Payton said. “He didn’t know nothing about going to playgrounds, where guys challenge manhood. Guys are really rough, talk a lot of smack.”

The Bucks won eight of their final nine games to grab the seventh seeding in the East, but the Nets lost four of their last five, and were under .500 after the All-Star break.

The key for Milwaukee is its perimeter shooting. Payton, Sam Cassell, Michael Redd, Desmond Mason and Toni Kukoc can make shots from long range, and could make things difficult for the Nets.

The Nets have to play good perimeter defense and run. If Kidd can find Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles and Richard Jefferson filling the lanes, New Jersey will be tough to beat.

“Everybody is making a big deal about Gary and I knowing each other,” Kidd said. “You have Sam, Michael Redd, Mason, and there is going to be an X-factor we’re not talking about who has a big series. Point guard is just the start of things.”

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The Indiana Pacers’ strategy to beat Boston is simple: Focus on Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce -- the heart of the Celtics’ offense.

But being able to actually stop the All-Star duo is another issue.

“We have to settle those guys down and make of some of the other guys not used to scoring beat us,” Jermaine O’Neal said.

Boston’s All-Star scoring punch is dangerous from the perimeter and is the Celtics’ only consistent offensive threat.

The Pacers (48-34) are third-seeded in the Eastern Conference playoffs and have home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series with sixth-seeded Boston (44-38). Game 1 is today in Conseco Fieldhouse at Indianapolis.

The season series was split, with each team winning twice at home.

Pierce averaged 25.9 points and Walker 20.1, but no other Celtic player averaged double figures.

A composed Ron Artest could be the difference in slowing down Pierce and Walker. Artest only played twice against the Celtics this year and was matched up against both players. He earned a flagrant foul after slapping Pierce in the head seconds into a game in March.