SCOUTING REPORT

STARTERS

* Depending on what walks out of trainer Gary Vitti’s door this weekend, the Lakers could start five players -- Karl Malone, Rick Fox, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Gary Payton -- with 600 playoff games among them. Rockets Yao Ming, Jim Jackson, Kelvin Cato, Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, together, have played 41. Fox intends to play, but parts of his game could be limited because of a dislocated right thumb, and Malone sprained his right ankle Wednesday in Portland. While the Laker five haven’t found their stride, they remain potentially the most daunting unit in the game. In only his second season, Yao has had his moments against O’Neal, sooner in his career than most expected, and on some nights can play him to a draw. Still, the Laker advantages of Bryant and O’Neal, in particular, can be steep.

EDGE: LAKERS

BENCH

* Phil Jackson can’t be sure of what he has, as injuries have depleted what otherwise might have been decent depth. Horace Grant (hip) is not on the playoff roster, and Derek Fisher (groin), Devean George (calf) and Kareem Rush (ankle, foot) are sore but healing. George might not be able to play, which could mean more minutes at small forward for Luke Walton. A healthy Bryon Russell did not play the season’s final two games and hasn’t been in Jackson’s rotation for a while. Maurice Taylor started 10 games for the Rockets, but in this series probably comes off the bench, unless Malone proves too strong for the Rockets’ other power forwards. Clarence Weatherspoon gets minutes leaning on O’Neal, and Scott Padgett could be an early substitution for Cato. Eric Piatkowski has fallen out of Coach Jeff Van Gundy’s rotation, leaving more time for Bostjan Nachbar. Mark Jackson has played more postseason games (128) than the rest of the Rockets combined.

EDGE: ROCKETS

OFFENSE

* On most nights, and if O’Neal is making his free throws, the Lakers can score with any team in the league. Indeed, they often resort to it. Bryant is one of a few players who can get their shot against anyone at any time, though Mobley can lure him into recklessness. If they get their jump shooters -- George, Fisher, Rush, Russell -- going early in the series, the Lakers could be a handful. The Rockets have made Yao their first option, but their guards -- Francis and Mobley -- are capable of 30-point games, and Jackson and Taylor can score in bursts. Only the Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors shot three-pointers better than the Rockets, who had Jackson and Mobley finish among the league leaders.

EDGE: LAKERS

DEFENSE

* The Lakers don’t really play defense, but they often find the legs and stomachs for it in springtime. The Rockets will force-feed pick-and-rolls, a device Van Gundy expects will get them open shots and fatigue O’Neal. Malone is better at it, but his sprained right ankle could be limiting. Phil Jackson risked Payton’s ire all season by playing him short minutes in preparation for the playoffs, and now Payton gets Francis in what could be a crucial matchup, particularly if O’Neal takes away the Yao option. Van Gundy has made defense a priority in Houston, and it appears to have stuck. The Rockets rank near the top of the league and behind only the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference in most defensive categories.

EDGE: ROCKETS

COACHING

* Van Gundy has made something of a low seeding before, bringing the New York Knicks from eighth in the Eastern Conference to the NBA Finals in 1999. But that Eastern Conference was not this Western Conference. Jackson has a playoff record of 162-60. He has won nine NBA titles, tying him with Red Auerbach.

EDGE: LAKERS

KEY TO THE SERIES

* The matchups of O’Neal-Yao and Bryant-Mobley. If O’Neal avoids foul trouble, makes his free throws and handles Yao straight up and if Bryant does not become engrossed in Mobley, the Lakers win handily.

PREDICTION...LAKERS IN 5

-- Tim Brown