FIRST LOOK

No. 2 LAKERS (56-26) vs. No. 3 SAN ANTONIO (57-25)

Western Conference semifinals

Best-of-seven series

This will be the fifth time that the Lakers and defending champion Spurs will meet in the playoffs since 1999. They have split the previous four series. Many experts believe that the winner of this series will win the NBA championship. The Lakers lost in six games to the Spurs in last season’s second round but won three of four games this season. So get ready for Tim Duncan vs. Karl Malone, Bruce Bowen vs. Kobe Bryant and the rest of the individual matchups fans have been waiting for since November.

A closer look at the matchups:

FRONTCOURT

* The Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal will not go one on one with Duncan often, but the two big men will be key to the series. Both players averaged double-doubles when the teams played: O’Neal (18.5 points and 13.3 rebounds) and Duncan (19.7 and 13). San Antonio’s Rasho Nesterovic is not much of a scorer, but he, along with Malik Rose and former Laker Robert Horry, have to play consistently to match up with Malone. Another key will be small forward Devean George, who has regained his starting position for the Lakers and will face Hedo Turkoglu.

BACKCOURT

* Bowen has earned a reputation as a defensive stopper, and he has had his moments against Bryant, who has a tendency to make the matchup personal. Bowen is a solid three-point shooter who complements Manu Ginobili, the Spurs’ top scoring threat off the bench. Gary Payton and Derek Fisher have to be ready to stop Tony Parker, whose quickness always gives the Lakers problems on pick-and-roll plays.

HEAD TO HEAD: Lakers, 3-1

* Nov. 6 at SBC Center: Lakers 120, Spurs 117 (OT). Despite playing without injured starters Duncan and Parker, San Antonio gave the Lakers all they could handle. Bryant scored 37 points, and O’Neal had 35 points, 20 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots. Ginobili led the Spurs with a career-high 33 points.

* Nov. 28 at Staples Center: Lakers 120, Spurs 99. The Lakers won their second in a row over San Antonio, thanks to Malone’s fourth career triple-double. Malone had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Lakers led by as many as 31 points against the Spurs. Duncan was held to 11 points.

* Dec. 3 at SBC Center: Lakers 90, Spurs 86. Duncan and Parker could not match O’Neal’s dominant play. The Laker center finished with 15 points, 16 rebounds and nine blocked shots. Bryant led the Lakers with 21 points, and Malone had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Duncan finished with 30 points and 15 rebounds.

* April 4 at Staples Center: Spurs 95, Lakers 89. Thanks to Parker’s 29 points and Duncan’s 19 and 13 rebounds, the Spurs ended the Lakers’ 11-game winning streak. The Lakers were led by Bryant’s 28 points, but he missed 17 of 26 shots from the field. Payton had 21 points and eight rebounds.

Last playoff meeting between the teams: San Antonio defeated the Lakers, 4-2, in the second round of the 2003 playoffs. The Spurs went on to win the NBA championship over the New Jersey Nets.

-- Lonnie White