Lakers vs. Utah Jazz / <i> (Best-of-seven series begins Saturday) </i>

* Regular-Season Records: Lakers 61-21, Jazz 62-20.

* Home/Road Records: Lakers 33-8/28-13, Jazz 36-5/26-15.

* Season Series: Lakers, 3-1.

* Lakers at a glance: They just shredded a good defensive team, the SuperSonics, for 105 points a game and 51.7% shooting--57.1%, 53.8% and 56.3% in the last three games. Shaquille O’Neal has scored at least 30 points in six of the nine playoff games, a great run that now offers him the chance to avenge a bad showing against the Jazz in the second round a year ago, when he averaged only 22 points and shot 49.4%.

* Utah at a glance: The Jazz escaped against the Houston Rockets in the first round and had a much tougher time with the San Antonio Spurs than a 4-1 victory would indicate. Utah has no actual counter for O’Neal but does get the benefit of having already programmed its defense to face star centers, having just gone against Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson.

LAKERS’ PROBABLE STARTERS

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P Player Ht Pts Reb F Robert Horry 6-9 7.4 7.5 F Rick Fox 6-7 12.0 4.4 C Shaquille O’Neal 7-1 28.3 11.4 G Eddie Jones 6-6 16.9 3.8 G Derek Fisher 6-1 5.8 2.4

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LAKERS’ TOP RESERVES

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P Player Ht Pts Reb G Nick Van Exel 6-1 13.8 3.0 G-F Kobe Bryant 6-7 15.4 3.1 F-C Elden Campbell 7-0 10.1 5.6 F Corie Blount 6-10 3.6 4.3

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UTAH’S PROBABLE STARTERS

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P Player Ht Pts Reb F Karl Malone 6-9 27.0 10.3 F Bryon Russell 6-7 9.0 4.0 C Greg Foster 6-11 5.7 3.5 G Jeff Hornacek 6-4 14.2 3.4 G John Stockton 6-1 12.0 2.6

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UTAH’S TOP RESERVES

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P Player Ht Pts Reb G-F Shandon Anderson 6-6 8.3 2.8 F Adam Keefe 6-9 7.8 5.5 G Howard Eisley 6-2 7.7 2.0 C Greg Ostertag 7-2 4.7 5.9

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BACKCOURT

* It is as it has been for years, a matchup of the savvy, precise Jazz guards against the athleticism of the Lakers, either backcourt capable of producing big results. The Lakers faced Stockton only twice this season, knee surgery having wiped out the other two opportunities, but that was more than enough of a reminder that he is still an upper-echelon point guard and as willing as ever to put a body on a big man to set the infamous cross screen.

FRONTCOURT

* Malone won the MVP award last season and says, with plenty of support, that he played even better in 1997-98. That’s why he got one vote for most improved player. But the Lakers had relative success against him; his 26 points, 10.3 rebounds and 45.2 shooting percentage were all at or below his league-wide averages. His counterpart, Horry, is coming off an outstanding series against the SuperSonics, having finished at 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 62.2%.

INTANGIBLES

* Each team brings a formidable weapon: the Lakers are playing with tremendous confidence right now, and the Jazz is playing its home games at the Delta Center. The Lakers were able to claim one of five victories there by visiting teams, but with the asterisk that Utah was without Stockton.

COACHES

* The postseason success has brought vindication to Del Harris, who says that didn’t matter to him in the first place. It matters even less to Jerry Sloan, whose no-nonsense approach will regularly scorch Ostertag and inspire loyalty from his core players.

THE PICK

* If the Lakers play this series like the last one, nobody beats them. Including the Jazz.