WESTERN CONFERENCE
Jazz vs. Lakers
Game 1: 1 p.m. Sunday at Los Angeles, KMGH-7
No. 1 Lakers: 65-17, first in Pacific Division
No. 8 Utah: 48-34, third in Northwest Division
Blue-collar player to watch.
The Lakers’ Trevor Ariza was injured last season, but now not only is he starting, he’s one of the better perimeter defenders in the Western Conference. He’s about as blue-collar as the glitzy Lakers get.
Factoid.
The Lakers are 9-0 in first-round series as a No. 1 seed.
Bottom line.
Lakers: With a healthy Andrew Bynum, the low post should be overwhelming, even for the beefy Jazz. Jazz: Deron Williams will have to play flawlessly at the point, and the Jazz needs to utilize its home court in Games 3 and 4 to have any chance.
The Post’s pick: Lakers in five
Dallas vs. San Antonio
Game 1: 6 p.m. today at San Antonio, ESPN
No. 3 Spurs, 54-28, first in Southwest Division
No. 6 Mavericks, 50-32, third in Southwest Division
Blue-collar player to watch.
J.J. Barea is the Rudy of the NBA (“five-foot-nothin’, 100-and-nothin’ “), but he is a prototypical scrappy player who can sting opponents with the 3-ball off the bench.
Factoid.
The Mavericks are hot, winners of seven of the final 10 games.
Bottom line.
Spurs: Without Manu Ginobili, San Antonio’s role players such as Roger Mason, Michael Finley and Ime Udoka must ascend simultaneously. Mavericks: Dallas must overwhelm San Antonio with its offense and three players who average more than 18 points per game.
The Post’s pick: Mavericks in seven.
Portland vs. Houston
Game 1: 8:30 p.m. today at Houston, ESPN
No. 4 Trail Blazers: 54-28, second in Northwest Division
No. 5 Rockets: 53-29, second in Southwest Division
Blue-collar player to watch.
Joel Przybilla of the Trail Blazers is a dirty-work player and, as some in the league suggest, a dirty player. The guy is a bruiser down low. It’ll be fun to watch him bang with Yao Ming, the Great Wall of Houston.
Factoid.
Houston has been to the playoffs in four of the past five postseasons, each time losing in the first round.
Bottom line.
Blazers: Will need to feed off Brandon Roy and make life miserable for the Rockets by launching 3s. Rockets: The team has jelled since Tracy McGrady was announced as out for the year, and Houston’s defensive mind-set could make things difficult for the playoff newcomers from Portland.
The Post’s pick: Rockets in seven.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit vs. Cleveland
Game 1: 1 p.m. today at Cleveland, KDVR-31
No. 1 Cavs: 66-16, first in Central Division
No. 8 Pistons: 39-43, third in Central Division Blue-collar player to watch.
Anderson Varejao is the frenetic Cleveland post who will swipe rebounds, bruise bigs and provide Birdman-like energy to his team.
Factoid.
The Cavs are the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history.
Bottom line.
Cavaliers: LeBron James, the probable MVP who is playing, frighteningly, the best ball of his career (so far). Pistons: The weary Pistons must somehow make a transformation in warp-speed time and find an offensive flow that has been missing for much of the year.
The Post’s pick: Cavaliers in five.
Chicago vs. Boston
Game 1: 10:30 a.m. today at Boston, ESPN
No. 2 Celtics: 62-20, first in Atlantic Division
No. 7 Bulls: 41-41, second in Central Division
Blue-collar player to watch.
Boston’s Kendrick Perkins is a defensive-minded post who will be key in the series without the injured Kevin Garnett by his side in the paint.
Factoid.
Bulls guard Derrick Rose leads all rookies with 6.3 assists, and this will be a fun matchup featuring him and Boston’s Rajon Rondo, the next great point guards in the East.
Bottom line.
Celtics: Paul Pierce and Ray Allen cannot afford to have bad nights with Garnett out. Bulls: This will still be a tough matchup — youngsters like Rose, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas will have to grow up quick.
The Post’s pick: Celtics in six
Philadelphia vs. Orlando
Game 1: 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Orlando, TNT
No. 3 Magic: 59-23, first in Southeast Division
No. 6 76ers: 41-41, second in Atlantic Division
Blue-collar player to watch.
Philadelphia point guard Andre Miller, a George Karl favorite, plays similarly to Chauncey Billups with his no-nonsense attitude and ball-sharing mind-set.
Factoid.
Until last year, Orlando hadn’t been past the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
Bottom line.
Magic: If Orlando can magically get healthy, this should be a breeze, with an overwhelming post in Dwight Howard and multiple perimeter sharpshooters. 76ers: Philadelphia made a nice little push in the first round last season but can’t win this series unless its bench, suspect at times, becomes a factor.
The Post’s pick: Magic in six.
Miami vs. Atlanta
Game 1: 6 p.m. Sunday at Atlanta, TNT
No. 4 Hawks: 47-35, second in the Southeast Div.
No. 5 Heat 43-39, third in the Southeast Div.
Blue-collar player to watch.
You probably know Mario Chalmers from his buzzer-beating shot in the NCAA title game, but as a Heat rookie, he has been a pass-first guard who is scrappy defensively with 2.0 steals per game, fourth-best in the league.
Factoid.
The Heat hasn’t won a postseason series since the 2006 NBA Finals.
Bottom line.
Hawks: Contain Dwyane Wade. The NBA’s scoring champ can take over a game faster than he can speed-dial Charles Barkley. Heat: Miami must step up its low-post game, because Atlanta can be overwhelming with its board bangers.
The Post’s pick: Hawks in six
