May 2: The Lakers will meet the Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals. It will be the 6th time these teams face each other in the playoffs, the Lakers won three times while Utah did it twice. But more relevant is that Phil Jackson's team eliminated Jerry Sloan's in the past two postseasons and with almost the same players in for both rosters.

The games have to be played, but more than ever it seems that the Jazz won't have a chance against the current champion. The Lakers have too many options on offense and the injury of Andrei Kirilenko will be a major factor that will give Kobe more freedom. And despite the fact that their best player, Deron Williams is currently one of the best point guards in the league, if not the best, he will be a better match up for Derek Fisher's defense than Russell Westbrook was in the first round.