Although the Los Angeles Lakers took out the Sacramento Kings in a 27-point rout that wasn't even that close in Game 5, just the fact the Lakers required five games to get by the eighth-seeded Kings suggested they aren't as omnipotent as everyone thought by the end of the regular season.

Or are they? Because the Kings have a big and talented frontcourt, it cut to the Lakers weakness and they shouldn't have as difficult a time with the smaller and less physical Phoenix Suns.

And what about the top seed in the East, the Indiana Pacers? They came within a point of getting knocked out by the hot-shooting Milwaukee Bucks. But they, too, have a better matchup in the second round against the less athletic Philadelphia 76ers, who are a poor shooting team.

The East Coast series that has everyone buzzing is the fourth consecutive season of the Miami Heat and New York Knicks, the previous three going the distance. The Knicks won the last two first-round series in five games, while the Heat won the second-round series in the 1996-97 series that went seven games. Both teams breezed through their first-round series this year in three-game sweeps.

The West has its version of an old-time rivalry, too, featuring the second-seeded Utah Jazz -- who barely got by the Seattle SuperSonics in Game 5 of their first-round series -- against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers have the longest active continuous of reaching the playoffs, dating back to the 1982-83 season and the Jazz have been in the playoffs every year since the 1983-84 season. This is the sixth time the two teams have met in the playoffs and the postseason record between the old friends is 27 games old and the Blazers hold a slim 15-12 margin.

Not all of the eight teams are capable of winning their respective series for a variety of reasons, so we'll just head right into them and throw some key factors at you. Expect the Lakers and Blazers to meet in the Western Conference finals and the Pacers and Knicks in the East, sticking with our preseason predictions.

Los Angeles (1) vs. Phoenix (5)

The Lakers will dominate because of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, both of whom showed they were unstoppable when so inclined in the series with the Kings. Were it not for the injuries suffered by the Suns, with Jason Kidd just coming back from a broken ankle and Tom Gugliotta and Rex Chapman out, Phoenix would have a chance to take the Lakers to task with their wider variety of athletes and a generally more effective bench than the Lakers. But that's not the case, because Kidd is iffy and the other not around. The Lakers swept the four-game regular season series and it will take a highly unlikely super-series from Suns center Luc Longley to make it interesting.

If Kidd bounces back from the broken ankle as strongly as he appeared capable of in his relatively brief appearance in the Game 4 clincher over the Spurs, then he could be the X-factor in the series. But even that doesn't make the Suns a serious challenge.

Prognosis: Lakers in five.

Utah (2) vs. Portland (3)

Everything points to the Blazers cruising through this, although probably not with the same ease as the Lakers with the Suns. Portland won last year's playoff matchup in six games. The Jazz, however, no longer have Shandon Anderson, who added athleticism they sorely lacked in nearly blowing their firstp-round series with the Sonics last week. The Blazers won the season series 3-1. Of course most of what happens with the Jazz revolves around Karl Malone and John Stockton, with Bryon Russell stepping in. Jeff Hornacek is laboring horribly on his left leg and wasn't much of a factor against the Sonics.

It's tough to find a lightning rod for success on the Blazers because they are so deep and talented, but the X-factor is Brian Grant, the power forward who had offseason knee surgery and a foot problem a couple of months ago. He is the man to challenge Malone. Look for Jazz centers to try and run with hopes of easy baskets against the huge and cumbersome Arvydas Sabonis. But the key offensive weapons continue to be Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire and Steve Smith.

Prognosis: Blazers in six.

Indiana (1) vs. Philadelphia (5)

If Reggie Miller keeps lighting it up for the Pacers the way he has the past two games, they might just blow through the Sixers. They struggled with the younger, more athletic Bucks in the first round, but Miller had 41 to lead the win in Game 5 and scored 40 in their 108-91 blowout of the Sixers in Game 1 on Saturday. Oh, and by the way, Jalen Rose also scored 40 against the Sixers, proving the offensive slump of the Pacers is over.

Meanwhile, the Sixers have more balance now that point guard Eric Snow returned after a two-game absence with a chip fracture in his right ankle, but it didn't make much difference. For Allen Iverson to play well, shooting 50 percent from the field and scoring 28 points, it shows the Sixers might just be outclassed by the Pacers. Aaron McKie must score in the high teens, at least, because the 20 points from Tyrone Hill in Game 1 isn't likely to happen again.

Prognosis: Pacers in 5.

Miami (2) vs. New York (3)

Time to bring out the heavy artillery. Both teams swept their first-round opponents. The Knicks feature everything Heat coach Pat Riley wishes he had, except for the center position. This could be a defining series for the Heat and center Alonzo Mourning, against his mentor Patrick Ewing. Ewing, at 37 and despite his claims to the contrary, isn't nearly the all-around player Mourning is anymore, and it's time for the pupil to take over for the Heat to have a chance.

Sure, Tim Hardaway being back after missing the first round with an ankle injury will give the Pacers a lift. But it will be temporary and it doesn't appear Hardaway has the legs anymore to be anything more than a streak shooter. Is he still capable of being formidable? We'll have to find out. It's also time for Jamal Mashburn to grow up and be a star. The 6-foot-8 forward has all the physical tools to help win this series, now it's time for him to show the mental capability of dealing with the responsibility.

The Knicks will draw primarily from Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston, with Ewing having his moments as well. The depth provided by Marcus Camby as a jolt off the bench is the X-factor, along with a tough guy like Kurt Thomas and occasional lifts from Chris Childs.

Prognosis: Knicks in six.

Shots from the perimeter

• Key stat in the Game 5 loss for the Sonics to the Jazz was Vin Baker with just 2 rebounds -- 1 defensive -- in 31 minutes for the Sonics. They lost down the stretch due to poor defensive rebounding. He bounced back offensively after nearly falling off the map, but he still played too soft considering Horace Grant is often negated as an out-of-position center. But it will be tough for the Sonics to move him for value with a seven-year, $86.6 million contract entering its second season and the salary cap ramifications.
• Expect Gary Payton to soften his stance of unhappiness with coach Paul Westphal. Despite the grumbling, most people don't believe he really wants out, just likes to make noise.
• Consider point guard Jason Williams playing 54 minutes over the past two games for the Kings, with 3-for-14 shooting, 13 points, and 3 assists in the past two games. Tony Delk made a big difference at point guard.
• The home team now is 29-13 in Game 5 clinchers since the present playoff system was put into place.
• The New York Times is reporting that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has become the top candidate to be run the Nets basketball operations.
• To put in perspective how much longer the season has been drawn out since expansion, all NBA champions from 1947-75 were crowned before June. The last time it happened was in 1983, when the Sixers swept the Lakers on May 31. The earliest this year's NBA Finals can start is June 4, could end as late as June 21.
• The Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers will travel to Mexico for a preseason game on Oct. 14. The NBA has sponsored a game there every season since 1992, and even tried a multiple team event from 1994-96. Expect this to continue with the possibility of a regular-season game in the future, too.
• It was five years ago Sunday that Indiana's Reggie Miller pulled off what seemed to be the impossible. He scored eight points (two 3-pointers, two game-winning free throws) in the final 16.4 seconds of the game to lead the Pacers to a 107-105 come-from-behind victory over the stunned Knicks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Pacers won the series in seven games.