Frontcourt

Utah doesn't have anyone that commands a double-team because the Lakers won't double-team Karl Malone. Greg Ostertag certainly played Shaquille O'Neal tough in the postseason last year, but that was an aberration. Shaq is a much better player now than he was last year, and I don't know how much Ostertag has grown. He does have the weight to body up against Shaq, but O'Neal is quick-footed and people don't realize that he has great hands.Shaquille O'Neal is becoming the game's most dominant big man since Wilt Chamberlain. He has a triple advantage over Utah's center -- scoring, rebounding and defense. Shaq has been like a snowball rolling down a snow-covered hill -- he's been growing. All of a sudden, Kazaam! Here he is. When there's a guy that can rebound and score the way he does, it's called domination. And Robert Horry's game has suddenly resurfaced. He's like a born-again basketball player.

Backcourt

Utah's backcourt is the team's Achilles' heel on defense. John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek are a bit slow, they're not tall and they're not big. They are tough and competitive, but their lateral quickness is lacking. The Lakers bring a lot of quickness and jumping ability and that will be a problem.With the Lakers' backcourt, all four guys have to be counted. Derek Fisher and Eddie Jones are starters, but then Nick Van Exel and Kobe Bryant come off the bench. When you include all four guys, Los Angeles probably has the best backcourt in the league.

Offense

Utah has an advantage because it is a team of character. The Jazz won't wilt, they execute. If they control the tempo of the game, make it a half-court game where they come down and run their plays, they give themselves a chance. John Stockton scores when he feels the team needs him to score. He didn't feel he had to score in the San Antonio series, but he may feel he needs to score in this series.The Lakers have improved in the half-court because Shaq is handling the double-teams so well, passing out to the shooters who have been hot. What happens if the Jazz don't double Shaq? He's scoring 29.8 points in the postseason right now and he's being double-teamed. It's safe to say he would score 45 to 55 points if he isn't double teamed. It's a matter of picking your poison.

Defense

Utah is very good in terms of its team defense, but the Lakers present a problem. While Seattle was able to rotate out to the open shooter when it double-teamed Shaq, the Jazz will need their in-line skates to rotate quick enough to get to the Lakers' open shooters. Seattle is much quicker than Utah, which is a bit slow-footed.Shaq has never been known for his shot blocking, but in Game 5 against Seattle he blocked eight shots. If the Lakers can pressure the ball, staying in the face of the passer, then they will hurt Utah's offense which is built around executing plays. The question all year has been if the Lakers can win with their defense, although they beat Seattle at its own game, playing tough defense.

Bench

Antoine Carr gives the Jazz a great lift coming off the bench. He's a steady post-up player who gives the Jazz 10 to 14 points, plays solid defense, makes his open jumpers and gives four or five fouls on Shaq. But Adam Keefe has disappeared in the postseason.Van Exel comes off the bench, putting "Prolific" Nick, as I call him, up against the other team's back-up point guard. That's a tremendous advantage for Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant has always come off the bench so he knows his role. Those two players could start, but they make the backcourt more versatile.

3-point shooting

Only four Utah players have taken more than 10 3-point shots in the postseason, and only two (Stockton and Hornacek) have made more than one-third of those 3-pointers. On the bright side, Bryon Russell hit five of his last 10 attempts in the Spurs series.Los Angeles has a tremendous advantage because it has so many weapons from beyond the 3-point line. There's Rick Fox, Van Exel, Jones and Bryant can nail them, and then there's Horry, who has really stepped it up.

Overall

This is a David-and-Goliath situation, and even though Utah had the better regular-season record, the Jazz are David and I don't see a slingshot anywhere in sight.