HEAD 2 HEAD POSITION-BY-POSITION MATCHUPS.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

CENTER

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL - BEN WALLACE

The last time O'Neal met a Defensive Player of the Year in the Finals, Dikembe Mutombo was nearly reduced to tears. That was against Philadelphia in 2002, when O'Neal averaged 33 points and 15.8 rebounds in a five-game Lakers romp. Wallace is much younger than Mutombo but also five inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter. At 6-9, 240, Wallace is a rebounding beast and a shot-blocking phenom. He just isn't a center, nor does he have the heft or height to contend with the three-time Finals MVP. This has been a low-scoring playoff run for O'Neal, averaging 20 points while concentrating on rebounding (13.9 per game) and defense (3.41 blocks). But he has always brought his best in June and ranks second in Finals history, with a scoring average of 34.2 points per game. Wallace isn't much of an offensive threat (averaging 10.6 points in the playoffs), but is extremely active around the basket. Pistons coach Larry Brown is averse to double-teaming and as 76ers coach let Mutombo guard O'Neal straight up in 2001.

--Edge:! Lakers

POWER FORWARD

KARL MALONE - RASHEED WALLACE

This actually qualifies as a break for Malone (and even moreso if he ends up guarding Ben Wallace instead of 'Sheed). Rasheed Wallace is a gifted offensive player with a strong post-up game and a reliable shot from 3-point range. But he's neither as strong on the post as Tim Duncan nor as versatile in the open court as Kevin Garnett. And unlike both of them, he is not a featured weapon in Detroit's attack. Wallace is averaging just 13 points on 12.9 shots per game in the playoffs, a far cry from the 20-point nights he routinely logged with the Trail Blazers. Still, he will pose a difficult matchup for Malone, who drags an achy right knee into the series. Malone has been a steady third option throughout the playoffs, averaging 13.1 points and 9.2 rebounds, and he's been reliably knocking down the mid-range jumper when his defender wanders to double-team O'Neal. Malone averaged 18 points in two games against Detroit in December.

--Edge: Pistons

SMALL FORWARD

DEVEAN GEORGE - TAYSHAUN PRINCE

Since replacing starter Rick Fox in the first round, George has swung from impressive to erratic. He scored 26 points over the final two games against San Antonio but got distracted when the playoffs moved to his hometown of Minneapolis for the conference finals. After averaging 7.2 points on .545 shooting against the Spurs, he slipped to 4.8 points on .351 shooting against Minnesota. The Pistons are likely to send Prince, their best perimeter defender, at Kobe Bryant, so George will be guarded by Richard Hamilton. On defense, George will take on Prince, a capable scorer despite his modest numbers (9.9 ppg in the playoffs). A solid shooter and superb athlete, Prince averaged 17.4 points in the Pistons' first-round series against Milwaukee.

--Edge: Pistons

SHOOTING GUARD

KOBE BRYANT - RICHARD HAMILTON

The irresistable storyline is a rematch of old Philly high school rivals (Bryant's team beat Hamilton's in the state playoffs back in the day), but the matchup is more complicated than that. Hamilton probably won't guard Bryant - Prince gets that assignment - but Bryant will be run ragged chasing Hamilton through a series of screens. One of the best mid-range shooters in the league, Hamilton has averaged 21.5 points (on .460 shooting), 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the playoffs. The offense goes through him as much as possible, so Bryant will have his toughest defensive assignment of the postseason. So far, Bryant has made a case for playoff MVP, averaging 25.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists. His shooting, however, has been subpar (.424 from the field, .270 on 3-pointers).

--Edge: Lakers

POINT GUARD

GARY PAYTON - CHAUNCEY BILLUPS

The scoring chances remain scarce for Payton, but he's kept a level head since grousing his way through the earlier rounds. He's averaging 8.8 points on .373 shooting but will again be needed primarily as a defender. At 6-3, 202, Billups is not the typical diminutive point guard and is a close physical match to Payton. A streaky shooter (.354 from the field), Billups is averaging 15.2 points in the playoffs, but his numbers have declined every series. He averaged 18.2 points in the first round against Milwaukee but just 12.7 in the conference finals, when he shot .308 from the field. A potential free agent, Payton could use a strong defensive series to remind prospective employers that ``the Glove'' is more than just a cute nickname.

--Edge: Pistons

BENCH

DEREK FISHER - ELDEN CAMPBELL

Detroit's second unit is well-stocked with ex-Lakers (Elden Campbell and Lindsey Hunter) and friends of Lakers (Corliss Williamson, childhood buddy of Derek Fisher), and it's a versatile group. Williamson is a strong post-up scorer and a bruising defender. Campbell also can score from the block but isn't as agile as he was in his Lakers days and mostly will be used to bang O'Neal. Hunter, an above-average defender, is a streak shooter capable of hitting the occasional 3-pointer. Okur is a 7-footer who can shoot 3-pointers, so he could be useful in pulling O'Neal away from the paint. Aside from Fisher, the Lakers' bench production has been spotty in the playoffs. It will look a lot better if Kareem Rush and Slava Medvedenko can build on their strong closeout performances in the conference finals. They combined for 15 points in the fourth quarter of Game 6.

--Edge: Pistons

COACH

PHIL JACKSON - LARRY BROWN

Larry Brown could be the Karl Malone of coaching - universally respected and Hall-of-Fame worthy but without the championship to complete his resume. Over the past 10 years, Brown has taken three franchises to the Eastern Conference finals - Indiana, Philadelphia and Detroit - and he has the Pistons in the Finals for the first time since 1990. In his only Finals appearance, Brown's 76ers lost to Phil Jackson's Lakers in 2001. Brown's 81 playoff victories place him fourth all-time, tied with K.C. Jones. If this is Jackson's final season with the Lakers, it could go down as the most memorable. He successfully managed the four superstar egos, brought the Lakers back from a 2-0 deficit brink against San Antonio and now is four wins shy of a record 10th championship.

--Edge: Lakers

CONCLUSION

Detroit got this far with great defense, holding playoff opponents to 80.4 points and .385 shooting. But the Lakers have already prevailed against two of the NBA's best defenses (San Antonio and Minnesota). And for all the buzz about the Pistons' blue-collar ethic and toughness, it is the Lakers who boast the most physical players in the series. Eventually, the Pistons will have to win a game or two with offense and. given their dearth of options, they'll find it difficult against a Lakers team that finally found its defensive conscience in the last month. The Lakers hold a huge advantage in Finals experience and are already getting all warm and fuzzy about the chance to deliver Malone and Payton to the promised land and give Jackson his 10th title. That's too much destiny for an upstart team to overcome.

--Prediction: Lakers, 4-1.

CAPTION(S):

14 photos, 3 boxes

Photo:

(1) SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

(2) BEN WALLACE

(3) KARL MALONE

(4) RASHEED WALLACE

(5) DEVEAN GEORGE

(6) TAYSHAUN PRINCE

(7) KOBE BRYANT

(8) RICHARD HAMILTON

(9) GARY PAYTON

(10) CHAUNCY BILLUPS

(11) DEREK FISHER

(12) ELDEN CAMPBELL

(13) PHIL JACKSON

(14) LARRY BROWN

Box:

(1) LOS ANGELES LAKERS

(2) DETROIT PISTONS

(3) LAKERS vs. PISTONS: Best-of-seven series