PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS.

Byline: Howard Beck

Western Conference finals: Lakers over Kings

Eastern Conference finals: Hornets over Nets

NBA Finals: Lakers over Hornets

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Predicted regular-season finish:

1. Sacramento Kings

2. Lakers

3. San Antonio Spurs

4. Dallas Mavericks

5. Portland Trail Blazers

6. Seattle SuperSonics

7. Utah Jazz

8. Clippers

9. Houston Rockets

10. Minnesota Timberwolves

11. Phoenix Suns

12. Memphis Grizzlies

13. Golden State Warriors

14. Denver Nuggets

Pacific Division (in order of predicted finish)

SACRAMENTO KINGS

Last season: Went 61-21, lost to Lakers (4-3) in conference finals.

Coach: Rick Adelman, fifth season with Kings (187-109), ninth season overall (544-361).

Say hello: F/C Keon Clark (free agent, Toronto), G Damon Jones (free agent, Detroit).

Say goodbye: No one of note.

Starting five: C Vlade Divac, PF Chris Webber, SF Peja Stojakovic, SG Doug Christie, PG Mike Bibby.

Say hey: Deepest, most talented, most versatile team in the league got even better by signing 7-foot Clark. He can play three positions and Lakers have no one like him. Divac defends Shaq as well as anyone. Kings' youngsters (Hedo Turkoglu, Bibby, Stojakovic) get better each year.

Say it ain't so: Webber faces potential jail time after allegedly lying to a grand jury. Bibby will miss first month of season with a broken foot. How much more mileage does the 34-year-old Divac have left?

Say what: Only team in the league capable of toppling Lakers, and this time they just might.

LAKERS

Last season: Went 58-24, beat New Jersey 4-0 in NBA Finals.

Coach: Phil Jackson, fourth season with Lakers (226-78), 13th season overall (726-258).

Say hello: G Kareem Rush (drafted 20th, Missouri), F Tracy Murray (trade with Toronto).

Say goodbye: G Lindsey Hunter (traded to Toronto), G Mitch Richmond (unsigned), C Jelani McCoy (signed with Toronto).

Starting five: C Shaquille O'Neal, PF Samaki Walker, SF Rick Fox, SG Kobe Bryant, PG Derek Fisher.

Say hey: Retaining F Devean George was huge. Lakers return top seven scorers from last season. Murray gives team another option beyond the arc. Several key players either dropped weight (Fox, Brian Shaw) or added pounds of muscle (Bryant, Walker, George).

Say it ain't so: No telling when O'Neal will return, or whether big toe is permanently fixed, and his conditioning will be an issue. Guard corps is thin; Lakers can't afford injury to Bryant or Fisher. Young big men Slava Medvedenko, Mark Madsen have shown little growth, and rookie Rush probably won't play much.

Say what: If they stumble for three months, will anyone worry?

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

Last season: Went 49-33, swept by Lakers (3-0) in first round of playoffs.

Coach: Maurice Cheeks, second season with Blazers (49-33), second season overall.

Say hello: C Arvydas Sabonis (unretired), G Jeff McInnis (free agent, Clippers), G Antonio Daniels (trade with San Antonio), G Charles Smith (trade with San Antonio), C Amal McCaskill (trade with San Antonio), F Qyntel Woods (drafted 21st, Northeast Mississippi C.C.), C Jason Jennings (drafted 43rd, Arkansas State).

Say goodbye: F Shawn Kemp (waived, signed with Orlando), G Steve Kerr (traded to San Antonio), G Erick Barkley (traded to San Antonio).

Starting five: C Dale Davis, PF Rasheed Wallace, SF Bonzi Wells, SG Derek Anderson, PG Damon Stoudamire.

Say hey: Deep as ever. Reserves Sabonis, Scottie Pippen and Ruben Patterson would start for most teams. Unsatisfied with Stoudamire, Blazers have options with McInnis and Daniels.

Say it ain't so: As volatile as ever. They dump troubled Kemp, but add feisty McInnis. Wallace and Wells are lifetime members of the All-Hothead team. Last time Sabonis was here, 'Sheed was throwing a towel in his face.

Say what: Pippen can't wait to retire at season's end.

SEATTLE SUPERSONICS

Last season: Went 45-37, lost to San Antonio (3-2) in first round of playoffs.

Coach: Nate McMillan, third season with Sonics (83-66), third season overall.

Say hello: G Kenny Anderson (trade with Boston), C Vitaly Potapenko (trade with Boston), and G Joe Forte (trade with Boston).

Say goodbye: F Vin Baker and G Shammond Williams (traded to Boston), G Earl Watson (signed with Memphis), C Olumide Oyedeji (signed with Orlando), G Randy Livingston (unsigned), F Art Long (unsigned).

Starting five: C Jerome James, PF Vladimir Radmonovic, SF Rashard Lewis, SG Brent Barry/Desmond Mason, PG Gary Payton.

Say hey: Unloading moody Baker is a plus, and Sonics have some intriguing young big men with Radmonovic, James and Predrag Drobnjak. Lewis, signed to a $60 million deal this summer, is a rising star, and Mason might be next.

Say it ain't so: Anderson, a career starter now stuck behind an all-star (Payton), is grousing about his reduced role and feuding with McMillan. Big men James and Calvin Booth have both been dogged by injuries.

Say what: Good mix of young talent and veteran leadership, Sonics are rebuilding on the fly.

CLIPPERS

Last season: Went 39-43, finished ninth in West.

Coach: Alvin Gentry, third season with Clippers (70-94); sixth season overall (158-187).

Say hello: G Andre Miller (trade with Cleveland), G Bryant Stith (trade with Cleveland), G Marko Jaric (second-round pick in 2000, Virtus Kinder Bologna, Italy), C Wang Zhi-Zhi (free agent, Dallas), F Cherokee Parks (free agent, San Antonio), F Chris Wilcox (drafted 8th, Maryland), F Melvin Ely (drafted 12th, Fresno State).

Say goodbye: F Darius Miles (traded to Cleveland), F Harold Jamison (traded to Cleveland), G Jeff McInnis (signed with Portland), F Obinna Ekezie (signed with Orlando), G Earl Boykins (unsigned).

Starting five: C Michael Olowokandi, PF Elton Brand, SF Lamar Odom, SG Eric Piatkowksi/Quentin Richardson, PG Andre Miller.

Say hey: Once healthy, Olowokandi-Brand-Odom frontcourt will be one of league's best. Selfless Miller (10.9 assists/game last season) is the perfect guy to exploit Clips' many weapons.

Say it ain't so: Clips' most promising season might be sabotaged already. Cheapskate owner Donald Sterling failed to give Olowokandi long-term deal and declined extensions for Brand, Odom and Miller. Now all four will be free agents next summer. Camaraderie will be undermined if everyone's playing for contracts.

Say what: On talent alone, they're a playoff team. But chemistry will be fragile.

PHOENIX SUNS

Last season: Went 36-46, missed playoffs for first time in 14 years.

Coach: Frank Johnson, second season with Suns (11-20 after replacing Scott Skiles), second season overall.

Say hello: F Amare Stoudemire (drafted 9th, Cypress Creek High, Fla.), G Casey Jacobsen (drafted 22nd, Stanford), F-C Scott Williams (free agent, Denver), F Dan Langhi (free agent, Houston).

Say goodbye: G Milt Palacio (traded to Cleveland), F John Wallace (unsigned).

Starting five: C Jake Tsakalidis, PF Tom Gugliotta, SF Shawn Marion, SG Joe Johnson, PG Stephon Marbury.

Say hey: Stoudemire is just 19 and raw, but he's got an NBA body (6-10, 245) and incredible athleticism to match. Gugliotta (finally healthy) and free-agent pickup Williams give Suns much-needed inside toughness. No offensive pair is more explosive than Marbury and Marion.

Say it ain't so: Me-first Marbury has never led his teams to a playoff win. Gugliotta and Penny Hardaway are always one misstep from the injured list. Much depends on development of rookie Stoudemire, second-year pro Johnson and third-year pro Tsakalidis.

Say what: They need Stoudemire to bloom quickly - or Nets to return Jason Kidd.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Last season: Went 21-61, finished last in the West.

Coach: Eric Musselman, first season with Warriors, first season overall.

Say hello: F Mike Dunleavy (drafted 3rd, Duke), G Jiri Welsch (drafted 16th, Benetton Treviso, Italy; acquired from Philadelphia), G Steve Logan (drafted 30th, Cincinnati).

Say goodbye: G Larry Hughes (signed with Washington), G Mookie Blaylock (unsigned), F Cedric Henderson (unsigned), C Dean Garrett (unsigned).

Starting five: C Erick Dampier, PF Danny Fortson, SF Antawn Jamison, SG Jason Richardson, PG Gilbert Arenas.

Say hey: Musselman brings much-needed positive energy to a moribund franchise. Jamison is solid, if unspectacular, and Richardson has shown some offensive flair. Arenas has been surprisingly steady as a converted point guard.

Say it ain't so: Still a poorly conceived mish-mash of guys with hard- to-define roles. Jamison is a small forward who wants to play power forward. Fortson, a terrific rebounder, is a power forward with a limited offensive game. Arenas is a career shooting guard trying to learn the point. Dunleavy looks timid so far, and Richardson has yet to grab the reins as a go-to player.

Say what: Well, at least they won't be the worst team in the West again (thank you, Denver).

MIDWEST DIVISION (in order of predicted finish)

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Last season: Went 58-24, lost to Lakers (4-1) in conference semifinals.

Coach: Gregg Popovich, seventh season with Spurs (279-163), seventh season overall.

Say hello: G Emmanuel Ginobili (second-round pick in 1999, Kinder Bologna, Italy), G Speedy Claxton (trade with Philadelphia), G Steve Kerr (trade with Portland), G Erick Barkley (trade with Portland), C Kevin Willis (free agent, Houston), C Mengke Bateer (trade with Detroit), F Luis Scola (drafted 56th, Spain).

Say goodbye: G Terry Porter (retired), G Antonio Daniels (traded to Portland), G Charles Smith (traded to Portland), C Amal McCaskill (traded to Portland), F Cherokee Parks (signed with Clippers), F Mark Bryant (traded to Philadelphia), G Stephen Jackson (unsigned).

Starting five: C David Robinson, PF Tim Duncan, SF Bruce Bowen, SG Steve Smith, PG Tony Parker.

Say hey: Nice infusion of youth. Rookie Ginobili led Argentina to upset of Team USA at World Championships this summer. He'll be a nice running mate for young Parker. Spurs got needed depth at point guard with Claxton, and plenty of big bodies to spell Robinson in his final season.

Say it ain't so: Smith and Robinson showed their age in the playoffs, and might not have much more to contribute. Who keeps defenses honest and takes the scoring load off Duncan?

Say what: Popovich teams win with defense, and Spurs are among the best. San Antonio goes from good to great if youngsters Parker, Ginobili and Claxton blossom.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

Last season: Went 57-25, lost to Sacramento (4-1) in conference semifinals.

Coach: Don Nelson, sixth season with Mavs (185-177), 25th season overall (1,036-806).

Say hello: F Popeye Jones (free agent, Washington), G Raja Bell (free agent, Philadelphia), F Walt Williams (free agent, Houston), F Mladen Sekularac (drafted 55th, Yugoslavia).

Say goodbye: G Greg Buckner (signed with Philadelphia), C Wang Zhi-Zhi (signed with Clippers), F Danny Manning (unsigned), F Johnny Newman (unsigned).

Starting five: C Raef LaFrentz, PF Dirk Nowitzki, SF Eduardo Najera, SG Michael Finley, PG Steve Nash.

Say hey: There's no better threesome in the league than Nowitzki-Finley- Nash. Mavs bolstered defense and rebounding with Jones. Great bench: Nick Van Exel, Adrian Griffin, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Williams and Bell.

Say it ain't so: Still not enough defensive grit in this group, and they lost Buckner, one of their best individual defenders. Mavs remain weak inside. Observers are touting newly bulked-up Shawn Bradley, but he'll never be confused with Moses Malone.

Say what: Who wants to bet against Mark Cuban's checkbook?

UTAH JAZZ

Last season: Went 44-38, lost to Sacramento (3-1) in first round of playoffs.

Coach: Jerry Sloan, 15th season with Utah (734-465), 18th season overall (828-486).

Say hello: G Calbert Cheaney (free agent, Denver), Matt Harpring (free agent, Philadelphia), Carlos Arroyo (free agent, Denver), G Mark Jackson (free agent, Denver), G Raul Lopez (drafted in 2001, Real Madrid, Spain), C Curtis Borchardt (drafted 18th, Stanford).

Say goodbye: F Donyell Marshall (signed with Chicago), Bryon Russell (signed with Washington).

Starting five: C Jarron Collins, PF Karl Malone, SF Andrei Kirilenko, SG Matt Harpring, PG John Stockton.

Say hey: Stockton-to-Malone might sound as dated now as Tinkers-to- Evers-to-Chance, but the Hall of Fame pair remains strong and effective. Kirilenko is an emerging star, another fundamentally sound import with the talent to score from anywhere. He even plays good defense (just ask Kobe).

Say it ain't so: Jazz are getting older, not better - Stockton is 40, Malone 39. Young Lopez was supposed to share point-guard duties, but he's out for the season after knee surgery. Stockton's new protege? The 38- year-old Jackson. Jazz will miss Russell and Marshall. Bad sign: Jazz signed three free agents from Nuggets.

Say what: They'll find a way. They always do.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Last season: Went 28-54, missed playoffs for third consecutive year.

Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich, 12th season with Houston (460-258), 12th season overall.

Say hello: C Yao Ming (drafted No. 1, Shanghai Sharks, China), F Bostjan Nachbar (drafted 15th, Slovenia), G Tito Maddox (drafted 38th, Fresno State).

Say goodbye: C Kevin Willis (signed with San Antonio), F Dan Langhi (signed with Phoenix), F Walt Williams (signed with Dallas).

Starting five: C Yao Ming, PF Maurice Taylor, SF Glen Rice, SG Cuttino Mobley, PG Steve Francis.

Say hey: The mere addition of 7-5, 300-pound Yao makes Rockets worth watching. Overshadowed, but possibly more talented, is Nachbar. Second-year F Eddie Griffin is an emerging star and should crack the lineup. Good health alone could put Rockets in playoff contention. Francis missed 25 games, Rice missed 62 games and Taylor sat out all of last season. Rockets used 27 starting lineups.

Say it ain't so: Rockets have an entirely new frontcourt, and a ball- hogging, shot-happy backcourt. Meshing Yao's post play with up-tempo style of Francis and Mobley will take time.

Say what: They'll be interesting and possibly very good.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Last season: Went 50-32, swept by Dallas (3-0) in first round of playoffs.

Coach: Flip Saunders, eighth season with Wolves (277-245), eighth season overall.

Say hello: G Kendall Gill (free agent, Miami), G Troy Hudson (free agent, Orlando), G Marcus Taylor (drafted 52nd, Michigan State), G Igor Rakocevic (second-round pick in 2000, Yugoslavia).

Say goodbye: G Chauncey Billups (signed with Detroit), F Sam Mitchell (retired), G William Avery (unsigned), G Robert Pack (unsigned).

Starting five: C Rasho Nesterovic, PF Joe Smith, SF Kevin Garnett, SG Wally Szczerbiak, PG Troy Hudson.

Say hey: Wolves are coming off franchise-best season and return most of the key pieces. Garnett is an incredible multipurpose weapon, and Szczerbiak is becoming a star. Nesterovic has shown steady progress.

Say it ain't so: Wolves struck out this summer. They failed to re-sign Billups, made a vain attempt to nab Cleveland's Ricky Davis and irritated Nesterovic before re-signing him to a one-year deal. Brandon (knee surgery) is out indefinitely and mulling retirement. Reserve Felipe Lopez (knee) is out for the season.

Say what: Beleaguered Garnett is headed for another first-round exit, if Wolves make playoffs at all.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Last season: Went 23-59.

Coach: Sidney Lowe, third season with Grizzlies (46-118), fourth season overall (79-220).

Say hello: President Jerry West, F Drew Gooden (drafted 4th, Kansas), G Gordan Giricek (trade with San Antonio), G Wesley Person (trade with Cleveland), G Earl Watson (free agent, Seattle), C Cezary Trybanski (free agent, MKS Pruszkow, Poland).

Say goodbye: G Nick Anderson (traded to Cleveland), F Rodney Buford (unsigned), F Antonis Fotsis (unsigned), F Grant Long (unsigned), G Will Solomon (unsigned).

Starting five: C Lorenzen Wright, PF Pau Gasol, SF Shane Battier, SG Gordan Giricek, PG Jason Williams.

Say hey: Biggest acquisition was Jerry West, but there is promise on court as well. Gasol dazzled as Rookie of the Year last season, and Gooden could be next to claim the trophy. Third-year forward Stromile Swift (2nd overall pick in 2000) is starting to deliver on promise. Giricek, a 25-year-old rookie, already looks comfortable in the NBA. Grizz get two starters back from injury: G Michael Dickerson (groin, missed 78 games) and Wright (broken leg, missed 33 games).

Say it ain't so: Lacking a true center, Grizz will play small with Wright and Gasol at center. Will mercurial J-Will waste his incredible talent, or listen to West? Lots of budding talent here, but much of it is at the forward slots; it will take time to sort out the roles.

Say what: For once, Elvis isn't the only attraction in town.

DENVER NUGGETS

Last season: Went 27-55, missed playoffs for seventh consecutive year.

Coach: Jeff Bzdelik, first season.

Say hello: C Marcus Camby (trade with New York), F Rodney White (trade with Detroit), F Nikoloz Tskitishvili (drafted 5th, Benetton Treviso, Italy), F Nene Hilario (drafted 7th, Vasco de Gama, Brazil), G Chris Whitney (trade with Washington).

Say goodbye: F Antonio McDyess (traded to New York), F Don Reid (traded to Detroit), F George McCloud (traded to Washington), C Mengke Bateer (traded to Detroit), F Scott Williams (signed with Phoenix), G Calbert Cheaney (signed with Utah), G Carlos Arroyo (signed with Utah), G Mark Jackson (signed with Utah), G Voshon Lenard (signed with Toronto).

Starting five: C Mark Blount, PF Juwan Howard, SF Ryan Bowen, SG James Posey, PG Chris Whitney.

Say hey: GM Kiki Vandeweghe did the right thing by blowing up and starting over. With Howard, Camby, White, Tskitishvili and Hilario, Nuggets have five players drafted No. 9 or higher.

Say it ain't so: Frail Camby is out indefinitely after hip surgery. Nuggets' most promising pieces (Hilario, Tskitishvili, White) are years away from becoming impact players.

Say what: Nuggets and Cavs battle for worst record, and right to draft Ohio high-schooler LeBron James.

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Photo:

Chris Webber (4) and the Sacramento Kings look to be the toughest opposition Shaquille O'Neal (34) and the Lakers will have to face in their quest for a fourth consecutive championship.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press