Round Two Riot: Lakers (1) vs. Jazz (4)

FanHouse's Round Two previews will give you the critical points of every series, so you can talk to your friends like you've been following every team in the Association all season long. Or know what the hell a Radmanovic is.

Biggest Reason You Should Watch: Because ... are you kidding me? According to the numbers (err point differential), these were the best two Western Conference teams this season. Both boast insane offenses, built on the backs of insane offensive talents. The fans are rabid (well, at least through 42 minutes of playing time for one of these teams). These two squads share strengths and weaknesses, which should portend a see-saw battle. And hey! it's the Western Conference semifinals! These games are good!

(The rest of The Riot can be found after the jump.)

The Lakers Can Win If: ... they can find a way to keep Carlos Boozer in check. L.A. will be able to score efficiently enough (Utah's defense is surprisingly mediocre), but Utah -- with the league's best regular season offense -- can and will match baskets unless the Laker bigs assert themselves. A corollary of this: Boozer passes well out of the double-team, so the Lakers need to be quick on their rotations, lest Kyle Korver bury them with handsomeness and three-balls. If they do manage to find a solution to neutralize which does not consist entirely of Pau Gasol scoring 30 a night, the Lakers will be good position to take the series.

The Jazz Can Win If: ... Boozer gets back to his unstoppable self. It's no secret Carlos has struggled of late: he averaged on only 16 points on 15 shots against Houston, and was down to 14 points on 12 shots over seven vital regular season games in April. Boozer's got to shoot more; to do that, he needs to feel comfortable in the offense. L.A.'s interior defense continues to be a weakness (not the case for Houston), so this has the potential to become a reawakening party for Boozer. (If you've ever been to a reawakening party, you know how much fun we could be in for.) Also, Deron Williams must not be controlled by the Lakers guards. Probably not much chance for that anyways.

Video Clip to Get You Pumped: A heart-warming moment which I can guarantee will not be repeated in this series.



Take all those cheers, replace them with boos, and you've got a touch of an idea what awaits Derek Fisher in Game 3.

Stud of the Series: I'm going to go out on a limb here and pick ... Kobe Bryant. I'm not sure an explanation is required.

FanHouse Prediction: Lakers in 7. This really is a toss-up though, if Boozer gets his wits about himself (and I think he will). Assuming each team takes a game in the other's building, asking Utah to win a second (the hypothetical Game 7) in Los Angeles might be asking too much. Still, I won't pretend to claim any sort of authority in this prediction. Your guess is as good, or possibly better than, mine.