(My Sportsbook) - The top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers and the fourth-seeded Utah Jazz battle this afternoon at the Staples Center in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

This is the fourth time the Lakers and Jazz have met in the playoffs. Los Angeles defeated the Jazz in seven games in the 1988 West semis. Utah knocked out the Lakers in five, 4-1, in the 1997 semifinals and swept LA in the 1998 conference finals.

During the regular season, the Lakers won three of the four meetings between the clubs. LA captured a pair of games at the Staples Center and defeated the Jazz, 106-95, on March 20 at EnergySolutions Arena.

Game 2 of this best-of-seven series is scheduled for Tuesday at the Staples Center.

The Lakers had no problem winning the opening round of the playoffs. They swept Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and the eighth-seeded Nuggets, 4-0. Denver is 2-13 against the Lakers in the playoffs, and has lost all four series.

Los Angeles earned its first sweep since defeating the New Jersey Nets, 4-0, in the 2002 NBA Finals. The Lakers are back in the semifinals for the first time since 2004. They defeated Houston in five games in round one, San Antonio in six in the semis, Minnesota in six in the West semis and fell to Detroit in five contests in the NBA Finals that year.

Superstar Kobe Bryant, who has reportedly won his first NBA MVP according to the Los Angeles Times and will receive the hardware from commissioner David Stern at some point during the semifinals, averaged 33.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in round one for the Lakers, who defeated the Nuggets by an average of 13.3 points per game. A 10-time All-Star, Bryant shot 50.0 percent from the floor, including 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Bryant, who has won three rings during his career, got plenty of help from forwards Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Luke Walton. Gasol, who was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies on February 1, posted 22.3 points and 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists, while Odom registered 11.8 points, 9.3 boards and 4.5 helpers.

The 27-year-old Gasol, who was 0-12 during a three-year run in the postseason with the Grizzlies, will play in the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his career. He shot 58.2 percent from the floor against the Nuggets.

Walton contributed 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists against Denver, and veteran guard Derek Fisher shot 50 percent from three-point range and averaged 8.5 points per contest.

Head coach Phil Jackson knows how to win in the playoffs. Jackson has won nine championship rings as a coach. He led the Lakers to three titles in his first four years in LA, and guided the Chicago Bulls to six championships. He is an impressive 183-77 in the postseason.

LA center Andrew Bynum reportedly won't return during the postseason. Bynum was averaging 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds in 35 games before he went down with a partially dislocated left kneecap and a bone bruise. The 20-year-old Bynum last played on January 13 against the Grizzlies.

The Lakers have been victorious in four of their last five trips to the semifinals. They fell in six games, 4-2, to the Spurs in the 2003 Western Conference semis.

In the regular season, Los Angeles won its first Pacific Division crown since the 2003-04 campaign, when Shaquille O'Neal was trying to lead the Lakers to their fourth title in five years.

Utah, which won its second straight Northwest Division crown during the regular season, has made it to the West semis for the second straight year. Last year, the Jazz knocked off the Golden State Warriors, 4-1, in this round and fell to the San Antonio Spurs, 4-1, in the conference finals. The Jazz are 6-6 all-time in the semifinals.

The Jazz needed six games to eliminate Tracy McGrady and the fifth-seed Houston Rockets in the quarterfinals. Point guard Deron Williams led Utah in scoring (20.8 ppg) and assists (8.5 apg) in the opening round, while All-Star forward Carlos Boozer contributed 16.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Williams shot 53 percent from the field, including an impressive 59.1 percent (13-for-22) from three-point range.

Center Mehmet Okur had a strong series against Houston, as he posted 13.2 points and a team-best 12.7 rebounds. The 6-11 Okur shot 35 percent (7-for-20) from beyond the arc. Forward Andrei Kirilenko and guard Ronnie Brewer both averaged 9.3 points in the first round.

Head coach Jerry Sloan has guided the Jazz to the playoffs for the 17th time during his tenure with the club. Sloan, who has been the general on the Utah bench since the 1988-89 campaign, is 91-90 all-time in the playoffs -- 89-86 with the Jazz.