The two playoff series that resume tonight — Houston against Utah and Cleveland against Washington — are both rematches of hotly contested series, so some of the hype has built up around the revenge factor. But such hype is the standard poppycock that tries to reduce sports to drama rather than competitions that turn on strategic maneuvers or key personnel situations. Of course, drama is more likely to attract casual fans than X’s and O’s, but these two series are not just about motivations on the part of Houston and Washington to avenge past losses. Cleveland and Utah have dreams of playing deep into the spring, as well as significant advantages over their rivals.

As the playoffs approached, the Houston-Utah matchup looked like the one of the most attractive of a very intriguing first round. The two teams played a grueling seven-game series last season that was won by Utah. The loss left Rockets guard Tracy McGrady so distraught that he couldn’t answer questions at the postgame press conference. It also hastened a coaching change and several moves to get McGrady and All-Star center Yao Ming a better supporting cast in Houston. Initially, it looked like the moves had backfired, as the Rockets started slowly before catching fire. After a 13–15 start, they went 42–12 the rest of the way, despite losing Ming to a season-ending foot injury in late February.

It’s another injury — the loss of starting point guard Rafer Alston — that dooms Houston in this series. Alston strained a hamstring during the final week of the regular season and isn’t likely to see action until the series shifts to Utah for Game 3. But by then, it may be too late. Houston is a deep team, as evidenced by their ability to keep winning without Ming, but Alston’s absence means that they are starting five of their seven best players, while Utah (54–28) is starting their best five. Commendably, Houston’s shorthanded crew played the Jazz fairly even. The major difference in Utah’s 93–82 win on Saturday came from the Jazz overwhelming Houston’s bench. The Rockets were forced to use third-string point guard Aaron Brooks, whom Deron Williams torched him twice in the fourth quarter.

Utah is a very physical team, and they succeeded in making Game 1 a war of attrition against a shorthanded opponent. By the fourth quarter, the Rockets looked worn down, and that’s when the Jazz, aided by stellar games from forward Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer, pulled away. For the Rockets in Game 2, the task won’t be any easier. Right now, they are missing two of their three top scorers this season. Utah isn’t a top defensive team, but Houston’s paltry output was no fluke. Utah has the best home record in the league this season, and now Houston will have to win at least once there — and if Alston can’t make a very speedy recovery, they could head west in an 0–2 hole.

Although this is the third postseason matchup in a row for the Cavaliers and Wizards, it’s really the first matchup that’s at the core of their rivalry. Two years ago, Washington and Cleveland played an exhilarating six-game series featuring high-power offense and last-second heroics. Ask any true Wizards fan about that series, and he or she will likely grumble about the generous officiating that LeBron James received.

Last season, the two teams met in the first round again, but the Wizards were diminished by injuries and lost in a sweep to their rival. Almost two weeks before their series, and notably before the matchup was even assured, Wizards players began tossing taunts and barbs toward Cleveland.

They really should consider devoting some of that energy to the blackboard. Washington is just the sort of team that the Cavaliers’ defense is built to stop. The Wizards like to shoot from behind the arc (sometimes they like to shoot from almost halfcourt — Gilbert Arenas swished one from what must have been 35 feet away during Saturday’s game). Washington finished ninth in the league in three point shot attempts this season. Nearly one in four Wizards shots comes from behind the arc. The Cavs are coached by Mike Brown, who follows his mentor, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, in constructing defenses that limit opponents’ long-range offense. The Cavs ranked among the best teams at defending the three. Game 1 on Saturday, a 93–86 Cavs victory, didn’t just turn on the great drives down the stretch by James. The game was won by the Cavs’ defense, which held the Wizards to a horrible 6–24 brick-fest from behind the arc.

While the Cavs may not keep Washington’s deep game under wraps that effectively all the time, it points out that Cleveland has the key to defending the Wizards. On defense, the Wizards did a much better job against the Cavaliers than they did during the regular season. It was as if their strategy was to hold James’s teammates in check and dare him to try and win the game all by his lonesome. James was up to the task and filled up the stat sheet with 32 points and 12–19 shooting, six rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots, a steal, and only one turnover.

Wizards swingman DeShawn Stevenson called James “overrated” last week. He might want to rethink that, but the Wizards have much to think about before tonight’s game. If they don’t revise their strategy, they will find themselves in an 0–2 hole heading back to D.C. Just like Houston, all the motivation in the world won’t help if the other team has healthier players or a better strategy.

mjohnson@nysun.com