How would you like to be the Phoenix Suns right now?

They worked hard all season to win their division and steal the no. 2 seed in the Western conference.They’re feeling very happy that the conference’s two best teams are on the other side of the bracket, and that they’ll have some time to work out the kinks from a slow finish to the regular season.

Then, the playoffs start, and who’s on the other sideline? Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant.

Sure, these aren’t the dominant Lakers of old, but that doesn’t change the fact that L.A. is the proverbial “team nobody wants to play”this year.The Lakers may have a roster stacked with marginal talents like Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, and Devean George, and they may be so thin up front that they’re sweating bullets because Chris Mihm might not be back for the playoffs,but at the end of the day, the Phil-Kobe combo is a hard one to dismiss.

The Zen Master’s track record in the playoffs is simply unbelievable. Even in seasons when his team didn’t have the horses to go all the way – such as this one – his charges have consistently punched above their weight in the postseason. Think back,for instance, to Jackson’s Jordan-less season in Chicago, when he came within a dubious foul call of eliminating the top-seeded Knicks.

Jackson’s Lakers may be in position for an upset again this year. L.A. won its last five games (all by double figures) and 11 of its final 14. Included in that stretch was the Lakers’ 109-89 smackdown of the Suns on Sunday, and although Steve Nash didn’t play, the Suns’ other starters did.

Then there’s the Bryant factor. The NBA’s leading scorer at an obscene 35.4 per game, Bryant provides a dangerous x-factor in this series. When he gets rolling, as he did in scoring 62 points in three quarters against Dallas or 81 against Toronto earlier this season, there is little any opposing defense can do to stop him.

In the playoffs, Kobe has an added advantage: He has enough stamina to go all 48 minutes if the Lakers need him to, which they will in any close game.Bryant averaged 41 minutes per game in the regular season, so the Lakers effectively replace seven minutes of Sasha Vujacic with seven minutes of Bryant.

All this might not matter to the Suns if they were on top of their game, but they’ve been reeling ever since Kurt Thomas bowed out of the lineup with a stress fracture in his foot. Minus their only competent center, the Suns’ defense has disintegrated. Since March, 21 of their 27 opponents cleared the century mark,with 12 of them topping 110.After a great start to the year, the Suns finished 16th in Defensive Efficiency (my measure of a team’s points allowed per 100 opponent possessions),barely ahead of the league average, thanks to their second-half freefall.

But despite the danger the Lakers present, I expect Phoenix to survive the first round … barely. Why? First is the way the Suns played their final two regular-season games. They seemed to regain some of their mojo in beating New Orleans and Portland by a combined 47 points. Also, the Suns can match up well against Bryant. Raja Bell is a feisty defensive stopper, and wings like James Jones, Leandro Barbosa, Shawn Marion, and Boris Diaw can all take turns relieving Bell. Add it all up, and Phoenix prevails in seven.

Here’s how the rest of the Western playoffs shape up:

(1) San Antonio vs. (8) Sacramento

Here’s how good the Spurs are: Their two best players limped through the season and are nowhere near 100%, and their big free agent signings (Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel, and Fabricio Oberto) have been underwhelming at best. With all that, the Spurs set a franchise record for wins. A breakout year from point guard Tony Parker and steady contributions from defensive ace Bruce Bowen, sharpshooter Brent Barry, and big man Nazr Mohammed (thanks, Isiah – by the way, how’s Malik Rose working out?) allowed San Antonio to weather the storm.

Sacramento is a potent team, finishing the year 27-14 after acquiring Ron Artest from Indiana, but the Spurs are on a completely different level. Plus, the lack of back-to-backs in the postseason should ease the strain on Duncan’s plantar fasciitis and Ginobili’s assorted aches and bumps,so the Spurs will be even better in the playoffs than they were in the regular season.

The Pick: Spurs 4-1

(6) L.A. Clippers vs. (3) Denver

The Clippers “beat out” Memphis for the no.6 seed and home-court advantage in the first round, cleverly losing to the Grizzlies and avoiding a much tougher pairing against Dallas. That said, the Clips will have their hands full. Denver was wracked by injuries for most of the year but played well down the stretch, and if sparkplug point guard Earl Boykins can come back for the latter part of the series, the Nuggets could have the upper hand.

The Clippers aren’t exactly a familiar face in the playoffs, but they aren’t as green as you might think. Wily veteran point guard Sam Cassell has played in countless big games, and Cuttino Mobley,Vladimir Radmanovic, Zeljko Rebraca, and coach Mike Dunleavy all have plenty of playoff experience. The series will likely come down to who is the best player on the floor – L.A.’s Elton Brand or Denver’s Carmelo Anthony. Anthony has been spectacular in last-second situations this year, but during the full 48 minutes I prefer Brand.

The Pick: Clippers 4-3

(2) Dallas vs. (2) Memphis

This is way too juicy a pairing for the first round, which is yet another reason the league needs to revise its playoff format. Memphis is probably the sixth-best team in basketball, but will be sent home in five or six games because it drew an even better opponent in Round 1. Dallas’s Dirk Nowitzki finished the year ranked no. 1 in my Player Efficiency Rating (PER, my per-minute rating of a player’s statistical production), while youngsters like Josh Howard, Devin Harris, and Marquis Daniels supply considerable spark in support.

The Grizzlies rallied well after a season-ending injury to Damon Stoudamire left them without a point guard, and forward Shane Battier is a good enough defender to limit the damage Nowitzki does. Still, Memphis is a couple of guns short offensively and will need All-Star forward Pau Gasol to play out of his mind to have any hope of springing the upset.

The Pick: Mavericks 4-2