LOS ANGELES — The Jazz face the Clippers in the Western Conference's 4/5 playoff matchup, featuring two teams that finished with identical 51-31 records. How will the teams match up against each other? Let's dive into the world of individual matchups as we try to learn something about the series to be. Last in the series: center.

Center

Jazz: Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors, Jeff Withey

Clippers: DeAndre Jordan, Marreese Speights

Rudy Gobert and DeAndre Jordan are one-two in the NBA in so many different categories. In field-goal percentage, Jordan is first, shooting 71 percent from the floor. Gobert is second, at 66 percent. Jordan's the best pick and roll finisher in the league (1.53 points per possession), Gobert is second (1.38 points per possession.) Rebounding? Well, they're one-two on the offensive glass among players who aren't Andre Drummond.

And among rim protectors, Gobert and Jordan are one-two in the mind of attackers. When you run into both, it's immediately clear what gigantic humans they are, and the size dissuades opponents from taking shots.

That being said, they've struggled against each other this season. Jordan's shooting percentage falls to just 51 percent. He doesn't get as many easy dunks with Gobert down there, and it shows.

Rudy Gobert blocks DeAndre Jordan. pic.twitter.com/EQOQ3n5iwb — Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) April 16, 2017

Gobert's offensive averages are about the same, but he's only averaged 1.5 blocks per game against the Clippers, not his 2.6 per game average. And of course, there's just the fact that the Clippers' offense has had real success with Gobert on the floor. They've scored 115 points per 100 possessions even with Gobert protecting the rim.

That being said, Gobert is a better defender, and there's a reason the Jazz are the third-best defense in the league and the Clippers are the 12th-best. Jordan doesn't move as well as Gobert, and isn't quite as adept at guarding both the ball handler, and the roller on screen plays. Gobert has longer arms, and he uses them to scare defenders while his body is somewhere else.

But a wrench gets thrown into the situation when the Clippers play Marreese Speights. I was surprised to see that he's only getting 15 minutes per game, given that he's their third-most capable big man. That being said, Speights is a dangerous shooter, and believes in his shot to an incredible degree: he takes more shots per 36 minutes than Chris Paul, Jamal Crawford, J.J. Redick, or anybody on the Clippers but Blake Griffin, or anybody on the Jazz but Gordon Hayward.

But that shooting does pull Gobert, Derrick Favors, or Jeff Withey out of the paint. Generally, they've been much better at dealing with that sort of player this year than in season's past. And Speights is a really bad rim protector, so it may open up things for the rest of the Jazz. There's a reason the Jazz have outscored the Clippers with Speights on the floor, even though they've been blown out in three of the four games.

I actually expect Favors to play more minutes at the backup center position than he will at the power forward position. That's sort of a reflection of the changing NBA, along with an understanding that Favors, playing at subpar explosion due to the knee injuries that have hampered him all season long, makes more sense as a center right now.

That being said, he's still a good one. He's big enough to hang with anybody, and a pretty good rim protector for a backup big. He can hang on the perimeter and inside, and has a decent enough jumpshot to keep defenses honest. The Jazz are better when the ball is in his hands only for a second at a time: when he catches and finishes immediately at the rim, or catches and passes it out for an open three.

I like Withey, but he's so up and down in terms of the effort he gives on the floor. He's got one very noticeable skill: blocking shots. The rest of his game is average, and while he's improved at it, he's still the worst screen-setter of the three. Given the other options, I don't expect the Jazz to play him much, unless Favors goes down again due to injury.

I'll be very curious to see how this matchup plays out. Jordan has the playoff experience, but Gobert's on the better run of form recently. Can he transition it to a playoff series. We'll find out starting Saturday night.

All positional previews:Point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward,, center.

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