They are familiar foes.
     
The Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings have been here before ? "here" being the NBA playoffs, which open for these teams on Saturday with an 8:30 p.m. (MDT) tipoff at Arco Arena.

Just one year ago, these teams met under similar ? though not identical ? circumstances. Last April the Kings were the West's regular-season elite, while the Jazz were the guys who reached the postseason mostly by default, when the bottom seven teams in the Western Conference were too dismal to remain in contention.