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The only surprise was the margin by which the Lakers ousted the Spurs: 111-82 in a laugher that was over by halftime.
©Associated Press
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 28, 2001
LOS ANGELES -- Eleven down, four to go.
The Lakers finished off the San Antonio Spurs, the team with the best regular-season record in the NBA, 111-82 Sunday for their 19th victory in a row and the Western Conference title.
"Custer had no idea. That's my statement. Figure it out," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "The roll they're on is ridiculous."
Los Angeles' 11-0 playoff start matches the NBA record set by the 1989 Lakers.
That team was swept by Detroit in the Finals after Magic Johnson and Byron Scott were injured. This team looks like a good bet not only to win its second title in a row but be the first in NBA history to go through the playoffs undefeated.
Spurs center David Robinson expects as much.
"Man, if they play like that, there is no way any of the Eastern teams will beat them," he said. "If they play anything like that, there's no chance for them to get beat."
Los Angeles will have at least six days off to await the outcome of the Milwaukee-Philadelphia series.
The Spurs, 58-24 in the regular season, barely put up a fight in a series clincher that was even more decisive than the Lakers' 111-72 blowout in Game 3. That one at least was close until the middle of the third quarter. This one was history before halftime.
"We thought it was going to be a more difficult game," center Shaquille O'Neal said, "but my teammates keep surprising me. It's very impressive. Everybody's doing what they're supposed to do."
Derek Fisher, whose return after missing the first 62 games of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot ignited the Lakers' resurgence, scored a career playoff-high 28 points.
He made 6 of 7 three-pointers, one short of the team playoff record, and 11 of 13 shots overall. Fisher finished the series 15-for-20 from three-point range.
"I can't say enough about Shaq and Kobe," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said, "but Derek Fisher obviously was the player of the game."
O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, who went from squabbling superstars to the NBA's most dynamic duo in weeks, shredded what was left of the Spurs' will in the first half.
"We were getting after them the whole series," Bryant said. "We didn't let down. Even at times when it seemed like we should, we actually turned it up."
O'Neal, showing no hint of trouble from his sore left ankle, scored 23 of his 26 points and grabbed nine of his 10 rebounds in the first half.
Bryant was the maestro once again. He made his first six shots, was 10-for-19 from the field for 24 points and had 11 assists.
"I can't believe how much better Kobe is, scoring, defensively, giving us open shots," Fisher said. "We all feed off him."
One conspicuous play came as Los Angeles built a 26-point lead in the second quarter. O'Neal had the ball on the fast break and threw a no-look pass to Bryant, who threw it back to Shaq for a dunk.
"Horry was open, too," O'Neal said, "but I gave it to Kobe because I knew I'd get it back."
Then he smiled for the only time during the post-game news conference.
Tim Duncan and Antonio Daniels scored 15 apiece for San Antonio. Robinson scored 12 on 5-for-16 shooting. Los Angeles led by 14 in the first quarter and 26 in the second, and was up 64-41 at the break. The Spurs cut their deficit to 17 in the third quarter but never got closer.
Popovich said the Lakers' play can be compared with the great teams in NBA history.
"You've got to think back to when Showtime was here before, or the Celtics teams when they were on rolls," Popovich said.
It was an embarrassing end for a team that won 58 regular-season games and was supposed to be part of one of the great playoff series in NBA history.
San Antonio became the first team with the best regular-season record to be swept in the playoffs since Portland did it to the Lakers in the 1977 West final.
Popovich credited the Lakers rather than blame the Spurs: "It's a lot of factors, but the main reason for the result of this series is the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. They were awesome. That's the bottom line."
NO MORE FOR ELLIOTT?: Sean Elliott, a key ingredient in the Spurs' championship run two years ago, may have played his final NBA game. The 33-year-old, who had a kidney transplant less than two months after the Spurs won their title, has indicated retirement is a strong possibility. "After the season's over, I'm going to take a little vacation, clear my head and go from there," he said.