PHILADELPHIA -- As the final seconds ticked off, Allen Iverson sat on the floor in front of the Sixers' bench, staring blankly into space. Behind Matt Geiger, Eric Snow and Aaron McKie sat dejectedly on the bench, their energy seemingly drained out of their bodies.

The Sixers lost their first game in the opening round against the Pacers, and won the series. They lost the opening game against the Raptors, and won the series. They fell behind, 2-1, in this series. But the same team that had demonstrated tremendous heart in each playoff series before now seemed to have lost its fight during Wednesday night's 100-86 loss, a crushing defeat that gave the Lakers a 3-1 edge in the NBA Finals.

McKie, so exhausted that he was given IV's during the days off between Games 3 and 4, seemed to have lost a step (five points, 1 of 9 from the field). Dikembe Mutombo seemed helpless against Shaquille O'Neal (34 points, 14 rebounds). And Iverson, such a tremendous team player throughout the playoffs, struggled (35 points, 12 of 30 from the field) as he attempted to beat the Lakers singlehandedly.

Sure, the Sixers managed to cut a 22-point deficit to six points in the fourth quarter. But as for the team's fire? "It seems like the fire was not there in a lot of guys' eyes," Mutombo said. "Some guys are struggling this series and trying to feel their way out. Somehow, we have to try to find the light at the end of the tunnel."

Even if the Sixers find that light, this series is over. The Sixers are a beaten-up team whose best player, Iverson, has been frustrated by the likes of Derek Fisher and Tyronn Lue. Meanwhile the Lakers, with an NBA record-tying seven straight road wins, are getting dominant performances from Shaq and Kobe Bryant, and solid role-play by the supporting cast. "They're a great basketball team," said Sixers coach Larry Brown. "And [Shaq] makes everybody better."

Shaq made the Sixers pay in every aspect. When Mutombo defended him one-on-one, Shaq went around him and over him for scores. Eight of Shaq's 14 boards were on the offensive end, giving the Lakers' second-chance shot opportunities. And when the Sixers' doubled the post, Shaq did a nice job passing out of the double-team with his five assists producing easy scores for his teammates. "Unless Shaq gets food poisoning this season, it's going to be hard to stop him," said Sixers forward George Lynch. "I have a real appreciation for what Dikembe has to fight through. We have to find a way to keep him away from the basket."

That's not going to happen, not against the most dominant player in the NBA. Larry Brown knows it, Allen Iverson knows it, and the Sixers' fans know it (so tired of booing Shaq, the Philly crowd turned on Destiny's Child, booing the Grammy award-winning group after their live halftime show during which one member, Michelle, wore a Lakers jersey).

After the game, Iverson entered the media interview area wearing a T-shirt that said, "Only the strong survive." That motto may have held true in the three grueling series before this one. But Shaq and the Lakers are just one win away from setting a new all-time winning percentage record in an NBA playoff series (if the Lakers win Friday, they would have a 15-1 record and a .937 mark). And the Sixers don't appear to be strong enough to survive beyond Friday night.

It seems like only yesterday that the Sixers won the first game of this series, in the process giving a big scare to the heavily favored Lakers. "I wish it was like the NCAAs," Larry Brown said. "We'd be having a parade."

Now it's the Lakers who are on the verge of celebrating.

Jerry Bembry is covering the NBA playoffs for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at jerry.bembry@espnmag.com.