SAN ANTONIO VS. LOS ANGELES PHILADELPHIA VS. MILWAUKEE

Wednesday, May 30 Lakers take a break Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Shaquille O'Neal has time for his sprained left ankle to heal. Kobe Bryant will have a chance to polish up his no-look lobs. Derek Fisher can practice 3-pointers, and Rick Fox's long locks will grow shaggier. Finals schedule All times ET Game 1: June 6 at LA, 9 p.m. Game 2: June 8 at LA, 9 p.m. Game 3: June 10 at East, 7:30 p.m. Game 4: June 13 at East, 9 p.m. Game 5*: June 15 at East, 9 p.m. Game 6*: June 18 at LA, 9 p.m. Game 7*: June 20 at LA, 9 p.m. * - if necessary Waiting a week or more for their NBA Finals opponent to emerge from the Eastern Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers may become even more scary. "I've got five or six days off, so I'll be ready to come back with a vengeance once the Finals start," O'Neal said. "We are playing great team ball. Now we just need four more victories." Bryant believes the Lakers can still play better. "We have a lot of room for improvement, offensively and defensively," he said. Having steamrolled the San Antonio Spurs in what many saw as the matchup of the NBA's two best teams, the Lakers remain hungry. "We're not happy with what we've accomplish so far," Brian Shaw said. "We still have some work ahead of us." Still, the Lakers haven't lost in nearly two months, with 19 consecutive wins including an NBA record-tying 11 straight in the playoffs -- sweeps of Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio. They could become the first NBA team to sweep through the playoffs if they can beat the Milwaukee-Philadelphia winner in four. "It's still very far back in our minds," Fisher said. "The object is to win the championship, and not necessarily win 15 games in a row. I'm sure if we get to 12, 13, it will definitely start to work its way toward the front of our minds." Said Bryant: "We just want to win the championship, no matter how we get there, no matter what it takes." The Lakers routed the Spurs for the second consecutive time, 111-82, in Game 4 on Sunday and outscored them by a 22.3-point margin during the series. Fox said these Lakers have something they lacked when they won the NBA title last year. "We weren't as ruthless with opponents as we are this year. This is the way we thought this team could be," said Fox, who vowed not to cut his hair as long as Los Angeles is winning. The championship series will begin Wednesday, June 6. The Lakers have the homecourt advantage over both Philadelphia and Milwaukee. The Lakers said they have no preference for which team they meet in the Finals. Fisher, who led Los Angeles with a career-high 28 points in the clinching game against the Spurs and went 15-for-20 from 3-point range in the series, said the Lakers are taking nothing for granted. "Both teams (Bucks and 76ers) present different problems for us, so we have to have a different perspective. We have to work hard this week. My focus will change to defense," said Fisher, whose outside shooting has given the Lakers a new offensive weapon to complement O'Neal and Bryant. The long break before the Finals shouldn't throw the Lakers out of rhythm, at least if their earlier series are any indication. They had long breaks after beating both Portland and Sacramento. "The coaching staff does a good job of keeping us focused and preparing us," Bryant said. "We'll be eager and ready to go again." Many of the Spurs, who had the league's best regular-season record, don't doubt it. "We ran into a very good team that is playing the best basketball in the NBA right now," Antonio Daniels said. "You could see it in their eyes: they think they are the best team in the NBA." San Antonio teammate Malik Rose, however, believes the Eastern Conference champion has some hope. "We had the chance, but we just didn't take advantage of it. Maybe someone in the East will do it now," Rose said. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

ALSO SEE Taboo talk? Fox not afraid to talk about Lakers' sweep Lakers rout Spurs for stunning sweep of West