Wednesday, June 6 Is Lakers' sweep inevitable? Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- The trendy thing to do these days in Southern California is to make plans for a sweep party. Whether fans plan to join a bacchanal at Dennis Rodman's house or serve fish tacos and Ahi tuna nuggets by the jacuzzi, the common denominator is the date: Next Wednesday night, after Game 4. Only people within driving distance of the Liberty Bell give the Philadelphia 76ers much of a chance to win even one game in the NBA Finals, but is this as big a mismatch as everyone thinks? "We didn't make this long trip just to come out and roll over and die," Allen Iverson said Tuesday. "We're going to play every one of these games like it's our last, because we don't know if we'll ever get this opportunity again. "We're not just thinking about coming here and competing. We want to win. And we feel like we can win. Once they throw the ball up, that's when the party starts." Oddsmakers have made the 76ers an 11½-point underdog for Game 1 and an 18-1 long shot to win the series against a team that brings a 19-game winning streak and SUV-loads of confidence into the opener Wednesday night. The Lakers are almost certain to be a little rusty, whereas Philadelphia will merely be rested. Therein might lie the Sixers' best chance to make it a series. Coach Larry Brown said Iverson will need to take "at least" 30-35 shots a game, and coach Phil Jackson said Kobe Bryant will need to resist the urge to try to match Iverson shot for shot. If Iverson has his shooting touch early, if Dikembe Mutombo stays out of foul trouble, if the Sixers force turnovers and make the game ugly, they could pull off an upset in Game 1 that would end all talk of sweeps, dynasties-in-the-making and greatest teams ever. Los Angeles has not lost since April 1, which means Wednesday will be Day 66 of uninterrupted sunshine and bliss in this fair-weather city where you have to specify that no, Mr. Actor-slash-Waiter, you do not want bean sprouts on your Philly cheesesteak. There are people in this city who have valet parked their car 100 times since the last time the Lakers lost. Since learning that the 76ers would be their opponent, the Lakers have done a fine job of professing their admiration and respect for Philadelphia and insisting they are not taking their opponent lightly. Outside that small circle, though, the rest of L.A. seems only concerned with whether it will take the Lakers four games or five to finish off Philly. Anyone bold enough to predict a six- or seven-game series is looked upon with the type of scorn usually reserved for someone who sits through all nine innings of a baseball game at Dodger Stadium. "Everybody on the outside already has us counted out," Iverson said. "We're supposed to come to this series, get swept and go home for the summer, I guess. "Takes a lot of pressure off us." The pressure really isn't on anybody yet, but eventually it will get to one of these teams. After making their trade for Mutombo when they already had the best record in the NBA, the 76ers almost felt like they were obligated to make it out of the Eastern Conference and get to the finals. A burden seemed to be lifted when they got past Indiana, Toronto and Milwaukee. The Lakers have been under a different type of pressure recently -- beach or pool? Bentley or Benz? Spago or Ago? By the time the opening tipoff arrives, the Lakers will have had 10 days off since their last game -- enough time for the California State Legislature to pass 1,348 new anti-smoking ordinances. Know how many shots Iverson has hoisted over that span? 125. "We don't anticipate that whatever Allen scores, 30, 40 or 50, is going to be the factor. It's going to be how many turnovers they get and how many offensive rebounds they get. Those are the X-factors going into this ball game," Jackson said. Against Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio, the Lakers gained strength and confidence with every victory and ended up steamrolling them. The way for the 76ers to prevent that from happening is to win Game 1, or at least win Game 2, before the series heads East. Lose the first two, and they'll have to stop a runaway Diesel, aka Shaq, and ponder this: When Jackson-coached teams have taken 2-0 leads in series, they have gone on to take all-but-insurmountable 3-0 leads 15 of 23 times -- including three times this season. Win once, though, whether it's Wednesday or Friday, and the Lakers will have to deal with a measure of self-doubt for the first time since late winter when the temperature here was a chilly 72. "The pressure, it's supposedly all on them," Iverson said. "Everybody's got those guys favored to beat us, but we'll just be relaxed, come in, play basketball and expect a war. We've been in wars every series, so we know what it's about by now." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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