SAN ANTONIO VS. LOS ANGELES PHILADELPHIA VS. MILWAUKEE

Wednesday, May 30 Fox not afraid to talk about sweep Associated Press EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- One more sweep! That's how Rick Fox feels about the NBA Finals. “ You can't be afraid of success. It's the same attitude as, 'We're going to go in and get a split.' That's the wrong attitude, that's accepting mediocrity. ” — Rick Fox Lakers forward Many of the Los Angeles Lakers are reticent to talk about becoming the first NBA team to go through the playoffs without a loss. Fox wants to go for it. "Yeah, why not? Everyone's afraid to talk about it. I want it," the forward said Tuesday as the Lakers began preparing for the NBA Finals, which begin June 6 at Staples Center against the winner of the Bucks-76ers series. "That means we're champions again. And on top of that, it means we're not afraid to set our goals higher than anyone else. "You can't be afraid of success. It's the same attitude as, `We're going to go in and get a split.' That's the wrong attitude, that's accepting mediocrity." Most of the Lakers, including coach Phil Jackson, said they would have gladly settled for a split in the first two games of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs at the Alamodome. Instead, the defending champions beat the Spurs twice, and went on to become the second team to ever sweep through the first three rounds of the playoffs. And thanks to 111-72 and 111-82 victories over the Spurs in Los Angeles, the Lakers' average margin of victory -- 22.3 points -- set a record for a conference finals. Fox offered one bit of discouraging news to the Bucks or 76ers. "In all due respect to our opponents, I don't think we've played our best basketball," he said, straight-faced. "Don't buy the drinks yet. "Our focus is tuned in to getting better this week, to tell you the truth." The only other team to begin the playoffs with 11 wins was the 1989 Lakers, but they were swept by the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals after starters Byron Scott and Magic Johnson suffered hamstring injuries. These Lakers are quite healthy, save a tweaked ankle Shaquille O'Neal sustained Friday night in Game 3 of the conference finals. He's got another week to get ready for the winner of the Eastern Conference finals as the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia were tied 2-2 entering Game 5 on Wednesday night. O'Neal is just fine with the time off. "For a guy like me, it gives me a chance to relax, get some rest, go bowling with the kids, do family stuff," he said. About going unbeaten through the playoffs, O'Neal said: "We're not even worried about that. It would be nice if we could do that." Said guard Derek Fisher: "When it happens, then we'll be happy. It's back there, but at this point, we've won 11. When we get to 13 or 14, then maybe we'll think about it." Jackson said he wouldn't talk directly about another sweep, which would give the Lakers a 23-game winning streak -- eight to finish the season and another 15 in the playoffs. "I've been fortunate to be a part of teams, to be a coach of teams, that have done things of distinction," he said. "The last group (in Chicago) wanted to be more distinguished than the first group; they won 72 games during the regular season, which was a remarkable feat. "This team is no different, they'd love to be distinguished by a trademark." When asked if everyone was aware of what a sweep of the 76ers or Bucks would mean, Jackson replied: "Of course. It's like a pitcher pitching a shutout. You don't talk about it in the fifth inning." He no doubt meant a no-hitter, but that's baseball. This is basketball, his area of expertise. "They're both going to be good opponents," Jackson said of the Bucks and 76ers. "It's going to be difficult, maybe not on paper. We know it's going to be a great challenge. It's the finals." Considering their success following the Portland and Sacramento series, where they had seven and six days off, respectively, the Lakers aren't concerned about rust setting in over the next week. "Physically, we'll be where we need to be," Fisher said. "Mentally, to stay at that level is now going to become our challenge. Our challenge is to stay focused on what the goal is, and that is to win another championship." Fox said the worst possible thing about the layoff would be for the Lakers to believe they've gotten the job done. "We've never had a 10-day layoff, this is uncharted territory for us," he said. "It's nice to have the Western Conference trophy, it's not the end of the train ride for us." The only NBA team to go through the playoffs with one loss was the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers, who had a 12-1 record. Since 15 became the magic number the following year, the 1989 Pistons, 1991 Bulls and 1999 Spurs all went 15-2. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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