Thursday, June 14 Sixers overmatched by Shaq-led Lakers By Dr. Jack Ramsay Special to ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA -- If the MVP vote of the NBA Finals was held now, Shaquille O'Neal would win. No question. Shaq was dominant right from the beginning in the Los Angeles Lakers' 100-86 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. Offensive rebounding, scoring in the paint, finding open guys -- he was totally dominant, which he indicated he was going to be before Game 4. Shaquille O'Neal, left, was as dominant as ever with 34 points and 14 rebounds. I've seen him start games like that before -- scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the first half -- but I've never seen him carry it through as forcefully as he did. At the end of the first period, he had nine points and eight rebounds, five of them offensive, and got position time and time again. Even though Dikembe Mutombo scored 19 points to go with 10 rebounds, you hardly knew he was on the floor defending Shaq. And the Lakers did a good job of moving the ball, reversing it and bringing it to Shaq as he crossed the lane. Shaq had good position repeatedly. Kobe Bryant played very well, even though he didn't shoot the ball particularly well or often. For the game, he was just 6-for-13 shooting but came within one assist of a triple-double. The Lakers never lost their poise. I've pointed out throughout the series how turnovers and points from turnovers are so critical to their success against Philadelphia's defensive pressure. In this game, they had 14 turnovers for 13 points and only five turnovers in the second half. The reason why the Lakers are taking better care of the ball is that they're getting a feel for the Sixers' defensive game, and they're not making errors in position on the floor nor in their ball-handling. They seem much more poised in their attack against the Sixers' pressure. The Lakers play very good team defense. In Game 1, the Sixers shot 48 percent. In Game 2, they shot 39 percent. In Game 3, they shot 41 percent. In this game, they shot 43 percent, but Iverson was just 12-for-30. The Lakers contest shots. Iverson did a terrific job getting into the basket area to make some very difficult shots and assisted on some good plays. But overall, the Sixers don't get high-percentage shots and the Lakers were controlling the backboard. The Sixers are being outplayed and outmanned at this point. They have nobody to match Shaq, and Kobe finds a way to hurt you either with his passing or scoring. Throw in guys like Derek Fisher and Tyronn Lue -- they all play within the team concept. Now, you get the sense it's inevitable that the Lakers will win on Friday, but the Sixers will give it their best shot. If the Lakers relax in any way, the Sixers will beat them and force a sixth game. Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay is a game analyst for ESPN Radio and a regular contributor to ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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