76ers Fall Down 3-1

Role players are making the difference for the Los Angeles Lakers. As for the Philadelphia 76ers, forget it.

Veterans Ron Harper, Brian Shaw and Robert Horry, and youngster Tyronn Lue made key contributions in support of Shaquille O`Neal and Kobe Bryant on Wednesday night as the Lakers beat the 76ers 100-86 for a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Meanwhile, the 76ers got little production from the likes of Aaron McKie, Tyrone Hill and Eric Snow, leaving stars Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo to pretty much go it alone.

Shaw, Lue and Horry, who starred in Game 3, each made a 3-point shot to cap an 11-1 run that gave the Lakers an 88-71 lead. The 76ers had opened the fourth quarter with 11 straight points to draw within seven.

The screaming fans at the First Union Center got quieter with each 3-pointer, and there would be no late drama, as there was in the first three games of the finals.

Now, the Lakers can repeat as champions with another road win Friday night.

Considering the Lakers have won 22 of 23 games since April 1 and haven`t lost three straight since Jackson became their coach before last season – 202 games ago – it`s a good bet the 76ers are finished.

Harper, who scored eight points to spark a 16-5 spurt in the second quarter, entered the game when it was 77-70 with plenty of time left.

Things immediately turned.

Harper has been the Lakers` forgotten man in the playoffs, but showed he still has some life in his worn 36-year-old body.

Harper was a starter on four Phil Jackson-coached NBA championship teams, but a seldom-used reserve in these playoffs after missing the last two months of the regular season with a sore left knee, and because of the emergence of Derek Fisher.

He played for championship teams in Chicago from 1996-98, and joined the Lakers after Jackson was hired as their coach before the 1999-2000 campaign.

The Lakers appeared on their way to an easy victory after the second-quarter spurt before the 76ers made it interesting for a while.

After O`Neal made two free throws to give the Lakers a 32-24 lead, Harper, Horry and Lue took over the scoring duties, combining for the team`s next 14 points.

By then, it was 46-29, the building was silent, and the Lakers were on their way to another victory.

Harper was included on the postseason roster by Jackson even though he wasn`t quite ready when the playoffs began.

He was used briefly in four games, including Game 2 of the finals, when he had five points in seven minutes to help the Lakers beat the 76ers 96-91.

Harper scored his eight second-quarter points in seven minutes, and also had a rebound and blocked shot.

The 35-year-old Shaw had to be tired after flying to Oakland, Calif., between the third and fourth games to be with his wife for the birth of their second daughter and third child.

The Lakers` defense, mediocre most of the season but terrific for the most part in the playoffs, was at its best in this game, except for Philadelphia`s fourth-quarter spurt. The supporting cast was greatly responsible for that, too.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News