3 FOR THE ROAD? SHAQ AND CO. ONE WIN AWAY FROM SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP.

Byline: KAREN CROUSE

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia 76ers look less like basketball players than tired swimmers caught in history's riptide. Indeed, all those red flags hanging out all the car windows in town might as well stand for ``extreme caution.''

The Sixers simply are no match for the cresting Lakers, who won their third consecutive game of these NBA Finals on Wednesday to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Philadelphia is 48 minutes from becoming flotsam. Let's face it; there isn't a lifeguard to be found along the Eastern seaboard who's strong enough to pull them to safety in the wake of the Lakers' 100-86 win at the First Union Center.

We're not being flippant, just factual. No team in Finals history has overcome such a deficit to win the championship. Nor has the NBA ever seen a team surf through the postseason without wiping out at least once on the road.

Trust us, the Lakers are about to become the first. They are hanging seven and holding steady.

On Friday the Lakers will close out the Sixers, turning the First Union Center into the country's largest funeral parlor, to successfully defend their NBA championship. In doing so, they'll salvage a piece of history after faltering in their quest for the NBA's first perfect playoff ride.

Sailing through enemy waters at an unbeaten clip to reach uncharted territory will be quite a navigational feat, one people will be talking about in the NBA for years to come.

``It's one tough thing to do, go undefeated on the road,'' confirmed Lakers forward Horace Grant, who won three NBA titles in Chicago. ``You've got to have a lot of luck on your side, you've got to be healthy, you've got to stay focused.''

Check. Check. Check.

Think about it: If what the Lakers are on the verge of doing was no monumental deal, one of Michael Jordan's or Magic Johnson's or Julius Erving's teams would have done it already.

``When they can go away from home and beat quality opponents, that says an awful lot about them,'' said Philadelphia coach Larry Brown.

You think the Philly fans don't know deep down that we're right, that the cause is lost? Why, they practically stampeded from their seats with 5 minutes left when their gutty, little Sixers coughed and sputtered and slipped 15 points under the Lakers.

With 2 minutes, 47 seconds left and the Lakers leading by 14 points, one of the few fans remaining threw something onto the court. We expected it to be a life preserver, but upon closer examination it turned out to be a rubber ball.

Say this for the Sixers; they have a lot of rubber in them. They bounced back from a 22-point deficit and drew to within seven points, at 77-70, with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter. The crowd turned deafeningly loud, but the proud Lakers simply refused to lose.

Reserves Brian Shaw, Tyronn Lue and Robert Horry hit consecutive three-pointers and just like that the Lakers throttled away from danger.

``We did make a run and they didn't panic,'' Brown said. ``They made big plays. That's why they're the champs. That's why they're a very special team.''

From Shaquille O'Neal on down to Lue, the Lakers are hard-hat tough. They just don't let you know it in every other sentence like the Sixers do. For sure it takes nails for nerves to stay focused on the road, with a hostile crowd roaring in your ears like a charging avalanche.

Under that kind of pressure, last year's Lakers team flinched six times. That's how many road losses it accumulated on its way to the NBA title.

Those losses steeled O'Neal and Kobe Bryant for this year's run. They are stronger for having ventured into the teeth of the storm and gotten chewed up and spit out. Too, they are surrounded by veterans such as Shaw and Grant and Ron Harper and Horry, all of whom have too many championship rings to get ruffled.

``I think we just don't like to lose for some reason,'' Grant said. ``Being pretty much a veteran team but having two young superstars, I think that makes us more focused.''

Tell Lakers coach Phil Jackson about it. He doesn't have to play hypnotist nearly as often as last year. The Lakers no longer need his power of suggestion to get into a trance. When the Sixers were making their 11-0 run in the fourth quarter, Jackson didn't even bother to call a timeout. He trusted his players to get themselves back in the right frame of mind.

Sure enough, they did.

``Last year I wasn't as confident on the road in the playoffs,'' Jackson said. ``They weren't as seasoned or mentally tough as they are right now.

``It's remarkable that we've won as many games (seven) that we've won in the playoffs on the road this year. I think it says something about the character of this team.''

Their legacy was being shaped as Brown spoke after the game. ``They've gone through Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio, three terrific teams,'' he said. ``When you can go away from home and beat opponents, quality opponents like the ones I've mentioned, that says an awful lot about them. I think they're a great basketball team.''

The confirmation - the coronation if you will - comes Friday. Of this, there can no longer be any doubt.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) April Morton, left, Jose Coreno and Patty Villeda of Van Nuys cheer the Lakers, above, while watching Wednesday's game with thousands of other rafters-rattling L.A. fans on the big screen at Staples Center downtown. Meanwhile at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Kobe Bryant gets a bump from 76er Aaron McKie while driving the lane in the first quarter of the Lakers' victory.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

(3) Shaun Pitman of Valley Village, left, and Michelle Ansdell and her daughter, Brielle, right, make their allegiance known while watching the Lakers telecast Wednesday at Staples Center.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer