76ERS NOTEBOOK: SIXERS AREN'T OVERWHELMED.

Byline: - Jill Painter

It used to be that Eric Snow could probably go anywhere in Los Angeles without being noticed. While a few of his teammates still go unrecognized, the Philadelphia 76ers hardly are anonymous.

That happens when you play the defending-champion Lakers in the NBA Finals. The Eastern Conference-champion 76ers heard over and over that the Lakers could be the first team to sweep through the playoffs with a 15-0 record.

But the 76ers appeared relaxed and confident before Game 1 Wednesday at Staples Center.

Snow is the lone player who has any NBA Finals experience and he had just a few minutes with Seattle against Chicago in 1996.

``It's exciting to be here, but for the most part, I don't think it's really sunk in,'' Snow said. ``We got here (Monday) and saw all the media and attention. We've been here every year, but most of the time people don't know who you are.

``Now, when you're the main focus, there's a lot more attention on your team. It's exciting, but you can't be overwhelmed by it.''

San Antonio seemed to be overwhelmed. So did Portland and Sacramento. The 76ers know they are the underdogs, only they don't buy it.

``We don't feel like we're underdogs, but everyone's making us underdogs,'' forward Tyrone Hill said.

--Geiger steps up: Tyronn Lue wasn't the only player who had a surprising impact. The 76ers' Matt Geiger made 5 of 7 field goals and scored 10 points. He had been only five field goals total in Philadelphia's previous 18 playoff games.

``It was an opportunity for me to get some shots,'' Geiger said. ``The way when Shaq guards you or some of the big guys, they really don't seem to get up and try to guard the perimeter. They seem to sag underneath the basket, and that leaves a lot of opportunities for you to pick and pop and find the open spots and we've got to be able to do that.

``Coach was talking to me even before we started the series about the opportunities that I'm going to have to shoot the ball.''

--Fired up: Philadelphia president Pat Croce is known for his in-your-face enthusiasm and was drained after the victory.

``In overtime, I'm thinking, 'I hope they have more energy than I do because I'm exhausted.' Just the stress level just cheering for this team,'' said Croce.

``Against Shaq, you're thinking 'How can you stop this man? How do you stop him?' And with five fouls on Dikembe, I'm thinking, 'Oh no, overtime?!' And they pulled together. It's surreal. I can't believe we won the first game.''

--Philly return? Forward George Lynch is shooting to return for Game 4 in the series. Lynch suffered a broken left foot in Game 4 of the Eastern finals and had surgery last month. Lynch said he couldn't even push off his foot Wednesday.

``I'm being as patient as possible, but it's tough not being able to go out there and support your teammates,'' he said.