CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: WAIT ISSUES PREVAIL.

Byline: JOE STEVENS Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO -- And on the fourth day -- the Clippers rested again, but this time, they were getting fed up with all the time off.

With the Phoenix Suns forcing a seventh game against the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, all the Clippers could do Friday was to wait, put more of a focus on the Suns and keep healing from their minor injuries.

For the first time since beating Denver on Monday to advance to the Western Conference semifinals with a 4-1 series win, the Clippers had feelings of uneasiness as they understood that six off days possibly could take away some of their sharpness.

``If you gave me my choice, I would've rather have played Saturday night,'' Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. ``Day off, light day, hard day, focus in on the other team, then go to work. But with some of our guys banged up, it's actually been needed for us.''

Clippers center Chris Kaman didn't see as many positives to the long wait.

``It (stinks),'' Kaman said. ``But for sure we know we're playing Monday, so it's good to know that. The problem is that you probably get a little rusty. The first game and the first couple minutes are probably going to be rough for us, but that's just how it goes.''

Friday also marked the first day that the Clippers practiced after advancing without the Lakers having a lead against the Suns in their series. Dunleavy conducted the previous practices skewed toward the Lakers, but on Friday, he slanted the team's preparation toward the Suns.

As far as which team they expect to win Game 7 between the Lakers and Suns, none of the Clippers interviewed let out any expectations. But they certainly could tell that the focus of the interviews had changed.

``A couple of days ago, that's all I heard about from the national media and everybody was `The Hallway Series, The Hallway Series,' `' Clippers forward Elton Brand said. ``Now, I don't know. We're just getting prepared for whoever wins the game. But that's all I heard about for a while.''

--Radmanovic held out: One of the Clippers' biggest injuries is that forward Vladimir Radmanovic has a sore right knee. He was injured when he bumped into Corey Maggette during practice on Thursday and did not practice Friday.

Radmanovic says he should be able to play when the next series starts on Monday.

``It's just minor, and I'm trying to get it straight,'' he said.

--Rebraca in drills: Zeljko Rebraca returned to practice, but only participated in non-contact drills. He is expected to have a full practice today.

Rebraca has not been available since Sunday, after experiencing shortness of breath on Monday. He had surgery in the middle of the season to alleviate an irregular heartbeat, and the recent shortness of breath is considered normalafter the surgery.

He could be available for the next series, if everything goes well today in practice.

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