PURPLE BADGE OF COURAGE TENACIOUS LAKERS GRAB 2-1 NBA FINALS LEAD OVER THE 76ERS.

Byline: KAREN CROUSE

PHILADELPHIA - The way the Philadelphia 76ers have been talking, you'd think that to the winner of the NBA Finals goes the Purple Heart.

Honestly, I haven't heard one camp parade the word ``courage'' out in public as much as the Sixers have the past week, since John McCain withdrew from last year's presidential race.

The Sixers were so busy filling everybody's notebooks with in-depth reports of their own robust pulse, the Lakers' heart was left largely unexamined.

On Sunday, the Lakers corrected the oversight. Man, oh man, did they ever.

In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, they outscrapped the Sixers, plain and simple. Anyone doubting the condition of the Lakers' heart today can hold the final box score of the defending NBA champion's 96-91 win to the light and examine it as a radiologist would an X-ray.

On this night, it didn't take an advanced medical degree to see how big their heart is. I mean, the Lakers lost starters Derek Fisher and Shaquille O'Neal, both of whom fouled out, and they didn't skip a beat.

By the time Robert Horry thrust the dagger so deep in the Sixers they couldn't do much more than stagger off the court, the beating of the Lakers' heart had completely drowned out the Concordelike roar of the sellout crowd at the First Union Center.

``We showed that even though we live in L.A., we still dig deep,'' Laker forward Horace Grant said.

Amen to that.

And hallelujah to this: ``We have heart, too,'' said Fisher's backup Tyronn Lue. ``We just don't go out and boast and brag about how much heart we have. We just go out and play.''

So now you know. The Lakers' limbs are made for talking.

You want grit? Try this: With eight minutes, 53 seconds left in the game, Horry reinjured a high school shoulder injury while dunking over Philadelphia center Dikembe Mutombo.

He clutched his shoulder the next few trips up and down the court, but the pinching pain Horry was experiencing didn't keep him from coming up clutch; he pulled down two of his four rebounds after that, hit a 3-pointer with 47 seconds left after the Sixers had snuck to within one, at 89-88 and made four free throws in the final 21 seconds.

If Horry is grabbing rebounds and headlines, it must be June. Like clockwork, the three-time NBA champion's broken-down body regenerates this time of year.

He has found the fountain of youth. It's called the NBA Finals.

``Remarkable'' is the word Rick Fox used to describe Horry's performance. But ``resolute'' would have worked, too.

You want gallantry? How about O'Neal standing steadfastly in the paint even though the Sixers were throwing elbows at him like knives? O'Neal picked up three fouls in the third quarter and played four minutes of the fourth quarter saddled with five fouls. He made sure they were productive minutes, blocking one shot, collecting two of his game-high 12 rebounds and scoring two inside baskets on three shots before the officials sent him to the bench for good with his sixth foul.

``(Coach) Phil (Jackson) told him not to back off just because he had five fouls, and he stayed aggressive,'' Brian Shaw said. ``He made his presence felt while he was out there, and that's what we needed.''

O'Neal finished with 30 points, four blocked shots and three assists. You could say the Big Dog played pretty doggedly.

Then there was Horace Grant, who looked as though he was headed for the doghouse when he drew a technical foul with under nine minutes to play in the third quarter and the Lakers leading by 10.

While Grant silently stewed, Iverson made the free throw to start the 76ers on a 6-0 run. Grant's show of temper was so out of character, it's a wonder Jackson didn't ask to see his power forward's ID during the next timeout.

``Tyrone Hill threw an elbow at me. He was doing that all night, and I just retaliated,'' Grant said. ``I don't play that way. I've never played that way.''

Fox was in Grant's face before the whistle had dropped from the official's lips, telling him to settle down, that he couldn't be doing stupid stuff like that.

A funny thing happened on the way to Grant's fall from grace; he started to play some of his best basketball of this series. He collected one of his two baskets and one of his seven rebounds after the incident and was more meddlesome for the Sixers in the middle.

``I play my best when I don't have things like that on my mind,'' Grant said. ``But I did play a little harder after that.''

Indeed, ``tenacious'' wouldn't be overstating his effort. It pretty much underscored the play of all the Lakers on this day.

``This is the time of the season when you suck it up,'' Horry said. ``Because if you don't win you go home.''

The Lakers aren't going away any time soon. So shut up and deal with it, Philly.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Lakers' Robert Horry, right, fights for a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers' Eric Snow in the fourth quarter Sunday.

(2 -- color) Shaquille O'Neal spins around the 76ers' Dikembe Mutombo on Sunday.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer