Sacramento stays confident

Kings can put series out of reach today

? As Chris Webber rolled out of bed late Saturday morning at the Sacramento Kings’ posh hotel, he smiled at the possibilities of the coming days.

“What do we think we’re doing?” Webber wondered aloud. “I don’t know, I just got up. We’re honestly not surprised. We’re confident. We feel good, but no way is it time to stop.”

The Kings enter Game 4 of the Western Conference finals today with a chance to push the Los Angeles Lakers to the brink of playoff elimination. That’s no small feat, since no team has taken a playoff series from the Lakers since Phil Jackson became their coach nearly three years ago.

Webber and his teammates were at the peak of their considerable skills Friday night in a 103-90 victory that gave Sacramento a 2-1 series lead. The game was a blowout until Los Angeles rallied in the final minutes, and it silenced a Staples Center crowd that rarely sees its two-time champions dominated so thoroughly.

Just 24 hours earlier, it seemed improbable that the Kings would wrest control of the series from the Lakers with two victories in the heart of their glittery realm. The Lakers certainly didn’t seem to think it was possible until Sacramento put a stake of doubt in the champions’ minds.

“We’ve been hearing all the talk and jive and remarks that have been coming toward us,” Webber said. “We heard that they let Game 2 slip away, that we didn’t earn it. I think it’s good to get the kind of win that they can’t really question.”

But the Kings aren’t preparing for a parade through California’s capital, and Los Angeles isn’t doubting itself just yet. The Lakers are trailing in a playoff series for just the second time in Jackson’s tenure, but they haven’t lost three straight playoff games since 1999.

“This is a perilous situation,” Kobe Bryant said. “We know that. It excites us. We know Sacramento is a confident bunch. They’ve improved a lot, especially defensively. I don’t think we underestimated them at all.”

The Kings limited their preparation to film study at their hotel Saturday, since coach Rick Adelman wanted to give as much rest as possible to his seven-man rotation particularly his five starters, who played at least 37 minutes apiece in Game 3.

At their training complex in El Segundo, the Lakers held a light practice preceded by a conversation with their Zen master.

“We talked about what to do in the summertime and how to relax, and how close that will be if we don’t put Game 3 behind us,” Jackson said. “We had a few lapses, what we did wrong is correctable. The Kings should be congratulated for what they did. The game was well-orchestrated from their standpoint.”

The Lakers lost Game 3 in the first and third quarters, when they went a combined 11-for-47 from the field as Sacramento outscored them by 27 points. Sacramento’s defense created many of the Lakers’ missed shots, which fed the Kings’ fastbreak.

The Lakers seemed incapable of defending the Kings’ simple pick-and-roll offensive sets, giving point guard Mike Bibby a number of options off nearly every pick. Bibby hit outside shots, drove the lane, set up his teammates for 3-pointers and fed Webber for jumpers.

After three games, Los Angeles point guards Derek Fisher and Lindsey Hunter have been hopelessly overmatched against Bibby, whose deliberate penetration and sharp outside shot have allowed Sacramento to dominate much of the action.

Bibby is playing with both his customary confidence and a spark of aggressiveness that he didn’t always exhibit during the regular season. After fending off John Stockton and Steve Nash in the playoffs’ first two rounds, he’s averaging 19 points in the postseason.

“I’m getting to do more of what I like to do,” Bibby said. “We’re getting the kind of shots we want, and that comes from the defense we’re playing. When we force them to miss shots, we have a lot of options coming back the other way.”

The Kings expect a more aggressive effort from Shaquille O’Neal, who had 20 points and 19 rebounds in Game 3 despite starting slowly and going 2-for-10 from the field in the second half.