Long Commercial Works for Grant

Commercial breaks in the playoffs are long and redundant, but one of them helped the Lakers complete their four-game sweep of the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

With less than three minutes remaining, and with center Shaquille O’Neal already having fouled out, power forward Horace Grant suffered a deep cut between his right middle and ring fingers when he raked his hand on the rim.

His layup gave the Lakers a 108-103 lead, Hedo Turkoglu sank a jump shot on the other end, then NBC went to a commercial.

Grant was bleeding, so he wouldn’t have been allowed to stay on the floor, which would have further diminished the Lakers’ front court. The blood was coming so fast and from such an awkward place that trainers needed a few minutes to bandage the area.

Just as NBC returned from the commercial, trainers completed their treatment of Grant. He returned, then forced a terrible pass from Chris Webber that was intercepted by Ron Harper.

Though no one could explain what Lawrence Funderburke was doing in the game, taking shots and guarding O’Neal for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, the Lakers left Sacramento with the notion they had taken the Kings’ best shot, finally, in Game 4.

Many Lakers assumed there was more to the Kings than they showed in the first three games, and they indeed found a desperate team on Sunday.

After hammering the disjointed Portland Trail Blazers for three games in the first round, Kobe Bryant said he was glad for the competition on Sunday.

“Right now, we have a certain swagger about ourselves,” he said. “There’s naturally more confidence.”

The league will announce today that the Lakers will play two exhibition games in Tokyo against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 13-14.

With five days off before the start of the Western Conference finals, Laker players had Monday off. A few--Mark Madsen, Derek Fisher and Devean George, among them--worked out. George also was treated for mild back spasms.

The coaching staff met and began preparation for the series against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers and Spurs split their four-game season series.

Bryant averaged 37.7 points in three games and O’Neal averaged 26 in four. Robert Horry went seven for 11 from the arc in four games and Rick Fox was one for 15 from there.

Fisher, who played the last 20 games of the regular season after recovering from a stress fracture in his foot, did not play against the Spurs. The Lakers are 22-5 since he returned.

Tim Duncan averaged 24.3 points and 11.8 rebounds against the Lakers. Derek Anderson, probably out for the series because of a separated shoulder, averaged 16.3 points in four games against the Lakers.