NBA PLAYOFF RECAP (SAN ANTONIO-LA LAKERS) INGLEWOOD, California (Ticker) -- Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs gave Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers a harsh lesson in heart and determination. Duncan had 33 points and 14 rebounds as the Spurs completed a rousing four-game sweep of the Western Conference semifinals with a 118-107 victory. The 7-foot Duncan continued to stake his claim as the NBA's best player. With a desire to close out the series, he shot 11-of-14 from both the field and the line and continued to make his teammates better, despite little help from foul-plagued fellow "Twin Tower" David Robinson. "They had a couple of runs where they tried to get back into the game and cut it from 12 or 13 back to four or five," Duncan said. "We kept our composure and pushed it back at them and had a big run in the fourth quarter and really put it away." "I think our team is really based on mental toughness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I think it's really a mentally tough group who just knows that we need to play for the full 48 minutes." Jaren Jackson had another big game off the bench, scoring 20 points. Avery Johnson added 19 and 10 assists. Benefiting from the double-teams on Duncan, both consistently made open outside shots as they did in Game Three. "I was just very aggressive out there. That's the only way I can explain it," Jackson said. "There was no hesitation on my shots, just letting 'em go." "Right now no one is playing any better than we are," Johnson said. "If we stay focused on what we've been doing, we'll be in great shape." Jerome Kersey added nine points in the final period after not playing in the first three quarters. The Spurs shot 60 percent (36-of-60) from the field and made 39-of-54 free throws as they never trailed and posted the highest total of the 1999 playoffs. "Defensively, that's where we kept breaking down," Lakers coach Kurt Rambis said. "You give yourself absolutely no chance when a team shoots 60 percent, 58 from the 3s, go to the line 54 times, turn the basketball over 15 times for 27 points." O'Neal said he would not "mail in" this game and had 36 points and 14 rebounds. He shot 12-of-23 from the field and the line. Nevertheless, he was swept out of the playoffs for the fifth time in six years. In elimination games, O'Neal is 1-6 in his career. "It's very embarrassing," O'Neal said. "Every time I get sent home, I get embarrassed. I hate saying, `Well, we played hard.' ... I take all of it on myself." The sweep capped a turbulent season for the Lakers, who endured the firing of coach Del Harris; pursued, signed and later waived flaky forward Dennis Rodman; traded for Glen Rice; and never really developed any chemistry. "If this would have been a team that wasn't very good it would have been embarrassing," Lakers vice president Jerry West said. "We've all been embarrassed at this level; I don't care how good you are. The people that care the most feel the worst. I think all of us are not happy about the way this ended up." O'Neal, Rice and Kobe Bryant, the team's three stars, combined for one basket in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, when the Spurs took control for good. Rambis has no assurances of returning next season, although he has one supporter in Bryant. "I think Kurt did an excellent job," Bryant said. "With all of the changes ... You have to put yourself in his shoes. With all the pressure and hype and changes, I'm surprised his whole head didn't turn gray." "I think Kurt Rambis was put in the most difficult position that I've ever seen," West said. "We might not be talking about a four-game sweep if some guys had played just a little bit better, made a shot here or there or hit a couple of free throws." It was the most points allowed this season by Los Angeles, which committed 39 fouls and trailed by as many as 17 points. Each time the Lakers fought back within single digits, they were not able to sustain any defensive intensity and the Spurs would pull away again. The last time came at the outset of the fourth quarter. Rookie Tyronn Lue's driving layup at the buzzer capped a 12-0 burst that closed the third period and pulled the Lakers within 86-84. But Los Angeles did not score for another four minutes. Jackson opened the period with one of his six 3-pointers and Kersey completed a three-point play to extend the lead to eight points. Robinson made a turnaround jumper and Kersey sank a jumper before Jackson buried another 3-pointer to make it 99-84 with 8:27 left. "I've never been put into this kind of role with this many minutes," Jackson said. "This is what players always dream of. You work hard, maybe you get overlooked, but just be able to perservere and be ready when your opportunity comes." Rick Fox kept the Lakers gasping with 10 of his 17 points in the final period, including consecutive baskets that made it 105-97 with 2:31 to go. Jackson responded with another 3-pointer and the Lakers got no closer than seven points thereafter. Sean Elliott scored 14 points and Robinson added 12 and seven rebounds for the Spurs. Elliott made 10-of-15 free throws and Jackson sank 6-of-11 3-pointers. Bryant scored 16 points, Lue added 12 and Rice 11 for the Lakers, who shot 45 percent (41-of-92) but made just 2-of-17 from beyond the arc. Los Angeles made 23-of-36 free throws. Bryant, Fox and Travis Knight fouled out and O'Neal and J.R. Reid collected five fouls each. "They did what they did the entire game," Bryant said. "Whenever we made a run, they made a run, they made a run of their own and the fourth quarter was really no different." Several elements of San Antonio's offense carried over from Game Three. Johnson, who scored six points in the fourth quarter on Saturday, collected 10 in the opening period. Duncan led with 12 points as the Spurs continued their parade to the foul line, making 15-of-19 free throws as they built a 35-29 lead. Duncan continued his offensive assault in the second quarter as he scored eight points in four-plus minutes, giving the Spurs their largest lead at 61-44 with 2:46 left. "They were a smarter team," O'Neal said. "They went to their go-to guy and everyone else just played well around him." The Lakers played awful defense throughout the first half. The Spurs shot 59 percent (17-of-29), including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and made 27-of-37 free throws. A 12-2 surge to open the third quarter allowed the Lakers to move within 67-63 but the Spurs answered with a 13-2 burst as Duncan scored seven points, including a three-point play for an 80-65 lead with 5:13 remaining. --=-=-- 