Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Sixers coach Larry Brown is not taking the Lakers lightly. They may be 10-17 this season. They may be 2-12 on the road. They may be fighting amongst themselves, but Brown knows they are still the team to beat.

"I think they're the best team," he said. "They've won championships, they have two of the best players in the league [in Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant]. Nobody's had an answer for Shaq [and] I don't think there's anybody in the league any better than Kobe all-around. There might be some as good, but [those two] are special players. [The Lakers] have had their problems, but I think they've always proven to me that they're the best team when everybody's healthy."

Even though the Lakers are struggling and are in the middle of an east coast road trip, and playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Brown does not see this as an opportunity to get an easy win.

"I don't look at it that way," Brown said. "I always enjoy playing against them, no matter how they are. We all have a lot of respect for them. It's like when Michael [Jordan] was with Chicago, when the Celtics were making their run and Julius was here; those are games you always point to, because of the respect you have."

"They haven't made a heckuva lot of changes [as] some people in the league have. Sometimes it's hard when you win, no matter the competition, to get people's attention. I would suspect being on the road on this trip will bond them a little bit. I think they'll start playing like they're capable of playing."