LOS ANGELES - Derek Fisher says the road to the NBA title goes through San Antonio since the Spurs are the defending league champions.

The veteran Lakers guard also pays homage to New Orleans as an up-and-coming club that must be taken seriously.

Fisher is well-schooled in diplomacy.

But the Lakers, who await their opponent in the Western Conference finals that begin Wednesday night at Staples Center, could very well be the team to beat. They are at the halfway point of a potential journey to their first title since the Shaq and Kobe days of 2002.

Boston seemed the team to be most wary of entering the playoffs, having gone 66-16 while ruling the weaker Eastern Conference. But the Celtics have looked anything but dominant in the postseason, losing all six of their road games. And they're no cinch to beat Cleveland in the conference semifinals or Detroit in the conference finals, should they get there.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are an NBA-best 8-2 in the playoffs in the rugged West. They are 6-0 at home, where they haven't lost since March 28.

And they just got through handing the Jazz. It was Utah's only sixth home-court loss in 47 games this season, including the playoffs.

"It feels great," Kobe Bryant said Friday night after scoring 12 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter of a 108-105 victory over the Jazz. "It's been a great journey and we want to keep it rolling."

The win was just the second by a road team in 23 second-round games.

"That was another wire-to-wire game for us and the finish was impressive when you're on the road," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "A real solid performance by our players."

The Spurs and Hornets meet Monday night in New Orleans to decide that series. The Lakers were 2-2 against both teams during the regular season, beating each at home in the final week. They opened a 30-point lead before topping the Hornets 107-104, and dominated the second half in routing the Spurs 106-85 two days later. San Antonio star Manu Ginobili sat out that game.

"We have home-court advantage in the next round and that's a big factor," Jackson said.