EL SEGUNDO — The opportunity for the Lakers to move on is at hand. The risk of getting ahead of themselves is what comes with it.

The Lakers are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals, and can get that win at home tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. Not thinking about the value of a win in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals may be impossible — "We're getting close to a beautiful scenario," said Pau Gasol — but the team's success in doing just that may have much to do with their success in the game.

"It's about staying in the moment, just being present," said coach Phil Jackson, "and letting past plays (and) present hopes fade away and just be right there, and play the game at that level regardless of what's going on — if you're up by 10, down by 10, have two fouls, have five fouls."

Kobe Bryant, a veteran of 33 close-out games — the Lakers are 20-13 in those games, including an 11-0 streak from 2001 to the second round in 2004 — has a somewhat similar outlook.

"My message to them," he said, referring to his teammates, "is to just approach it like any other game. We prepare extremely well, we understand it's going to be a tough fight, so prepare yourself for that. But other than that, you just go out and do what you do."

This is the first time the Lakers have had a 3-1 series lead since the 2006 playoffs, when they took that advantage against the Phoenix Suns — only to lose the first-round series in seven games.

Luke Walton recalls that series with "more like nightmares than memories," but believes the remaining players from that team learned from the experience.

"We were on Cloud 9," said Walton. "I think the difference between that team and this team is we were so happy and excited, like we just couldn't believe we were up 3-1 against Phoenix. This team is more focused and knows the job's not done yet."

With the addition of Gasol, the return of Derek Fisher and the growth of several young players, this team is significantly different from that one, noted Jackson.

"We just want to play hard and do the right thing," said Jackson. "At that time, we couldn't get the right thing accomplished. We couldn't make the adjustments to match Phoenix's adjustments. This team is making adjustments, and that maturity they learned in that series is helping them out."

The sense among the Lakers is all that knowledge and maturity will be required to finish off the Spurs, who over the last four years are 5-1 when facing elimination.

"When you face a team in that must-win situation," said Bryant, "they just play desperate ball. They play their hearts out, they play hard, physical. San Antonio, they haven't changed. They're going to be toughest of all to close out."

The Lakers are driven to finish things off tonight.

"There's not a next game to us," said Gasol. "It's this game, and we want to close it out first chance we get, just like we have in the other series."

Walton said the Lakers would approach Game 5 with a "Game 7, must-win kind of attitude," but Fisher would like to see his teammates temper that approach a bit.

"You don't put the entire hopes of the rest of the season on (today's) game," he said. "If you've got to play six games or seven games to win four, you do what you have to do. I think it's important for us to come out and play within ourselves, not to feel like we have to come out and hit a home run to knock these guys out.

"They're defending champions. We're going to have to play another good 48-minute basketball game to beat them."

This being the playoffs, Wednesday's media session inevitably touched on officiating, although not on the non-call on Fisher against Brent Barry in the final moments of Game 4. Instead, Bryant and Jackson were asked about the fact Bryant has only shot six free throws in the series, after getting into the line 10 or more times in each game of the previous round.

"That's one of the mysteries of the world," said Bryant. And Jackson, noting a standard involving two-hand contact, said the Spurs' Bruce Bowen is "faster than the eye in that regard. He's really quick with his hands. He gets in and bothers, but he's back out before the shot's up, usually.

"So you've got to give him credit. He's obviously an illusionist at some level."

Of course, whatever Jackson thinks of the officiating, he knows he's not cut out for the job himself.

"You know, I like to act as God," he said, "but as police and judge, I'm not very good at both those things."