Having won the first five games on a six game road trip and watching their leader struggle with the flu, it would have been easy for D-Fish and his Lakers brethren to go quietly in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon.
But instead, the Lakers answered the call and continued to prove there isn’t a better team in the league this year than the Purple and Gold.
Derek scored 13 points while dishing out three assists and grabbing three steals as the Lakers ended a perfect road trip with a 101-91 victory.
No. 2 spoke to reporters about winning on the road after Saturday’s practice leading up to the big game in Cleveland, as quoted in the Press-Enterprise:
“To win on the road you have to be unflappable,” Fisher said. “You have to have an attitude that no matter what happens, whether you get off to a great start and they come back or you get off to a poor start and you’re behind, that’s all water under the bridge. You’re just confident that by the end of the game, you’re going to win it.”
And it was as if D-Fish foreshadowed exactly what would happen the next day. Faced with a halftime deficit and a star guard who needed an IV to make it through, the Lakers came together as a unit and took control.
Derek opened the second half by draining a three that started an 11-0 run to cut the Cleveland lead from 12 to one. The Cavs answered with buckets by Mo Williams and Wally Sczerbiak, but not to be outdone, Derek scored the next four Lakers points to pull LA back to within one. Lamar Odom scored the next six and the Lakers would never again trail.
According to Derek, some of the drive came from Kobe’s gutsy performance, inspiring his teammates to carry the load, as quoted by the LA Times:
“It was the ultimate form of leadership on his part,” guard Derek Fisher said of Bryant. “He could have easily declined to play, period, or played in the first half and tried to keep us close and then sat out in the second half. He just kind of laid what he had out there and probably is going to pay for it for a couple days. It says a lot about him.”
When prompted, D-Fish added that the trip has to be considered one of the best in franchise history:
“To play the two best teams in the league other than ourselves and to come out with wins, and to not slip up against the inferior teams . . . I think that arguably could be true,” Fisher said.”
ODDS AND ENDS
The victory for the Lakers handed the Cavs their first home loss of the season. A far as Derek is concerned, playing at Quicken Loans Arena isn’t very stressful, despite the overwhelming advantage enjoyed by the home team, as quoted by the Press-Enterprise:
“It’s actually a really cool place,” the Lakers guard said, smiling. “It’s not a crowd where you feel like you might not make it out alive. It’s a fun, happening place. They’re playing cool music. The guy on the microphone is hyping the crowd up. They’ve got all these LCD screens. It’s almost like a party.”
The Lakers crashed the party with their 101-91 win…
According to the LA Times, Thursday’s win over Boston received a 2.7 TV rating, and its 4.3 million viewers were the most for an NBA on TNT game since 1996 when the Lakers faced the Michael Jordan led Bulls.
On Saturday, Derek spoke about the intensity level of the Celtics game, as quoted by the LA Times:
“It was as intense a regular-season game as I’ve been in in a long time,” said Fisher, more than halfway through his 13th NBA season. “It’s been a while since I could feel like through 48 minutes and through an overtime, every possession, every loose ball, every rebound, everything was just contested. It was just a fun game to be a part of.”
FISH MAIL
Broderick Turner of the LA Times opened up his Lakers mailbag this weekend and found fans to be interested in Derek:
Q: What’s the interest in the league for Derek Fisher as an NBA head coach after his playing days are over? The guy is a class act, well-respected by players (evidenced by being president of the NBA Players Association), played under two of the best coaches in NBA history in P-Jax [ Phil Jackson] & [Jerry] Sloan, the consummate team player, and a incredibly intelligent & articulate. I think the guy would make a terrific head coach. Has there been any discussions about grooming him to become one?
A: In recent conversations he’s talked more about being a successful businessman, like Magic Johnson, or going into politics or working in television or doing all three. But to be honest, Fisher would make a very good coach. He has a great feel for the game and a great temperament.
RELATED STORIES
Derek Fisher on the brain (LA Times, February 7, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-spw-lakers-qa7-2009feb07,0,4504891.story?track=rss
Lakers are kings of every court (LA Times, February 9, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers-cavaliers9-2009feb09,0,6477775.story?page=2&track=rss
Lakers have perfect ending (LA Daily News, February 9, 2009)
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_11659296?source=rss
Hoping to crash Cavs’ party (The Press-Enterprise, February 8, 2009)
http://www.pe.com/sports/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_lakers_08.466fff9.html
Lakers gear up for King James on his court (LA Times, February 8, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-cavaliers7-2009feb07,0,7068828.story
Los Angeles vs. Cleveland Play by Play (ESPN.com, February 8, 2009)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=290208005