By the end of the Lakers’ 115-111 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night, Derek had stepped his game up to a playoff caliber level.
 |
| Overtime (Getty Images). |
That’s why it wasn’t surprising to his teammates that No. 2 could do the things he did.
“We’re used to it from him,” Kobe Bryant said, as quoted by the Associated Press. “That’s what he does. That’s why he is so valuable to our ballclub.”
What has made Derek so valuable to the Lakers in his second run with the team is his flair for the dramatic and ability to step up when called upon. D-Fish did it again on Friday night, knocking down a wide-open three to tie the score at 98 with 14.6 seconds left. The clutch bucket sent the game to overtime. Fish talked about the play after the game, as quoted on the LA Times Lakers blog:
“The play is drawn up that way, but obviously we’re not going to look at me as a first option. The play is designed to read it- all our plays are designed to read the defense. Pau did an excellent job reading the defense. Both guys stayed with Kobe, which happens a lot, obviously because it’s Kobe. I was open and he made the read. And I was happy for the team more so than anything that I knocked the shot down.”
Derek had come up big moments before, drawing a tough charge on Chris Paul, who tried to drive the lane for a bucket to put the game out of reach. But the charge sent the ball the other way and set up D-Fish’s game-tyer. After the game Lamar Odom shared with Lakers.com his thoughts on the plays that shifted momentum back to the home team.
“Nobody on this team will give up, especially in a tough game like that. Fisher made the plays that really eventually won the game, taking that charge and hitting that three point shot.”
The game remained close through most of the overtime period and the Lakers led by just one when Derek stepped to the line with 14 seconds left. D-Fish converted on both free throws to give New Orleans a 111-108 lead. After a James Posey miss, Derek drew a foul on Antonio Daniels and sank two more from the charity stripe. The four free throws put the game out of reach.
For the game, No. 2 went 6-6 from the line. He finished with 14 points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals. Derek spoke about his overall performance in postgame, as quoted on the LA Times Lakers Blog:
“Some of the shots that I missed earlier in the game were good looks, they just didn’t go in. There will be nights like that where it seems like no matter what’s going on, the shot doesn’t fall for you. And when you’re defending a guy like Chris Paul every possession, offense is not necessarily going to be your focus. You’re barely going to have enough legs to be active offensively, which is why a lot of times the best players don’t guard each other, to try to save some legs for offense.
I always know the sacrifice for me is going to be offensively, depending on the matchups. I had a good look a couple minutes before that one but it was just a little bit long. So when I got (the one that tied the game) I felt confident I could knock it in.”
For more quotes from D-Fish on Friday night’s win, check out the LA Times Lakers Blog here.
FOUR STRAIGHT AFTER DOWING T-WOLVES
The stretch immediately following the All-Star break is a true test for the best teams in the league whether they turn up the intensity right away as the playoff push begins or take the foot off the gas and risk losing games they should win.
For the Lakers the intensity has never been higher. No. 2 finished with nine points, four assists and three rebounds as the Lakers dispatched the Minnesota Timberwolves in a closely contested 111-108 win.
For Derek, the game turned beyond the arc for the second straight contest as D-Fish hit a late three to stretch a one point Lakers lead to four with 1: 44 to go. It was one of two threes that No. 2 knocked down in the contest.
The Lakers, now 46-10 hold an eight game advantage over second place San Antonio in the Western Conference and are well on their way to locking up home court advantage for the playoffs.
AN OWNER WITH IMPACT PASSES
Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller passed away on Friday and although Derek only spent a limited time in Utah, Miller had a profound impact on the veteran point guard’s life.
After the 2007 season Derek went to Miller to ask for a release so that he could find better treatment for his daughter, who was inflicted with a rare eye cancer. Derek spoke about Miller’s decision and how it affected him, as quoted in the Press-Enterprise:
“I didn’t know him well enough to be able to predict how he would respond, but the one thing I had gathered was how important family was to him,” Fisher said. “My wife and I met with he and his wife behind closed doors, and he shared very personal sentiments about what he felt like in one year I was able to bring to the team, and we shared with him our thoughts about needing to move on. It was an emotional meeting, and I saw emotion from an owner I’d never seen before.”
D-Fish eventually got his release from the Jazz thanks to Miller’s kindness.
NEXT UP
The Lakers hit the road for Tuesday’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The two teams rematch two weeks to the day from a 105-98 Lakers victory at Staples. Derek scored just four points in the contest but added three steals in the win. No. 2 matches up with Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, a talented young point guard. The Lakers and the Thunder tip off at 5 p.m. PST and all the action can be seen live on KCAL in LA. You can also listen live on KLAC 570.
RELATED STORIES
New Orleans vs. Los Angeles Box Score (ESPN.com, February 20, 2009)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290220013
Hornets vs. Lakers NBA Video (NBA.com, February 20, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/video/games/lakers/2009/02/20/nba_noh_lal_0020800821_recap.nba/index.html
Lakers vs. Hornets: Lakers Quotes (Lakers.com, February 20, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/090220_quotes.html
Fire up the quote machine: Derek Fisher and More! (LA Times, February 21, 2009)
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/02/fire-up-the-quo.html
These aren’t last season’s Lakers (OC Register, February 21, 2009)
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bryant-lakers-ball-2314994-gasol-play
Moore in store for LA (Press-Enterprise, February 21, 2009)
http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/lakers/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_lakers_notes_21.491162a.html
Lakers at Timberwolves Box Score (NBA.com, February 22, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090222/LALMIN/boxscore.html