A great performance on Saturday has Derek and the Los Angeles Lakers one victory from the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
No. 2 scored 12 points and dished out four assists as the Lakers cruised to a 108-94 victory over the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series as the teams head back to LA for Game 5 tonight.
After the game, D-Fish talked about how important a strong response was for the Lakers:
“We were frustrated and disappointed that we allowed a road win to get away from us Thursday night. Having played this team before, last year, and knowing how good they are at home, we thought it was important to really try and take control of the series if we could, and we responded well. We didn’t allow ourselves to get snowballed early in the game, and we hung close until we could get control of it.”
While Kobe Bryant, put on a show, Fish bided his time, waiting for the right moments to strike.
After missing back-to-back threes in the early going, he ducked inside the line and put the first non-Kobe points on the board with 4:54 to go in the first, pulling the Lakers to within one at 15-14. His only other point of the first came from the charity stripe where he sank one of two.
After sitting for about eight minutes following his free throw, Derek returned to the fray and promptly drained the first attempt he had, toward the end of a 20-2 run, that gave the Lakers a 45-36 lead.
Less than a minute later, No. 2 stuck another inside jumper as the Lake Show continued to pull away. Before checking out with 1:14 to go in the half, D-Fish drew a foul on Deron Williams and sank both free throws to carry nine points into the half, having helped the Lakers pull out to a 60-53 halftime edge.
KOBE’S ENERGY IS INFECTIOUS
After ceding the bulk of the offense to his teammates for the first three games of the series, Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant went off on the Jazz on Saturday night and no one was happier to see it than D-Fish, as quoted in the LA Times:
“We needed that type of performance from him tonight,” said Derek Fisher. “When your best player is leading you, I think everyone gets excited, the shooting gets contagious.”
Bryant went for 38 points and the attention paid to him contributed to double-digit nights for D-Fish, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown.
EXCLAMATION POINT
LA led by 19 points when Fish came back out on the floor with 6:12 left in the game to help put a dagger in Utah’s hopes, and that he did, knocking down a long-range bomb with 1:23 to go, putting the Lakers ahead by 16.
SO LONG SALT LAKE?
Before what might be his final game in Salt Lake City this season, Derek reflected on his time in Utah, as quoted by the Deseret News:
“We had some success that season that not a lot of people anticipated,” said Fisher of his year with the Jazz. “Deron was in his second year. (Carlos) Boozer was a couple of years younger and we had a team that nobody knew what to expect coming in. It was refreshing to be a part of that team because we learned that if we could go out there and play as a unit, good things would happen.”
“It was a good experience.”
To read the entire article, in which D-Fish talks about the support of his Jazz teammates throughout Tatum’s health concerns and Jazz owner Larry Miller who passed away earlier this season, click here.
CLOSING TIME
The series shifts back to Los Angeles tonight for a crucial Game Five at the Staples Center. Win, and the Lakers move on to the second round, awaiting the winner of the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers series (Houston leads 3-1). But if the Lakers were to fall tonight, the series would go back to Salt Lake City and the Jazz would regain the momentum that Saturday’s blowout deprived them of.
With this in mind, D-Fish spoke to reporters yesterday about the importance of tonight’s game. Quotes courtesy of video from Andrew and Brian Kamenetzky at the LA Times Lakers Blog:
“We realize how difficult it is to win in Salt Lake City,” Fish said. “So to put ourselves in a position where we don’t have to go back to play another game there, not that we don’t think that we could win it if we had to, but not giving a home team a chance to have another game on their home floor, I think that’s something that you feel comfortable carrying with you. If we can take care of our business tomorrow and not put ourselves in a position where we have to play another road game, against a very good team at home, then we’ll be doing ourselves a much better service. I think that will be our mindset tomorrow.”
Still Derek wouldn’t call Game 5 a “must win” by any means:
“At the same time, we’re not being fearful of whatever happens. It’s just about winning. If it takes six games or seven games or whatever, that’s how many times we have to lace it up, as long as we win the series and we advance.”
The Lakers and Jazz tip-off in Game 5 at 7:30 PST and all the action can be seen live on TNT.
RELATED STORIES
Lakers at Jazz Box Score (NBA.com, April 27, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090425/LALUTA/boxscore.html
The art of closing out (LA Times Lakers Blog, April 26, 2009)
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/04/closing-out.html
Fisher still fond of only season as a Jazz player (Deseret News, April 24, 2009)
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705299402/Fisher-fond-of-his-1-season-with-Jazz.html
Lakers quotes: 4/25/09 (NBA.com, April 25, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/090425_quotes.html
Bryant’s leadership illuminated during Game 4 (OC Register, April 26, 2009)
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bryant-team-game-2376389-utah-night
Lakers’ Kobe finally puts stamp on the series (LA Times, April 26, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-plaschke-lakers26-2009apr26,0,1843080.column?track=rss
Utah Jazz can start its vacation plans (LA Times, April 27, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-bresnahan-lakers27-2009apr27,0,2367360.story?track=rss