It was a bookend kind of night for Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
D-Fish started the game off with an assist to Lamar Odom a minute in to put the Lakers up 2-0. Forty-seven game minutes later, with 23 seconds remaining, Fish sealed the win with two free throws, putting the Lakers up nine.
All in all, No. 2 scored four points, and had two assists and two rebounds in Los Angeles’ 88-79 win over the Rockets.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
While many people know that Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant came into the league in the same draft, not many realize that, because of his time at college, No. 2 has a full four more years of basketball under his belt than No. 24.
But that’s not stopping him or slowing him down. In an article on NBA.com, Scott-Howard Cooper writes about Fish’s longevity:
[Derek Fisher] says he is not going away. Not this summer when his Lakers contract expires, when others might be weighing retirement, and not any time this season. He says it with insistence. Time is barreling down the lane and Fish is planting his feet to take a charge.
D-Fish says he’s heard the critics, but that ultimately, he knows his abilities.
"I knew going into the offseason that that was going to be one of the top questions that other people — team critics, whoever — would have about me or our team. That’s the only place you can maybe try to look. What are you going to say about Ron Artest or Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol? But it’s not something that I lose a lot of sleep over."
As Derek explained, his training and preparation have done wonders for his game and his recovery time.
"There are obviously certain days, certain nights, where just because the body is the body, you’re a little bit more sore or there’s certain things you feel maybe more than a guy that’s 25. But because of the type of work that I’ve done, the return to feeling myself is real quick. I’ve done a lot with overall flexibility and mobility, so I don’t tighten up as much to begin with, which allows me to basically make the effort that I need to make time and time again. I’m not getting worn down really."
As his numbers show, Fish has been as consistent as ever.
His rebounding and assist averages this season are the same as they’ve been the past four years, and a minor drop in scoring is easily explained by his minutes, which are the lowest per game since 2003-2004. That season, six years ago, he averaged 7.1 points per game. This season? An identical 7.1 ppg.
Those who believe it’s time for Fish to retire won’t be seing it anytime soon. Both feet planted, Fish is in the lane to stay.
To read Cooper’s entire article, click here.
NEXT UP
The Lakers take to the road without actually leaving home, facing the Los Angeles Clippers tonight at 7:30 PST at the Staples Center. The Lakers have not lost to the Clippers since the 2006-2007 NBA season. Last season against the Clippers, D-Fish averaged nine points and 2.5 assists per game.
The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
RELATED ARTICLES
Defiant Fisher holds off skeptics and Father Time (NBA.com, Jan. 5, 2010)
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/01/05/derek.fisher/?ls=iref:nbahpt1v
Bynum excels late, Odom misses triple-double as Artest returns (ESPN.com, Jan. 6, 2010)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300105013