Derek Fisher and the Lakers bounced back swiftly from a tough loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers when they took their fight to the New York Knicks on Friday night in the Big Apple.
Fish played a strong 20 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-8 shooting to lead the Lakers to a 115-105 win.
No. 2 helped the Lakers start quick, playing a magnificent first quarter. He scored five points, on a long two-point jumper and a very deep three. Along with is shooting touch, Derek passed out two assists to Ron Artest, and grabbed three boards, all on the defensive glass.
He did the rest of his damage in the third, with five more points and two more assists.
Fish finished the night with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds. Derek also got a little thrill at halftime.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton came out to midcourt to speak about the devastation in Haiti, urging fans to get involved. Upon his departure, the former president shared a moment with D-Fish, as reported in the New York Times:
"On his way out, Clinton hugged the Lakers’ Derek Fisher — a fellow Arkansan."
FISH INSPIRES
Although he didn’t record any statistics in the fourth, Derek gave an inspired speech at the end of the third, urging his Lakers on to victory.
Los Angeles went into the huddle down one, and according to the Los Angeles Times, Fish sensed that his team neede some veteran leadership:
"He sensed where things were headed for the Lakers. He sensed something he did not like. So Fisher cut it off, gathering his teammates together in a semicircle before the fourth quarter started, all of them with their arms wrapped around a teammate. Fisher could be seen imploring his teammates. He looked emphatic in trying to make his point.”
Whatever Derek said, it worked. The Lakers outscored the Knicks by 11 for a 10-point win.
“We need that,” Pau Gasol told the L.A. Times. “We needed him to bring everybody together. ‘Now we’ve got to go and play.’ Derek is good about that. He knows when to step up and send a message to the players and he did.”
TOUGH TIME IN TORONTO
Unfortunately, the message didn’t carry over to Sunday night.
The Lakers flew north of the border for a showdown with the Toronto Raptors, but fell 106-105.
Toronto outscored the Lakers by three in the final frame, with Hedo Turkoglu hitting the winning free throws with just a second left in the game.
On the night, Fish went for five points, two rebounds and an assist. Fish did all his scoring at the end of the third quarter, hitting a two and three sandwiched around a Kobe Bryant dunk.
HAIL TO THE CHAMPS
If Derek Fisher has political aspirations, today would be the time to get some advice. The Lakers play the Wizards on Tuesday in D.C., but as a reward for winning the NBA championship, Los Angeles received a tour of the White House and met President Barack Obama this afternoon.
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Derek Fisher inspires Lakers to victory (Los Angeles Times, Jan 24, 2010)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-lakers-web24-2010jan24,0,6129313.story