The West’s two best are set to tango tonight, with the Los Angeles Lakers invading the thin air of Colorado to take on the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers lost their only previous game in Denver this year, in an environment Derek Fisher said is very difficult to play in.
"You’re fighting the road crowd, the altitude, a team that likes to play a fast-paced game," Fish told the Press Enterprise of the hostile Denver environment.
He says the key to a Lakers victory will be keeping their emotions in check.
"We’ll have to be more in control of our emotions and our poise … not allow ourselves to get snowballed early, but be aggressive, and look to attack."
HEALTHY OUTLOOK
Although a win against the Nuggets, a team they may see in the postseason, would be a boon for the Lakers, D-Fish says getting healthy by the start of the playoffs may be just as important.
Primarily, the Lakers need to get center Andrew Bynum back, which No. 2 says changes the complexion of the entire team.
"At times I don’t think we understand how important Andrew is for us," Derek told the Orange County Register.
But it’s not just about Bynum. Fish wants to see the whole team get over their collective bumps and bruises.
"No matter who you play, where you’re seeded or what the situation is, if you don’t have all your guys it makes things tougher," Derek told ESPN Los Angeles. "Being healthy and staying healthy will be the main key."
Second to that, No. 2 said, is the Lakers need to work on playing a full 48 minutes.
"Re-establishing the ability to play longer, better
[is important]. We’ve really had very few times where we’ve played more than one half of good basketball and I say that in terms of total, 24 minutes, not like a whole half where we played great."Fish has said that the inconsistencies have been a bit maddening; especially for a team that knows how to play championship caliber basketball.
"With a team that has returned 99.6 percent of our championship team from last year, it’s been frustrating but that’s what makes this process so rewarding once you’re the last team standing in June. That’s what we still expect from ourselves. We’re not going to give up on that process; we’re going to keep going."
NEXT UP
Two savvy veteran guards take the court tonight when Chauncey Billups and D-Fish face off. The Nuggets-Lakers game tips off at 7:30 and can be seen on TNT.RELATED ARTICLES
Not much time for fine tuning (Press Enterprise, April 7, 2010)
http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/lakers/stories/PE_Sports_Local_W_lakers_notes_08.4837a02.html
Life (for now) without Andrew Bynum (OC Register, April 7, 2010)
http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2010/04/07/life-for-now-without-andrew-bynum/33119/
Lakers Notebook: Health a priority (ESPNLosAngeles.com, April 7, 2010)
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5061994