The last two times the Los Angeles Lakers have have met the Phoenix Suns in the postseason, Phoenix eliminated the Purple and Gold.
But there was one key cog missing in the Lakers machine in those two series.
Derek Fisher, who doesn’t often lose on the Western side of the playoff bracket, wasn’t with Los Angeles the last two times the Pacific Division foes tangled in the playoffs. Since Derek’s return to the Lakers, LA is 9-3 against Phoenix, taking three of four meetings each of the last three seasons on their way to three straight Pacific Division crowns.
The last time a D-Fish led Lakers team met the Suns in the playoffs, Los Angeles dispatched Phoenix in five games on their way to their first NBA title. Of course, that was ten years and four titles ago.
Now, the Suns are a much different team, especially under the guidance of two-time MVP Steve Nash. According to Lakers coach Phil Jackson, D-Fish is thrilled to be taking on another all-star caliber guard after just dueling with Utah’s Deron Williams
"He loves it," Phil Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. "He loves the opportunity to do this."
Fish, for his part, could not say enough good things about his matchup with Nash in the Western Conference Finals.
"Steve’s been around long enough not to be surprised by anything. "He’s a two-time MVP, accomplished everything you can accomplish as a player individually. So the only thing that separates him from other greats is championships."
Derek believes the disparity in championships will drive the Suns to bring their best come Monday when the series tips off in Los Angeles. Many feel this year is Phoenix’s last and best chance to win a title, and No. 2 told ESPN.com that he can see the Suns playing all out for that chance:
"These guys are going to come in and try to knock us out, and so we’re going to have to be ready to go from the tip on Monday night and not leave anything up to chance."
No. 2 is encouraging his teammates not to take Phoenix lightly. He believes that to beat the high-octane Suns, the Lakers need to be at their best.
"If we think they’re going to come into this series and just kind of skip through it and just kind of give it the old college try, that’s not going to happen."
ANOTHER ACT FOR CLUTCH FISH
When Derek speaks about skipping through, he surely isn’t speaking about himself.
No. 2 always brings attitude and intensity in the NBA’s second season, as evidenced by his massive body of clutch moments.
After Derek’s huge shot against the Utah Jazz at the end of Game 3 of this year’s Western Conference Semifinals, the Los Angeles Times decided to take a trip down memory lane and see where that heave landed in the annals of Fish-tory.
Not that anyone saw the big shot coming last weekend, but as the Times pointed out, even through an 82-game season of ups and downs, Derek and his coach knew, as they always do, that No. 2’s time would come.
"Even when Derek Fisher’s shooting stroke was off the mark, both he and Lakers Coach Phil Jackson remained steadfast. The reasons include Fisher’s mastery of the triangle offense, his positive influence in locker room dynamics and, of course, his ability to make clutch shots. And it’s at this time of year when Fisher usually fulfills the latter responsibility."
Any discussion of Fish’s clutch shots must begin with "0.4 in 04" when Fish’s shot in the final half-second sunk the Spurs.
After Tim Duncan hit a ridiculous fall away at the top of the key to give San Antonio the lead in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals, only four tenths of a second remained. No. 2 was the last option on the Lakers last chance play, but was the only one to get open, and with Manu Ginobili in his face, began to build his clutch reputation.
"The Lakers’ victory marked the first time a team had beaten the Spurs at home in 19 games. It also was a storied chapter in Fisher’s legacy, with his brother, Duane Washington, describing Fisher’s game-winner to The Times’ Tim Brown as "the biggest shot of his life."
Not far behind that was his dramatic day against Golden State when, after flying back to Utah for a playoff game hours after his daughter underwent surgery for retinal blastoma, No. 2 entered the game as soon as he got to the arena and later hit the game-clinching three.
"The game went into overtime, and Fisher’s corner three-pointer with 1:06 remaining gave Utah a six-point lead. The effort concluded an emotional week for Fisher, who reportedly wore sunglasses to and from practices and shoot-arounds while processing the news regarding his daughter’s illness."
While that game carried emotional weight, just last season Fish helped the Lakers drop some of their own baggage. Six years removed from their last title, No. 2 drained the tying three against Orlando at the end of regulation in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, then hit the clincher in OT to give the Lakers an insurmountable 3-1 series lead.
His response after the game summed up just exactly who Fish is. After hitting two of the biggest shots in Laker history, he didn’t not brag or swag. He just said he owed to the city of LA.
"I have a responsibility to my team that if I’m going to be on the floor, then I have to make a difference."
NEXT UP
Derek Fisher and the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves one series away from returning to the NBA Finals for the third straight year and it’s a safe bet that Fish has a few more clutch tricks up his sleeve to help get them there.
The only thing that stands in LA’s way is Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals. The series kicks off on Monday from the Staples Center at 6 p.m. PST and Game 1, as well as the entire series, can be seen on TNT.
RELATED ARTICLES
Reliving Derek Fisher’s clutch shots (L.A. Times, May 10, 2010)
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2010/05/reliving-derek-fishers-clutch-shots.html#more
Lakers’ Derek Fisher again gets a marquee matchup with Phoenix’s Steve Nash (L.A. Times, May 12, 2010)
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/12/sports/la-sp-lakers-matchups-20100513
Lakers take time to rest, prep for Suns (ESPN Los Angeles, May 13, 2010)
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5185269