There are two characteristics a basketball player needs to pull off a steal, one of the biggest momentum shifters in an individual game.
The first is the athleticism needed to swipe away potential passes. But savvy intelligence is also a must.
On Friday night, Derek Fisher had both in spades, stealing a win for the Los Angeles Lakers.
No. 2 tallied four swipes on the night, picking the pockets of three different Toronto Raptors. Derek’s thefts led to seven Laker points, the difference in a 108-103 LA victory. Fish said that’s just the way he likes to win.
"For me, personally, I get as much and sometimes more joy, satisfaction, gratification out of the little plays, those little things that make the difference," No. 2 told reporters after the game. "They might not show up in the stat sheet, every time, but your teammates and your coaches recognize those things, appreciate those things. When your peers recognize something I think that’s when it means the most."
So far this season Fish’s "little plays" have been a staple of the stat sheet. Over LA’s last four games, Derek is averaging two steals per game.
Everyone saw Fish do it on Friday. Derek’s first steal came in the first, when he took a bad Andrea Bargani pass and converted it into an easy layup. Three minutes later, No. 2 turned a Jarrett Jack mistake into another layup, giving the Lakers a six-point lead.
In the third, Fish capitalized on another Bargani error, getting a steal and getting the ball to Kobe Bryant, who hit a jumper. Then, with one minute to play in the fourth, Fish swiped Jose Calderon, and again found Bryant, who was fouled. Bryant converted one of two free throws, to put the game out of reach.
On the evening Fish scored 12 points, on 4-7 shooting, including perfect efforts from the free throw line and beyond the arc. He also chipped in two boards and two assists.
Fish relished the win but felt the Lakers needed to do better while playing on their home court.
"To be the team we want to be, we need to be dominant at home," he told reporters after the game. "Not just getting by, but dominant. The Staples Center needs to be a place where teams understand they can’t win."
STAYING HOT
On Sunday night the Lakers were that dominant team.
Fish and Co. got to take on another high-caliber NBA team and Los Angles throttled the Portland Trailblazers, 121-96.
Derek continued his strong start to the season, scoring 12 points in just 26 minutes. The effort was Fish’s fifth game out of seven with double-digits points. Last season, No. 2 didn’t hit his fifth game of ten or more points until the 19th game of the season.
No. 2 also tied his season high for assists, putting up four in the victory.
For the Lakers, it was their seventh straight victory and they’re currently rolling at a historic pace, but Fish knows that anybody can perform well in the NBA on any given night, so the Lakers can’t take their wins for granted.
"There’s really no script to an NBA season. You need to play the game that’s in front of you at that time. You set yourself up for bad spots when you start to expect that a game should happen a certain way, that you are supposed to win by "X" amount of points. The other guys are in the NBA too."
NEXT UP
The Minnesota Timberwolves come to town tonight. Los Angeles swept the season series last year, winning all three games.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PST and the game can be seen on FS West.
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