If Derek Fisher and the Los Angeles Lakers needed a game to show them where they stood, this was the one.
And at the end, No. 2 and the Purple and Gold found themselves standing atop their archrivals, defeating the Boston Celtics on their home floor, 92-86.
On this night, it was time for Derek to play the distributor, the veteran dealing out five assists — his highest total since tallying six in a win over Denver on Jan. 21.
He added seven points and a rebound, and as noted by Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe, several of those points came in a decisive, workman-like run with 3:30 remaining in the first half, and L.A. trailing by 15.
There was nothing dramatic in the 10-0 run covering a scant 2:20 that got the Lakers back into the game. Pau Gasol (20 points, 10 rebounds as he continues his outstanding play since the last Celtics game) hit a jump hook. Shannon Brown knocked the ball away from a startled Kendrick Perkins and cruised in for a slam. Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher each made a pair of free throws. Fisher hit a little floater. It all added up to the Lakers being in business for the first time in the game.
RESPECT FOR SLOAN
Thursday night was also marked by the sudden retirement of Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan. Derek played for Utah during the 2006-07 season, and while Sloan had a dramatically different coaching style from Phil Jackson, No. 2 had a lot of appreciation and respect for him.
As detailed in a blog entry on the Los Angeles Times web site:
But that still didn’t diminish Fisher’s level of respect for Sloan as detailed in the book. Fisher shared that Sloan was extremely supportive of him when he missed Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against Golden State as he and his family went to New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City so that his then-10-month-old daughter, Tatum, could have surgery to treat a form of eye cancer. Fisher revealed Sloan didn’t put any pressure on him for when he’d return, but the surgery went so well that Fisher managed to fly back to Salt Lake City and arrive in time to play in the second half of the Jazz’s 127-117 Game 2 victory over Golden State, an effort that showcased Fisher forcing a turnover and hitting a critical three-pointer late in the game. And when he decided to opt out of his contract when the season ended so he could seek the best medical care for Tatum, Sloan made no issue of it, something that couldn’t be said of Utah’s fan base after Fisher signed with the Lakers.
"I’ve been fortunate in my NBA career to work under two of the most talented and successful coaches in the history of the pro game," Fisher wrote in his book. "I feel privileged to have played under two living legends and to have seen how two different approaches to the game and how to treat players can both produce winning teams."
RELATED STORIES
- Lakers React to Jerry Sloan’s Departure (Los Angeles Times, Feb. 11, 2011)
- Lakers Rounding Into Form (Boston Globe, Feb. 11, 2011)