Fish Gives Credit to Phil

//Fish Gives Credit to Phil

Fish Gives Credit to Phil

By | 2016-10-22T05:57:49-08:00 March 18th, 2011|News|Comments Off on Fish Gives Credit to Phil

The Lakers return to the hardwood tonight, after a three days of practice, to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Los Angeles has won 10-of-11 games since the All-Star Break and are unquestionably the hottest team in basketball as the season nears its end.


Derek, Kobe and Pau have enjoyed a string of success since the All-Star break.

Derek Fisher believes their success at this stage of the season is a product of the preparation put forth by coach Phil Jackson. In the last few days without a game, the Lakers have put a lot of work into fine-tuning their play.

The extended time with their coach gave No. 2 the chance to reflect on the man who’s helped him put a championship ring on five of his 10 fingers.

"His leadership style and his coaching style bodes well for consistency," Derek said. "You are not going to see a lot of dramatic highs and lows. But you are going to see nice steady quality basketball over time. He doesn’t over coach us, over manage, over analyze things as the season goes on. It helps us hear his voice better as the season moves into this part."

In his most recent game, a Monday win over the Orlando Magic, D-Fish put up 15 points in possibly his most impressive individual performance of the season. Derek said coach Jackson is adept at getting the Lakers to play their best basketball at the right time. He also said that leaving Jackson for a few years gave him a newfound appreciation for the man.

"I think I had a great appreciation for it early on, but it was even greater, leaving and coming back," he said. "When I left I got the experience of working with other coaches, seeing and observing different leadership styles and coaching styles."

Fish said that because of the level of success coach Jackson has achieved and because of the level of success he has brought to the Lakers as a unit, they can work through even the toughest of days. Like an especially grueling practice in mid-March:

"You can see the difference. You can feel the difference. I think as a player you appreciate it, even today on a day like today when he got on our nerves a lot," Fish said. "I think as a player you learn to appreciate that there’s a method to the madness and there’s a reason why he does the things the way he does them. The results obviously speak for themselves. We feel like we’re getting closer to putting ourselves in the position to be where we want to be at the right time."

Derek also understands when to inject his own voice.

"I try to let my voice

[be heard] at the right time," he said. "Ninety-nine out of 100 times, I’m speaking on behalf of the group. Very rarely am I speaking only for myself. I try to say things that are going to be helpful to us as a whole and I think my guys appreciate that."

More than anything though, both Fish and the Zen Master understand the rigors of an NBA season and that lets the Lakers go at a pace the whole team feels is adequate.

"[We don’t pace] in the sense of not trying to go out and win every game you play, but realizing an NBA season, in particular when you have plans to win a championship in the NBA, it’s a marathon," Derek said. "And I don’t know of any marathon runners that have sprinted from start to finish.

"You have to pace the 26 miles the right way or you are going to be out of gas by the time you get to the finish. It’s not about not giving our best effort throughout the regular season, but it’s recognizing that we have to have some gas left in the tank at the end. We have to be healthy and we have to be able to finish strong. That’s how you win."

CHARITABLE BREAK
In the midst of a grueling NBA season, it’s tough to find any time to relax.

So it was all the more impressive that during one of their few breaks, D-Fish and teammate Shannon Brown took some time out for charity.

The two appeared on NBC’s "Minute to Win It" in an episode that aired Wednesday night, playing games to raise money for their causes. Together Derek and Shannon raised $75,000 to be split between the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Foundation, Inc. (Derek’s charity of choice) and the Shannon Brown Foundation.

To watch their appearance on the show, click here.

NEXT UP
The Lakers play the second game of a seven-game homestand tonight when the Timberwolves come to Staples.

Los Angeles has won all three games against Minnesota this year, and in the two most recent meetings, No. 2 has been strong. In mid-November, he scored 12 points in a 112-95 victory. Then, recently, D-Fish dropped nine points in a 90-79 victory.

After LA dances with the Wolves, the Portland Trailblazers come to town on Sunday. Fish and the Lakers are 2-0 against the Blazers, with No. 2 averaging nine points and three assists in the two wins.

Both games can be seen on FS West. Tonight’s tip is at 7:30 PST while Sunday’s is an hour earlier at 6:30.

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