Derek Fisher trains vigorously in the offseason to keep his body in tip-top shape.
He does so geared toward only one thing: being strong, healthy and able to endure the marathon that is the NBA postseason. Teammate Kobe Bryant, a gym rat himself, often raves about Derek’s work ethic:
"I’ve been seeing it since ’96," Bryant said of D-Fish. "He’s been doing it since day one."
Bryant also said he believes Derek is crucial to keeping the Lakers organized in close and late situations.
"He likes structure. Guys doing certain things and doing them the right way," Bryant said. "We’re firm believers in that, guys staying organized in doing the right thing. He’s the basketball Barack. He says the right thing at the right time."
The Lakers needed that kind of leadership on Tuesday night after losing a 21-point lead and being forced into overtime by the Phoenix Suns.
The NBA regular season is preparing to give way to the postseason marathon, but against the Suns, the Lakers found themselves already locked into one of those situations. The game transformed quickly from prospective blowout to playoff-style, give your all, triple overtime game.
With a 46-minute effort, Fish showed he has the energy and endurance necessary to take Los Angeles through to the month of June. The 46:01 minutes were exactly 11 minutes more than Derek’s previous season high of 35:01 on January 12th.
Despite playing nearly a full NBA game, D-Fish only got stronger as the game wore on, helping the Lakers to a 139-137 triple overtime win over the Suns. Though he was limited to two points and two assists on the night, No. 2 still came up big, leading all players with four steals. And all four of those steals came in the game’s later stages.
"He likes to make sense out of chaos," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of D-Fish. "He’s got to read the defense and see where people are on floor… He certainly is a leader who knows how to get things done."
Toward the end of the first half, the veteran guard pick-pocketed Phoenix’s Steve Nash, leading to a Kobe Bryant bucket. Late in the fourth, Derek again stole from Nash, picking up his second of the game.
Tied though at 112 after 48 minutes, the teams headed to overtime.
In the first extra frame, No. 2 nabbed a bad pass from Channing Fyre and the turnover led to a Ron Artest three.
Then, with eight seconds left in the first overtime, Derek was fouled by Nash. No. 2 sank both charity shots, calmly giving the Lakers a three-point margin. Those shots would prove crucial when Fyre hit a three to send the game to a second overtime.
Fish was quiet in the second frame, but in the third overtime, he swiped the ball from Nash for a third time, his fourth steal of the night. Los Angeles was able to hold on in the game’s final moments and left with a huge win.
Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN LA saw Derek’s play as one of the highlights of Tuesday’s win:
"He didn’t have a field goal, but Fisher did a ton of work around the floor, playing some very solid and often timely defense, delivering key steals among his four on the evening. And his only two points — a pair of free throws in the first OT — proved crucial."
NEXT UP
After their marathon victory, Fish and the Lakers get a few days off to rest their legs.
LA doesn’t play again until Friday, when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers.
Tip-off of that game is scheduled for 7:30 PST on FS West.
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