Derek Fisher has never been one to get caught up in the past or focus too much on the distant future.
The Lakers captain is famously a here and now guy.
So that’s why, in the face of a five-game losing streak, Fish is keeping his eyes locked on the task at hand for the Lakers. That involves winning the final two games of the regular season and entering the playoffs as the West’s No. 2 seed.
"We still have an opportunity to solidify our spot," he said after LA lost their fifth straight. "We’ll continue to go back to the drawing board and find a way to win a game."
As of April 1st, the Lakers were having no trouble winning games. They had reeled off 17-of-18 since the All-Star break and closed to within 1.5 games of the Spurs for the best record in the NBA. They appeared primed to roll into the postseason playing their best basketball.
At that point, D-Fish believes, overconfidence may have crept in:
"I think that’s what happened to us," he said. "We surged, closer to the top of the standings and started to look above and ahead as opposed to staying in the present. We lost that step and it’s tough to get it back when you’re playing against professionals."
Since a win over the Utah Jazz on 4/1, LA is 0-5 and they now find themselves desperately clinging to the No. 2 seed, locked in a tie with the Dallas Mavericks.
The latest loss came Sunday night at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, 120-106. Fish had seven points and four assists in the loss, nearly identical numbers to Friday night, when No. 2 had eight points and four rebounds in a loss to the Portland Trailblazers.
The fact that, after a 18-game string of success, things went so wrong so fast for the Lakers is not lost on Derek.
"This is tough for us because we were playing so well," Fish admitted after Sunday’s loss. "It’s just a bad time for us in terms of how we want to finish the regular season."
But he also relayed the same message he’s been conveying all season: Now is absolutely not the time to panic. A level head, No. 2 added, is the most important attribute at this time of year.
"I think its important to make sure we’re keeping everything in perspective and we’re not carrying the burden of what is happening prior to tonight’s game, and worrying about what could happen if we do lose this game or that game," he said.
"It’s important for us to recognize that what we go through at any point in an 82-game season is part of an 82-game season. You’re going to have some great stretches, some average stretches and some bad stretches."
But it’s these moments, Fish believes, that make a championship team stronger and make success taste that much sweeter.
"This is still a part of what you go through as a team, particular for our team in terms of what we’re trying to accomplish," he said. "We can’t get caught up in the way the package is supposed to look. At the end of the day we just want to have the gift that we want and that’s to be champions.
"Every year there are situations that make you feel like this might not be the year," Derek added. "That’s why grown men cry when you finally win that championship, it’s because you remember when you lost five games in a row and things looked really bad."
NEXT UP
Two games remain for the Lakers to solidify their No. 2 spot in the West.
The first comes Tuesday night when the Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs in their final regular season game at Staples Center this season.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PT and the game can be seen on TNT.
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