Fish Hounds Paul as Lakers Move On

//Fish Hounds Paul as Lakers Move On

Fish Hounds Paul as Lakers Move On

By | 2016-10-22T05:57:47-08:00 April 29th, 2011|News|Comments Off on Fish Hounds Paul as Lakers Move On

There is no bigger compliment to a professional athlete than respect from their peers. In the Western Conference Quarterfinals, Derek Fisher earned that and then some.

Thursday night, after the Lakers closed out the New Orleans Hornets 98-80 in Game 6 to win the Western Conference Quarterfinals 4-2, New Orleans point guard Chris Paul gave D-Fish one of the highest compliments he could receive.

"A lot of the credit goes to Derek Fisher," Paul said. "I told him after the game that he played unbelievable defense for the entire series."

Many believed the series would be decided by guard play and whether Fish could defend the explosive and talented Paul. In the Hornets’ two wins, Paul was a handful. But in the clincher on Thursday, Derek did his best containment job of all. He limited the All-Star point guard to 10 points, easily his worst output of the series.

Without the Hornets star as a factor in the game, the Lakers will able to pull away with ease and finish off New Orleans, as Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles writes:

"Before the game, I wrote about the need for Chris Paul not just to play well, but at a level approaching the upper edges of elite (as he was in Games 1 and 4) for the Hornets to have a chance.

Fair to say he didn’t get there. For the first time in the series, the Lakers almost completely eliminated Paul as a factor. CP3 finished the first half with only one field goal, four assists, and two turnovers as the Lakers crowded him on the ball, and when he gave it up L.A. did a great job denying him opportunities to get it back. The third quarter wasn’t particularly kind, either, as Paul had more turnovers (two) than buckets (one).

He’d finish with 10 points on 4-of-9 from the floor, and while he had 11 assists also turned the ball over five times, a ratio the Lakers could more than live with.

All series long, Paul has been called the head of the snake. Take it off, and the whole thing dies. Thursday, the Lakers not only decapitated the slithery reptile, but turned the skin into a boots and barbecued the meat."

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times documented a particular instance when the Lakers used strong rotations to limit the Hornets’ options on offense:

In one first-quarter play, Hornets forward Aaron Gray set a high screen on Derek Fisher, but there Bynum stood in the lane to shut off Paul’s baseline drive, Kobe Bryant inched over in case help was needed and Ron Artest stood inside the paint. So instead of driving into all that traffic, Paul redirected the offense. Fisher immediately went back to defending him before finding Willie Green on the far perimeter, but the Lakers demonstrated their strong defensive rotations once again.

Paul said the Lakers defense frustrated him because they gave him no place to turn and he again credited No. 2 with corralling him:

"D-Fish gets up on one side of you and while you can drive by you have the Twin Towers standing down there in the middle of the lane waiting on you," Paul said. "I still tried to find my spots, the lane was packed. And D-Fish was in my pocket all night long."

KINGS OF THE CLOSEOUT
The closeout victory in Game 6 on Thursday night was the Lakers’ 21st series ending win in 23 closeout opportunities during Fish’s two stints in Los Angeles.

Derek said that when the Lakers sense an opportunity to finish off an opponent they know how to get it done.

"I think we smelled an opportunity to end the series. As we’ve learned over the years, when you have an opportunity to close a team out, you have to figure out a way to bring whatever is necessary to do it while you have the chance. If you allow a team to make it to the next game, then maybe they are the ones who find some magic and they take you out. We smelled an opportunity to finish it off, and I’m glad we were able to do that on their home court."

Though it was primarily his defense that wound up being Derek’s calling card in Game 6, he still made some crucial plays on the offensive end as well. He scored four of his six points in the first quarter, with a layup and a jumper. Fish’s strong start helped the Lakers to combat the New Orleans crowd and take an 18-16 lead after one.

"I think we weathered the storm early," he said. "We didn’t get off to a great start. But we didn’t allow the emotion and the energy in the building to get to us early. Even though we didn’t play well, we hung right in there.

In the second, No. 2 held his own personal passing clinic. On three straight Laker possessions he recorded three assists, each to a different player. No. 2 fed Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant, all for layups. He then sank a long two-point jumper, accounting for eight points in a run that saw the Lakers go up seven as they began to pull away. They were able to maintain that lead in the second half and walk away with a surprisingly easy victory.

However, as easy as Thursday’s victory looked, Fish said the Hornets made the series tough and that’s fine with No. 2. Adversity builds character.

"This is the way it has happened for us in the last few years, and it seems to work," Derek said. "You would like to sweep the early rounds, but if you don’t, they help you develop that thick skin, that mentality that you will need for the rest of the playoffs."

Fish also said he thinks the Lakers needed a little time to build up their momentum and find their rhythm as the playoffs began. Now, he feels, they’re hitting their groove:

"I think we’re definitely a team that’s better as things build," he said. "We ended the regular season on a Wednesday and the first game of the playoffs was Sunday, and then game two was not until Wednesday. We haven’t been a team that plays well when we play one game in a week.

"We need to play, develop a rhythm and continue to improve through playing. I don’t know if it’s swagger, or what you want to call it, but I think we are able to find rhythm and improve in a playoff series. That something that really provides an advantage for us."

A TEXAS TANGO
The Lakers now move on to the Western Conference Semifinals where they will face the Dallas Mavericks. That series will tip off on Monday at the Staples Center. Los Angeles is 2-1 against Dallas this year. Below is a full schedule for the series:

Game 1 – Mon May 2 Dallas at L.A. Lakers 7:30PM TNT
Game 2 – Wed May 4 Dallas at L.A. Lakers 7:30PM TNT
Game 3 – Fri May 6 L.A. Lakers at Dallas TBD ESPN
Game 4 – Sun May 8 L.A. Lakers at Dallas 12:30PM ABC
Game 5 * Tue May 10 Dallas at L.A. Lakers TBD TNT
Game 6 * Thu May 12 L.A. Lakers at Dallas TBD ESPN
Game 7 * Sun May 15 Dallas at L.A. Lakers 12:30PM ABC

*if necessary. All times are Pacific.

RELATED ARTICLES