The Oklahoma City Thunder confirmed on Sunday what had been widely assumed for a while: they are one of the NBA’s elite teams.
OKC made a statement Sunday, clinching a playoff berth by toppling the NBA-leading Chicago Bulls 92-78. It was Chicago’s biggest loss this season and pulled the Thunder within one game of the Bulls for the NBA’s best record. Oklahoma City is now 6-0 since Derek Fisher joined the team on March 21.
The OKC Thunder are 6-0 since Derek arrived (Getty Images).
The Thunder held the lead from wire-to-wire. They jumped out to a seven-point edge after one and had Chicago down by 10 at halftime. But it wasn’t until the third that they really put their feet down, outscoring Chicago 31-12 to turn the game into a rout. Derek played 20 key minutes in Sunday’s matchup, adding two assists and four defensive rebounds to the OKC cause.
"That was an efficient win for us," Head Coach Scott Brooks said. "There is no question we played our best defense of the year. I liked the way the guys fed off the basketball. We challenged every pass, we challenged every shot and we rebounded the ball better as the game was going on… Bottom line is that we played good defense. I’m happy for the guys and the way they played and the way they responded."
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led the way again, scoring 26 and 27 points respectively. The Thunder shot 49 percent from the field, but more importantly held Chicago to just 33 percent.
Though he was held scoreless on Sunday, Derek’s teammates can attest to the other ways Fish has helped his new team already.
Westbrook, one of the game’s rising stars, has thrived since Fish arrived in Oklahoma City, averaging nearly 29 points per game in the six wins. He told HoopsWorld that watching the way Derek prepares for a game has given him a glimpse at professionalism personified.
"He’s a real professional and knows how to prepare himself for different things," said Westbrook. "I just sit back and watch."
Russ Westbrook has been one of many benificaries of Derek’s presence (Getty Images).
D-Fish is known around the league for his 16 years of experience and wisdom, and OKC’s other point guard, rookie Reggie Jackson, takes every chance he gets to soak it all in.
"He definitely changed the locker room already, soon as he walked in, from the first day, on game one," Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. "He was just talking me through every moment and what we possibly should be doing on defense and offense. He lets me just ask questions and he’s always willing to give advice back so it really helps."
Fish told ESPN’s J.A. Adande that the culture of the Thunder is a 180-degree difference than that in the Lakers locker room, but he says enjoys the hunger and enthusiasm that the young OKC players bring to the arena on a daily basis.
"To be on such a young team is a lot of fun," he said. "
[It’s] just unbridled passion. A free spirit in terms of just enjoying playing the game, which I think is common in teams that haven’t quite won the championship yet."When you start winning or you win the championship, you’re carrying that baggage with you, to have to do it again. It’s extremely refreshing and enjoyable to play on a team that’s really not playing with any additional pressure to have to do anything. We’re showing up every night just having fun and playing the game. To be on such a young team, it’s extremely fun."
Derek also mentioned that fitting into the locker room has been easy for him, but that’s just his nature. He added that one of the things that hurt him the most about his trade from Los Angeles was the idea that he wouldn’t have been able to adjust to a reduced role had he stayed:
"It goes against and it flies in the face of not just what I’ve been since I’ve been in the NBA, but the type of team player I’ve been in every group I’ve ever been a part of. Team sports raised me in a sense," he said. "My mom and dad and my family, I was raised on team sports and that meant and has always stood for sharing and sacrificing and giving of yourself so that the group can succeed.
"That’s what I’m explicitly focused on doing for the Thunder right now and I’m looking forward to finishing out this regular season and really trying to help a team that was great before I even showed up."
NEXT UP
The Thunder complete a tough back-to-back on Monday night when they host the Memphis Grizzlies at Chesapeake Energy Arena.Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT and the game can be seen on FS Oklahoma.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Derek Fisher makes things OK for Thunder (LA Times, March 30, 2012)
- Game Recap: Thunder 92, Bulls 78 (OKCThunder.com, April 2, 2012)
- Derek Fisher’s still on winning side (ESPN.com, March 30, 2012)
- Derek Fisher makes presence felt with Thunder (LA Times, March 30, 2012)
- Derek Fisher faces the media about trade (The Oklahoman, March 29, 2012)
- Derek Fisher The Championship Factor? (HoopsWorld, March 31, 2012)
- Does Oklahoma City really realize what the Thunder has in Derek Fisher? (NewsOK.com, March 30, 2012)