Oklahoma City head coach Scott Brooks needed someone to stop Minnesota’s Kevin Martin. He turned to a wily veteran.
As reported by The Oklahoman, Derek Fisher proved instrumental in Sunday’s win over the Timberwolves. For nearly the entire game, Martin had been on fire.
Then OKC’s most experienced firefighter checked into the game.
As the game entered the final period, Martin had poured in 22 points for Minnesota, making six of his 12 shot attempts. He was 4-for-7 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
But then Thunder coach Scott Brooks unleashed his bulldog.
“I told him, ‘No (double teams). No switches. You’re guarding him. I don’t care where he goes, you’re guarding him.’”
And that, in effect, was that. Again, from The Oklahoman:
When he latched himself onto Martin, Fisher disrupted Minnesota’s entire offense, one that had been torching the Thunder for the better part of the previous 36 minutes.
The final score, a 113-103 Thunder win, was a reflection of the defensive effort Fisher put forth to help turn the tide.
Fish explained that his performance simply came down to pressure.
“I thought it was important for us to be able to be physical with him and make a difference but not put him and their team on the free throw line,” Fisher said. “You can feel when you’re making a difference, and I felt like I was making it as difficult as possible for him to score.
