The Fish that saved Los Angelos

For those who witnessed Game 4 of these NBA Finals between the Los Angelos Lakers and the Orlando Magic saw the unlikeliest of heroes emerge. Kobe and the Lakers now lead the Magic 3 games to 1, and seem to have clinched the title (No team has ever come back from a 3-1 disadvantage in the Finals). However, while Kobe Bryant can now say that he won a championship without Shaq, he still hasn't won one without Derek Fisher.

Derek Fisher was unheralded guard out of Arkansas drafted by Los Angelos in 1996. He was thrown right into the fire, playing 80 games in his rookie season. He didn't even average double digit points until the 2000-2001 season, but by then he had established himself as the primary point guard in Phil Jackson's triangle offense. Kobe Bryant was also drafted in 1996, albeit as one of the top prep stars in the nation. The two were drafted 11 spots apart, however when the Lakers traded starting center Vlade Divac for the young Bryant on draft day their paths would cross as the starting backcourt for a budding Los Angelos squad.


The story of Derek Fisher is nothing short of remarkable. For the Los Angelos 3 peat in the early 2000s, Fisher was the point guard who had to keep both Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant appeased while putting the Lakers in positions to win games. He won the confidence and trust of Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson who had initially written the guard as "undersized and not particularly athletic". Nowadays, Fisher acts almost as a coach on the floor, running the Laker offense even with All Stars Gasol, Bryant, and Odom present, and has been described by his contemporaries, opposing coaches, and most impressively Phil Jackson as "dogged". Its a quality that Jackson has used to describe players like Steve Kerr and Robert Horry. While both players were undersized or underskilled at their respective positions, the two combined to win 12 titles in 14 seasons. Kerr boasts 5 rings while Horry can wear his 7 championship rings with impunity.

This brings us to Game 4 of the 2009 NBA Finals. Against the upstart Magic featuring the "next great center" Dwight Howard, who had a NBA Finals record 9 blocks in Game 4, it wasn't the best player on the team, Kobe Bryant, their All Star center, Pau Gasol, or any of the young budding stars, Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar, Andrew Bynum, who would save the Lakers from letting this title slip away. It was the 34 year old Fisher who has battled injuries, his daughter's fight with a deadly illness, and slowing legs to bring Los Angelos a commanding 3-1 lead going into Game 5 in Orlando. More importantly, Fisher perserved Bryant's legacy. While few may remember the name Derek Fisher years and years from now, the man deemed "one of the best players ever" by legends and contemporaries alike will still owe an undersized, underskilled guard from Arkansas. He'll owe him big time.