That's Mr. Derek Fisher to those who weren't paying attention to the Lakers a few years back. He earned the "Mr. .04" title when, during game 5 of the 2003-2004 Western Conference Finals against the Spurs, he took an inbounds pass with .04 seconds left in the game and hit a miracle shot to beat both the clock and the Spurs. The Lakers went on to win that series with the Spurs in 6 games but ended up losing to the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.
That was the last year the Lakers of old were together. In fact, that was the year that the starting lineup was Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone, Gary Payton and usually Rick Fox although Devean George started that particular playoff game. That all-star packed team was predicted to kick the rest of the NBA's butt up and down the court. Instead, early in the season after a great start, Malone suffered the only real injury in his long career and ended up on the sidelines for much of the season.
Anyway, Kobe and the Lakers are out of the playoffs this year. They did better than I expected because they managed to win one game from the Suns. Which is one more victory than Shaq and the defending NBA Champion Heat earned against a much less formidable Chicago Bulls team. So now I'm forced to look elsewhere for a team to root for.
Then tonight I flip on the TV to find Fisher on the Jazz and they're in game 7 of their first round series against the Rockets, leading by 9 points at the moment with 1:34 left in the 3rd quarter. I always liked Fisher. He was one of the most down to earth players in the NBA. I'm happy to see him on a competitive team again.
So, now it's "Go Jazz"!
:Update, Utah is now leading by 3 with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter.
:Update, Utah is now leading by 4 with 19.9 seconds left in the 4th quarter.
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