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Revision as of 19:14, 12 March 2005 edit147.197.250.16 (talk) changed "on game 5" to "in game 5"← Previous edit Revision as of 21:48, 14 March 2005 edit undo218.103.216.55 (talk) Fleshed out Fisher's miracle shot, cited referencesNext edit →
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'''Derek Fisher''' (born ], ] in ]) is a ] player for the ]. Derek Fisher went to ]. '''Derek Fisher''' (born ], ] in ]) is a ] player for the ]. Derek Fisher went to ].
Derek Fisher was selected 24th overall in the ] NBA draft by the ]. Fisher spent his first eight seasons with the Lakers. Fisher averaged double digits in points in three different seasons (]-], 2001-], and 2002-]). Derek Fisher made a shot that will be forever remembered in game 5 of the 2003-] Western Confrence semifinals. The score was 72-73 with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. ] in-bounded the ball to Derek Fisher, and Fisher hit the game-winning turnaround jumper. He was nicknamed "The Fish that saved L.A." Derek Fisher was selected 24th overall in the ] NBA draft by the ]. Fisher spent his first eight seasons with the Lakers. Fisher averaged double digits in points in three different seasons (]-], 2001-], and 2002-]) and won three consecutive NBA Championships with the team. An underrated part of the supporting cast behind superstars ] and ], Fisher played a vital contribution to the 2000-2001 playoff run, which the Lakers stormed through with an NBA record 15-1 mark.

The Lakers went on to win the Western Confrence Finals against the ] but lost to the ] in the NBA Finals. That memorable season with the Los Angeles Lakers was his last season with the Lakers. On ], 2004, he signed with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent.
However, Fisher's finest playoff hour came in Game 5 of the 2003-] Western Conference Semifinals between the Lakers and the defending champion ]. With the series tied at two games apiece Game 5 was a tight affair, neither team willing to give the other the lead in the series -- particularly not the Spurs, as Game 5 was on their home court. With 11 seconds remaining, Kobe Bryant hit a jump shot to put the Lakers up 72-71. The Spurs, needing last-minute heroics, thought they got it when ] somehow made an 18 foot shot despite falling away from the basket and despite solid defense by Shaquille O'Neal. The Spurs led 73-72, but Duncan left 0.4 on the clock when his shot dropped, giving the Lakers one last chance. After a couple of time-outs, ] found Fisher, who managed to catch, turn and fire a shot off within the allotted 0.4 seconds to win the game. Fisher sprinted off the court in apparent delight -- although he later revealed he did so to end the game as swiftly as possible in order to avoid the referees ruling the play after the buzzer (the play was reviewed as per NBA regulations and deemed good).

The play was even more remarkable considering the Lakers boasted an unparallelled lineup of superstars on court at the time in O'Neal, Bryant, Payton and ] -- all considered future Hall of Famers. But coach ] drew up the final play for the comparatively unheralded Fisher instead. He was nicknamed "The Fish that Saved L.A." for the play.

The Lakers went on to close out the series with the Spurs in six games and defeat the ] for an NBA Finals place. The Lakers were upset in the finals by the ]. That memorable season was Fisher's last with the Lakers. On ], 2004, he signed with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent.


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] ]

==References==
{{Book reference | Author=Jackson, Phil | Title=The Last Season: A Team in Search of its Soul | Publisher=Penguin Press | Year=2004 | ID=ISBN 1-59420-035-1}}
{{Citenews | title=Lakers Shock Spurs with Game 5 Miracle | date=May 14, 2004 | org=MSNBC | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4973513/}}
{{Web reference | title=Derek Fisher's Career Statistics | work=NBA.com | URL=http://www.nba.com/playerfile/derek_fisher/?nav=page | date=March 15 | year=2005}}

Revision as of 21:48, 14 March 2005

Derek Fisher (born August 9, 1974 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is a NBA player for the Golden State Warriors. Derek Fisher went to University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Derek Fisher was selected 24th overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Fisher spent his first eight seasons with the Lakers. Fisher averaged double digits in points in three different seasons (2000-2001, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003) and won three consecutive NBA Championships with the team. An underrated part of the supporting cast behind superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Fisher played a vital contribution to the 2000-2001 playoff run, which the Lakers stormed through with an NBA record 15-1 mark.

However, Fisher's finest playoff hour came in Game 5 of the 2003-2004 Western Conference Semifinals between the Lakers and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. With the series tied at two games apiece Game 5 was a tight affair, neither team willing to give the other the lead in the series -- particularly not the Spurs, as Game 5 was on their home court. With 11 seconds remaining, Kobe Bryant hit a jump shot to put the Lakers up 72-71. The Spurs, needing last-minute heroics, thought they got it when Tim Duncan somehow made an 18 foot shot despite falling away from the basket and despite solid defense by Shaquille O'Neal. The Spurs led 73-72, but Duncan left 0.4 on the clock when his shot dropped, giving the Lakers one last chance. After a couple of time-outs, Gary Payton found Fisher, who managed to catch, turn and fire a shot off within the allotted 0.4 seconds to win the game. Fisher sprinted off the court in apparent delight -- although he later revealed he did so to end the game as swiftly as possible in order to avoid the referees ruling the play after the buzzer (the play was reviewed as per NBA regulations and deemed good).

The play was even more remarkable considering the Lakers boasted an unparallelled lineup of superstars on court at the time in O'Neal, Bryant, Payton and Karl Malone -- all considered future Hall of Famers. But coach Phil Jackson drew up the final play for the comparatively unheralded Fisher instead. He was nicknamed "The Fish that Saved L.A." for the play.

The Lakers went on to close out the series with the Spurs in six games and defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves for an NBA Finals place. The Lakers were upset in the finals by the Detroit Pistons. That memorable season was Fisher's last with the Lakers. On July 16, 2004, he signed with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent.

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References

. ISBN 1-59420-035-1. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) "Lakers Shock Spurs with Game 5 Miracle". May 14, 2004. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help) "Derek Fisher's Career Statistics". NBA.com. March 15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

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