[0] LIKE A FISH BACK IN WATER GUARD SCORES CAREER-HIGH 26 IN SEASON DEBUT LAKERS 112, BOSTON 107.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer Derek Fisher's season debut came more than four months late. Sixty-two games late. And the time spent sitting and watching and grimacing as his Lakers sleepwalked through the first two-thirds of their championship defense was not an enjoyable pastime. Is it any wonder that he hit the court Tuesday night wound up like a toy car with too-taut rubber bands? Fisher, playing his first game since the Lakers won the championship in June, brought all the energy and enthusiasm the team expected and much, much more, and his drive pushed the Lakers to a 112-107 victory over the Boston Celtics at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. . The usual Fisher trademarks all were in evidence - the defensive stops, the scraps for loose balls. But it was the unexpected, uncharacteristic offensive splendor that saved the Lakers from a third consecutive defeat. Fisher got the start, then turned in a career-high 26 points to go with eight assists and a career-high six steals in a surprising 37-minute run. ``That,'' coach Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American professional basketball team. said, ```was an incredible game. That's a remarkable game. We really couldn't exist without him on the floor tonight.'' Jackson had figured to play Fisher maybe eight minutes. But then the Lakers sagged every time Fisher left the floor, Brian Shaw Brian K. Shaw (born March 22, 1966 in Oakland, California) is a former professional basketball player. The 6' 6" Shaw could play both guard spots, but was used primarily at point guard over the course of his 14 seasons in the league. got into foul trouble and it was clear that they didn't just need Fisher's presence but his all-out will. ``Heart and soul,'' Horace Grant Horace Junior Grant (born July 4 1965 in Augusta, Georgia) is a retired American basketball player. He attended and played college basketball at Clemson University, before playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he became a 4-time NBA champion. said of Fisher. ``Whenever he's on the floor, he lays it on the line.'' If he hadn't, the Lakers might have been talking about their first three-game losing streak in two years rather than an inspiring victory that closed out a four-game homestand. Instead, the Lakers (42-21) found new hope in the unlikeliest of places, and can still look forward to the return of Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. and Isaiah Rider Isaiah Rider, Jr., sometimes known as J.R. Rider (born March 12, 1971 in Oakland, California) is an American former NBA basketball player, who played from 1993–2001. The 6'5" (1. later this week. It had been nearly eight months since Fisher last played - in Game 6 of the Finals - and almost five months since he had surgery to repair a stress fracture stress fracture n. A fatigue fracture of bone caused by repeated application of a heavy load, such as the constant pounding on a surface by runners, gymnasts, and dancers. in his right foot. If there were jitters jitters 'Butterflies' Psychology An episode of nervousness or anxiety that often precedes a public event; jitters is a type of performance anxiety which may affect actors in a stage production–stage fright or soloist musicians; it may respond to anxiolytics or rust, it wasn't in evidence as he made 8 of 16 field goals and 8 of 9 free throws. ``To be out of this game for so long, since June 19, I don't think there was any way that I was going to come out on the court, however long I played, and be passive, or be not aggressive and not just enjoy being out there,'' Fisher said. ``Things started to click for me and I started to find a rhythm and I just couldn't believe, in the first night, that I started to feel like that.'' Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). (28 points), Rick Fox (21 points) and Horace Grant (16 points) joined Fisher in double figures, but the Lakers had incredible difficulty staving off the Celtics and Paul Pierce. The Inglewood High product scored 42 points, making 13 of 19 field goals and 13 of 21 free throws. Boston got its last tie at 98-98 on Pierce's free throws, but Fisher came back with an 8-foot jump shot to put the Lakers back on top for good. He scored 11 in the final period. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) Derek Fisher (2) was in the middle of things all night Tuesday, scoring a career-high 26 points in his first game of the season. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer Box: GAME RECAP |
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