Derek Fisher on his 0.4 second miracle

[duncan228]

Derek Fisher on his 0.4 second miracle (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/16410/derek-fisher-on-his-0-4-second-miracle)
By Henry Abbott
TrueHoop

It was one of the most memorable shots of the decade (even if it was not a great day for precision in NBA timekeeping (http://thenullhypodermic.blogspot.com/2009/06/infamous-fisher-04-shot.html)).

In Game 5 of a 2004 playoff series in San Antonio, the Lakers trailed the Spurs by one point after Tim Duncan made a very tough leaner of a long jumper with a hand in his face. There were just four tenths of a second left, when Fisher made this shot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TdZHffwOF8).

In a new video interview on his website, Fisher talks in great detail about that shot (http://www.derekfisher2.com/news/fish-recounts-04/2010/06/02). He describes the particulars of the inbounds play -- which he says the Lakers run to this day.

He also talks about how when the ball first left his fingertips, he thought it was long. He points out that he doesn't shoot a lot of fadeaways like that, and wasn't used to the feeling. But then, as the ball traveled a bit, his thoughts changed to "oh, this is right on line."

Then he points out something pretty funny about the celebration. As soon as the ball went in, he had one thought: run to the locker room. Get out of here. His teammates, meanwhile, had a different single thought: Mob Derek Fisher. In the highlights, you can see his teammates run from the bench at the far end of the court, to surround him, only he ran right through all of them, back in the direction where they had come from, and out of the arena. That forced them to circle back, as Fisher says "like a cartoon," to keep up with him.

[DAF86]

Was it really necessary duncan228?

[TIMMYD!]

Was it really necessary duncan228?

I'm with you on this one.

[duncan228]

:lol That's why it's here and not on the Spurs board.

[Giuseppe]

The patience by Payton was extraordinary. He usually couldn't maintain focus for more than a second at a time.

Aside from pissing off you guys though, it gleaned us squat.

[Killakobe81]

The patience by Payton was extraordinary. He usually couldn't maintain focus for more than a second at a time.

Aside from pissing off you guys though, it gleaned us squat.

Difference between us and them?

Mavs or suns fan would revel in a play like that ...

Great shot and great memory BUT we lost in the finals 4-1 ... so it didnt mean shit ....

Love the Hate Derek fisher shirts that shot spawned I have to find one of those ... tee hee !

[Giuseppe]

^Yep, yep.

[4>0rings]

Get the hell on with that weak ass article.

[mingus]

in that grand scheme of things, doesn't really mean anything. Spurs should have beaten the Lakers that year, though. really the only time against LA where the Spurs actually had a better team going into the series and lost. probably the best last second (if you include Duncan's miracle shot) that i've ever seen in a game for basketball fans. that game really decided the series. i think the Spurs matched up well enough to beat the Piston's that year, too. but the way the Piston's rolled past LA, kind of difficult to say.

[ffadicted]

Duncan's shot should've never gone in, spurs fans constantly ignore this fact

[mingus]

^^^ probably the hardest shot i've ever seen go in last-second like that.

[HarlemHeat37]

I dislike Fisher, but I respect the fuck out of him, unlike most Laker fans..a true playoff performer, and I still can't believe that shot went in..it should have been Duncan's most memorable shot..

[Giuseppe]

I dislike Fisher, but I respect the fuck out of him

So, like Larry Miller yer buyin' that dog & pony show about his daughter's eye?

[TheManFromAcme]

Difference between us and them?

Mavs or suns fan would revel in a play like that ...

Great shot and great memory BUT we lost in the finals 4-1 ... so it didnt mean shit ....

Love the Hate Derek fisher shirts that shot spawned I have to find one of those ... tee hee !

:depressed

[lefty]

Ugh

[BUMP]

I forgot how low scoring that game was :lol

[Giuseppe]

No one gives a fuck who you dislike.

Luva, girdin' his loinage, puttin' on his game face, facein' Double H up, bustin' his ass to the rim.


Let no man write our epitaph.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Difference between us and them?

Mavs or suns fan would revel in a play like that ...

Great shot and great memory BUT we lost in the finals 4-1 ... so it didnt mean shit ....

Love the Hate Derek fisher shirts that shot spawned I have to find one of those ... tee hee !


Cut that superiority shit out, Lakerfan was and still is all over Kobe's dick for the shot he hit to take a 3-1 series lead in 2006, and they didn't even win that series.

[SomeCallMeTim]

Cut that superiority shit out, Lakerfan was and still is all over Kobe's dick for the shot he hit to take a 3-1 series lead in 2006, and they didn't even win that series.

Point taken.

The difference between the two I think is this:

2004 the Lakers were expected to win it all. Didn't. Epic failure.

2006 the Lakers weren't supposed to win a playoff series. Came pretty freakin' close. Not epic failure.

In the end, you're right though. Either it's OK to celebrate a high point on the road to something less than glory or it's not. Can't chide the Mavs and Suns for doing it and then jock Kobe's big shots as if they're somehow different.

Me, I have no problem with Suns fans being proud of '93 or beating the Spurs... or Mavs proud of whatever they're proud of... and I still get stoked every time I see the replay of those final Kobe shots in Game 4 of the 2006 playoffs.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Point taken.

The difference between the two I think is this:

2004 the Lakers were expected to win it all. Didn't. Epic failure.

2006 the Lakers weren't supposed to win a playoff series. Came pretty freakin' close. Not epic failure.

In the end, you're right though. Either it's OK to celebrate a high point on the road to something less than glory or it's not. Can't chide the Mavs and Suns for doing it and then jock Kobe's big shots as if they're somehow different.

Me, I have no problem with Suns fans being proud of '93 or beating the Spurs... or Mavs proud of whatever they're proud of... and I still get stoked every time I see the replay of those final Kobe shots in Game 4 of the 2006 playoffs.


I agree, teams don't need to win a championship for fans to have good memories from that season. As shitty as game 6 and 7 musta sucked, I'm sure Lakers fans were pumped as shit after Kobe hit that shot to go up 3-1, and they had every right to be.

[Giuseppe]

I agree, teams don't need to win a championship for fans to have good memories from that season. As shitty as game 6 and 7 musta sucked, I'm sure Lakers fans were pumped as shit after Kobe hit that shot to go up 3-1, and they had every right to be.

Sure, but, then Smush would find himself into my television screen and I'd beat the wife, or, shoot a dog in Mesa.

Oh, it was awful.

[Kamala]

A catch and shoot jump shot with .4 is not possible but it sure as shit was that night. Better believe a rule change would be implemented if Spurs hit that bucket.

[history2b]

Derek Fisher on his 0.4 second miracle (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/16410/derek-fisher-on-his-0-4-second-miracle)
By Henry Abbott
TrueHoop

It was one of the most memorable shots of the decade (even if it was not a great day for precision in NBA timekeeping (http://thenullhypodermic.blogspot.com/2009/06/infamous-fisher-04-shot.html)).

In Game 5 of a 2004 playoff series in San Antonio, the Lakers trailed the Spurs by one point after Tim Duncan made a very tough leaner of a long jumper with a hand in his face. There were just four tenths of a second left, when Fisher made this shot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TdZHffwOF8).

In a new video interview on his website, Fisher talks in great detail about that shot (http://www.derekfisher2.com/news/fish-recounts-04/2010/06/02). He describes the particulars of the inbounds play -- which he says the Lakers run to this day.

He also talks about how when the ball first left his fingertips, he thought it was long. He points out that he doesn't shoot a lot of fadeaways like that, and wasn't used to the feeling. But then, as the ball traveled a bit, his thoughts changed to "oh, this is right on line."

Then he points out something pretty funny about the celebration. As soon as the ball went in, he had one thought: run to the locker room. Get out of here. His teammates, meanwhile, had a different single thought: Mob Derek Fisher. In the highlights, you can see his teammates run from the bench at the far end of the court, to surround him, only he ran right through all of them, back in the direction where they had come from, and out of the arena. That forced them to circle back, as Fisher says "like a cartoon," to keep up with him.

This was a wonderful shot and an all time great NBA moment in the history of the NBA playoffs.

I'm just glad the Spurs were finally apart of memorable NBA playoff history.

[Giuseppe]

2b, it's numb. It meant nothing in the final analysis. We crapped the bed, stepped out the door, porked the pooch, bit the booger. We gained nothing from it.

Total loss.

[Ashy Larry]

Lakers actually had a nice lead in that game and just went brainfart late .........

[Giuseppe]

All my jackassing aside it was in a vacuum a glorious play. The patience that Payton displayed for once in his gd life was so impressive as the five count to his right was going on.

[lefty]

The clock didnt start to run as soon as Fish caught the ball

But to be fair, it must be difficut to start the clock that quickly

[Strike]

I went from complete elation after Duncan's shot to complete deflation after Fisher's shot. Whether or not the clock started properly means nothing. The basket was counted, the Lakers got the win, and the Spurs were eliminated one game later. SA had plenty of opportunities to win that series but couldn't pull it off. Hats off to LA, and all that.

Watching the Lakers get rolled by Detroit gave me a slight amount of satisfaction but Fisher's shot still stung and still stings to this day.

But, whatever. It's in the history books. And YouTube.

[tbonewalker]

I went from complete elation after Duncan's shot to complete deflation after Fisher's shot. Fisher's shot still stung and still stings to this day.


This just put the biggest smile on my face. Thanks man. :lobt:

[HarlemHeat37]

:lol I love when Laker fans pretend to like Derek Fisher during the off-season, and then they proceed to shit on him all year, until he carries them to a crucial W when it matters..

[DeadlyDynasty]

:lol I love when Laker fans pretend to like Derek Fisher during the off-season, and then they proceed to shit on him all year, until he carries them to a crucial W when it matters..

tbh I'm guilty of this. I love him in the 4th quarter but he makes me cringe during the first 3

[koriwhat]

all that needs to be said, "fuckin' bullshit!"

[z0sa]

:lol I love when Laker fans pretend to like Derek Fisher during the off-season, and then they proceed to shit on him all year, until he carries them to a crucial W when it matters..

It truly is hilarious. Dude is clutch as fuck and should get the same respect as Horry concerning taking the first 3 off.

[DeadlyDynasty]

all that needs to be said, "fuckin' bullshit!"

-YjAO9CQTAk

[HarlemHeat37]

I bet there are already threads on LG asking for Steve Blake's extremely ugly ass to be starting over Fisher..

[xellos88330]

The pain.........

The anguish.....

The FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!

[Mark in Austin]

I think Fisher has been one of the great underrated players over the years in terms of being good locker room glue. Every team needs a player like him.

[history2b]

tbh I'm guilty of this. I love him in the 4th quarter but he makes me cringe during the first 3

Not me.

Never happens because I respect Fisher and understand his role on the team.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Not me.

Never happens because I respect Fisher and understand his role on the team.

It's just frustrating watching the opposing PG's blow right by him multiple times per game...still, I love Fish for the 4th qtr production and leadership though

[HarlemHeat37]

TBH, do you guys think Kobe would have kept on bricking had Fisher not stepped in and demanded a stop to it?..

[Killakobe81]

not sure why this is bumped but i maintain my original stance here. Yes, it was great shot especially since it is beloved in L.A. and bemoaned in S.A. STILL to this day. It was the spurs best chance to repeat snatched by Dfish!

But i don't celebrate Kobe's Game winner vs Phoenix or his game tying 3 vs the pistons inthe finals either ... if you watch those games on DVD, blu-ray or on NBA's greatest games they bring a smile to my face ...but in the end i know that we lost so to me they dont mean much.
Fisher's shot means much more because at least his helped win the series kobe's did not.

And i confess in my post i was being an ass. Someone had ticked me off and I was being a dick ... Im at least man enough to admit that. I believe i made that when the Mav krew were doing all they can to piss off the entire board. Im past that now ...

[AussieFanKurt]

not sure why this is bumped but i maintain my original stance here. Yes, it was great shot especially since it is beloved in L.A. and bemoaned in S.A. STILL to this day. It was the spurs best chance to repeat snatched by Dfish!

But i don't celebrate Kobe's Game winner vs Phoenix or his game tying 3 vs the pistons inthe finals either ... if you watch those games on DVD, blu-ray or on NBA's greatest games they bring a smile to my face ...but in the end i know that we lost so to me they dont mean much.
Fisher's shot means much more because at least his helped win the series kobe's did not.

And i confess in my post i was being an ass. Someone had ticked me off and I was being a dick ... Im at least man enough to admit that. I believe i made that when the Mav krew were doing all they can to piss off the entire board. Im past that now ...

I know what you're saying unfortunately in the team I support in Australia, my team came from 24 down and went up but the game was tied and we lost in the replay one week later. For some reason, its the only sport on earth that if a draw in a grand final occurs its a replay. But there was so many good plays by my team in the draw but I look back and think what could have been.

[history2b]

It's just frustrating watching the opposing PG's blow right by him multiple times per game...still, I love Fish for the 4th qtr production and leadership though


Screen roll plays are a team defensive problem.

DFish is the man. Much love for Fisher, one of my favorite Lakers of all time.

[davi78239]

You guys are forgetting that we would of had to contend with a stacked and talented timberwolves team with home court had we gotten past LA.