NBA Finals:The unsung heroes-1

Derek Fisher

No one can qualify for this spot if not Derek Fisher.Th veteran point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers has spent 14 tiring seasons in the NBA leagues, making a name for himself wherever he has been. But while we are celebrating greatness of a Celtics’ team that banks on defense, or a superstar named Kobe who does more than 1 player’s task for his team, we may have missed out on how crucial D-Fish’s role in this rejuvenated LA team has been so far.

Fisher was drafted 24th in 1996 with the Lakers.Immediately ,his game made an impact for LA and the lakers went for the ‘three peat’ achievement. Here, he was the third highest scorer ,behind only Kobe and Shaq himself.Later on ,he was traded onto the Golden State Warriors and subsequently, Utah Jazz ,where he single-handedly gave the Jazz team a major boost to reach the Western Conference Finals.It was during this time that he mentored Deron Williams, the destructive Jazz point guard.And we all know what D-Will is capable of now.

Fisher’s impact in LA can be felt from the fact that the day he rejoined the LA Lakers in 2007-08. LA ‘s winning days were back. Along with Kobe, Fisher was instrumental in leading the Lakers to three successive NBA Finals,this in itself is an insuperable feat. As for his personal exploits, D-Fish has the highest cumulative three-point shot percentage in NBA Finals history. He currently stands 3rd all time in 3-point shots made(41), behind only Robert Horry and one shy of Michael Jordon.He also has the second-highest three-point field goal percentage in NBA finals history(46.1%) ,behind only Ray Allen of the Celtics.And we all know about his defensive ability and clutch history.With age comes responsibility. With Bryant, Fisher has solely taken on the responsibility at the perimeter for the Lakers and nudged this team to yet another NBA Finals.

If you still need more proof, roll back to the highlights of Game 4 against Orlando Magic (NBA-Finals 2009) and see this little guy’s performance.