OC Register: Kobe, Fish shear something unbreakable

Mamba · Jun 12, 2009

ORLANDO, Fla. – Kobe Bryant has always preferred Batman to Superman, for one good reason: “Batman’s self-made.”

Rather than depending on freakish “Super” powers in the manner of both Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, Batman accomplishes his heroic deeds with serious preparation, focus and execution. It is how Bryant has built his legend in this game – maximizing potential to a degree that neither O’Neal nor Howard can begin to fathom … in a way that one Derek Fisher comprehends completely.

It’s amazing how much underdog you can understand just from Fisher’s simple lineup intro: “6-foot-1, in his 13th year from Arkansas-Little Rock …” He is too small, too old and too lacking in big-time talent.

Yet ever since they were Lakers rookies required to come in to practice after back-to-back games, an unofficial NBA tradition, when O’Neal was the star of the big show, they’ve built a bond Bryant describes as “unbreakable.”

“A lot of times we were the only two there, so we ended up playing full court, 1-on-1 basketball, and we were almost fighting, literally, just because we were both competitive,” Bryant said. “From that point forward I just gained so much respect for him.”

How hard they went for it in those off-Broadway plays – totally committed to self-improvement – resulted in a shared trust. Never was it more manifest than in the Lakers’ Game 4 NBA Finals victory Thursday night.

The stock story of Bryant getting to be Batman instead of Robin on a championship team took a most interesting turn, with Fisher making Howard pay dearly for two missed free throws and redeeming an underwhelming Bryant performance.

Fisher’s monumental 3-point shots to tie in regulation and go ahead in overtime were a plain reminder: It can never be done alone.

When O’Neal won that first championship back in 2000, it was in this same NBA Finals Game 4 that he fouled out and Bryant on a badly sprained ankle covered for him, masterfully securing an overtime game for a 3-1 series lead over Indiana. It was so meaningful that O’Neal would repeatedly pop the videotape of Game 4 in during the following summer to relive it.

For all the talk this time about Kobe having never won without Shaq, Kobe has never even made it to the NBA Finals without D-Fish. Six of the past seven seasons they’ve played together, they’ve played for the league championship – a level of success that would boggle the mind if not for two fundamental realities: They work so hard individually, and they work so well together.

Whereas O’Neal used to watch tapes on his VCR for fun, Bryant and Fisher will now study game footage on their portable DVD players while they make separate long commutes to work. More than anything, it is that work ethic and total focus of the Lakers’ two co-captains that forms the basis of this team’s winning personality.

For perspective, let’s go back to the Lakers’ final possession of the third quarter Thursday night: Bryant was starting his drive from the top of the key, and what was Fisher doing while perched there in the corner? He was flexing his left hand, snapping his left wrist a few times, preparing himself for a pass that would never come because Bryant didn’t get double-teamed and scored on his own.

The point is, Fisher prepares for his moment – and that’s simply what people who maximize their potential in life do. It’s the same thing Bryant does on an elevated scale. It’s the same thing Batman does in a fantasy world.

Bryant believes every poor shooting game he has will turn around down the stretch because he’s flat-out due to make some. Similarly, all through a postseason of shooting woes, Fisher’s self-confidence never wavered.

He had reasons to believe: Fisher was the Lakers’ best 3-point shooter in the regular season at 39.7 percent. And he actually entered this series with a better career NBA Finals shooting percentage than Bryant.

So there were reasons for Fisher to have the ball Thursday night – the primary one being that Bryant was double-teamed on both plays. Fisher’s 3-pointers only came to pass because Orlando was committing its defense to Bryant … and Bryant did pass.

Three weeks ago, the Lakers lost Game 2 of the Western Conference finals to Denver. Down by three points in the final seconds of regulation, Phil Jackson called a play with Bryant as a decoy, setting up for Fisher to shoot a 3-pointer. It didn’t work, in part because Fisher rushed his shot a little for fear he would be fouled before he could get his attempt up.

The very next day, Cleveland’s LeBron James sank a remarkable 3-point buzzer-beater in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against Orlando … and it was natural to wonder why the Lakers didn’t make sure Bryant got that last shot.

What happened Thursday night for Fisher in the exact same situation was a direct result of that additional preparation. James is done for the season – ultimately having been asked to do too much by himself. Bryant is soon to be given the NBA Finals Bill Russell MVP Award – though first he received something more valuable: the support of a friend.

Bryant, 30, and Fisher, 34, are long married with children now, having moved far away from each other with Bryant in Newport Coast and Fisher in Calabasas. It’s something that happens to men their age, drifting a bit from their friends toward what is best for their families.

Yet we know now just how much they still share those core values – preparation, focus, execution.

It’s why they’re getting to share the glory.
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http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bryant-fisher-game-2461629-lakers-finals

Mamba · Jun 12, 2009

Fisher is the calming presence that Bryant needs in the locker room. There was a reason we brought him back here, and part of that reason was to teach Bryant how to be a leader.

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OC Register: Kobe, Fish shear something unbreakable

Mamba The King is Back Staff Member Global Moderator

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