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NBA FINALS: LAKERS v CELTICSJune 11, 2008Derek FisherLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day DEREK FISHER: I don't know if relief is the term, but I definitely think we feel that we've taken a step in the right direction in terms of giving ourselves a chance to win a championship. I mean, if we don't win the game last night, the reality of being able to win a championship becomes very small. So we've gotten closer to having the opportunity. But until we win another game, then we're still in a tough spot. Q. The win last night was an ugly win; you'll have to admit that. And you seem to be in a scoring slump yourself. DEREK FISHER: Well, scoring for me has always kind of come and gone. It's not the primary role that I play for the team. So at times it's frustrating that the opportunities are not there as much, but in terms of my confidence in knowing I'm capable of making plays and making shots for our team, that won't ever go away. Things always kind of come around for me if I just continue to play hard and make a contribution defensively, do some things that I can do, the shots will come. So I'm fine in that regard. Q. A lot is being made of how poorly KG and Paul shot, but you and Lamar and Pau didn't actually distinguish yourselves in shooting percentages last night, either. DEREK FISHER: Well, there's a difference between 1 for 6 and 6 for 21, so you can count how many times I've taken 21 shots in a game. No, I just think that both teams at times have found it difficult to do what it is they like to do on the offensive end. Obviously the Celtics are very highly regarded in terms of their ability to play defense. And so for us, it's just a matter of continuing to work through that and finding ways to consistently score the ball. But we can't rely on Kobe scoring 36 points and maybe having one other guy be effective offensively. I think what makes Boston is good is that they have three guys who consistently are going to score 20 points for the most part, and that's something that our team has continued to try to do. It can't just be Kobe, it has to be Kobe and Pau and Lamar and myself at times or Radmanovic at times or Farmar or Vujacic off the bench at times. That's the only way you can be successful at this level. Q. Did you notice any difference of play in Rondo when he came back from his ankle injury there in the fourth quarter? DEREK FISHER: Nothing jumps out at me. I think he's always played pretty smart and stays within himself, doesn't try and do too much. So I can't say that it was surprising that he wasn't trying to make a lot of stuff happen out there. I think he does a good job of staying under control, not forcing plays, but obviously he didn't play as many minutes as he would have had he not been injured. So I think that's obvious. But how it affected him when he came back out there, I'm not really sure. Coach Rivers decided to go with Eddie House down the stretch, so that probably says a lot right there about how he felt. End of FastScripts |
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