L.A. Times: The criticism was coming from everywhere — pundits, fans, NBA scouts, anyone who had a thought on basketball. And yet no one felt worse than Derek Fisher. No one felt the strain, the burden, the weight more than the Lakers’ veteran guard.
His shot had betrayed him in the postseason, the ball hardly ever finding the rim, but Fisher never game up, never stopped believing.
In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Denver Nuggets, the basketball gods shined down on Fisher, rewarding him for keeping his faith, for working even harder despite his woes.
Fisher scored 13 points in helping the Lakers defeat the Nuggets, 105-103, Tuesday night at Staples Center. He was five for 13 from the field, three for six from three-point range. He also had six assists, two rebounds and played his normal solid defense.
Before this series began, Fisher was shooting a miserable 36.6% from the field, 19.4% (six for 31) from three-point range, in the first 12 playoff games.
“I’m not the only one that goes through it,” Fisher said. “But in the past, I would get down. But these last four, five, six years, it’s really hard to take away or allow myself to give away my confidence. I worked too hard.”
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