The Fish That Saved Los Angeles

Nothing seemed to be going the Lakers way, they were missing jumpers, Dwight Howard was grabbing every rebound, and if they did stop the Magic, there was a foul negating the defensive stop. When Odom, Gasol, and Bynum all went out with their second foul, Phil Jackson was forced to use the 11th and 12th men on his roster in Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga. Still, the Lakers weathered the storm and just fought and clawed their way back into the game. Trevor Ariza played the main character for awhile, getting a steal, hitting a deep three, and making a number of other hustle plays along the way. Then, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol started to chip in and before you know it, the Lakers are back in the game. Unlike the Lakers who often looked lacadasical throughout these playoffs, LA was focused and when the going got tough, they stuck it out. Although Bryant had another subpar game (forcing a ton of shots in the second half) his leadership can no longer be questioned, he has motivated the rest of the Lakers to want this championship as bad as him. There have been no mental lapses, plays taken off, or just a lack of effort since game 4 of the Nuggets series. With that said, Derek Fisher still deserves the credit for this win. Over the course of his career and in these Finals in particular, Fisher has made tons of gutsy plays, whether its snatching a rebound from Dwight Howard or pulling up with no one under the hoop and canning a game tying three. Fisher's struggles have been well publisized over the course of the playoffs, but his confidence has not wavered. He has not passed up a single open jumper and continues to believe in himself, the key to being successful in anything. Fisher finished 2 of 7 from three point range, and the two he hit were the game deciders.