Media day is over and practices have begun in Laker Land as the premiere NBA Franchise begins to embark on a new season. There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding this year’s team, but not too long ago, the same was being said about the Lakers in 2007 and 2008.
In 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers returned to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season against a young upstart Orlando Magic team that nobody expected to get out of the Eastern Conference dominated by the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Lakers held a 2-1 series advantage going into a crucial Game 4 where a loss would have forced the Lakers into a Game 5 on the road with the series tied. It seemed to be heading that way as the Lakers trailed by 12 at halftime, while Kobe Bryant struggled the entire game.
The Lakers would battle back, but still trailed by three points with only 10 seconds left in the game. That is when Bryant’s favorite teammate would strike in what would become one of the most iconic moments of his career.
With Jameer Nelson inexplicably playing off him, Derek Fisher rose up and sank a three pointer that would send the game into overtime and leave the Orlando crowd completely stunned. But that was just the beginning, as Fisher wasn’t done yet.
With under a minute left in overtime and the score tied, Nelson would leave Fisher to double-team Kobe. But Bryant would throw it to a wide open Fisher, who would drain another three to ice the game and give the Lakers a commanding 3-1 series lead on their way to the 2009 NBA Championship. Watch it below:
Fisher is one of the most beloved Lakers of this generation, and plays like this serve as a reminder why. This marked the Lakers return to the top of the NBA throne and even though Fisher won’t be a Hall of Famer, he will always be one of the top fan favorite Lakers of all time.
On this Throwback Thursday, we remember Derek Fisher and his clutch 3-pointers to sink the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.
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