ORLANDO, FLA. — After further review, Derek Fisher's last-minute, series-tilting, arena-deflating three-pointers still counted. In fact, his shot at the end of the fourth quarter was even more than the end of an 0-for-5 night from long distance for the Lakers' veteran guard.
It was the left-handed Fisher going to his right, off a couple of long, space-consuming dribbles -- a rarity for the spot-up shooter -- before hoisting a 26-footer on the move over Jameer Nelson with 4.6 seconds left in regulation.
Piece of cake, no?
Somewhere, Robert Horry was smiling, even though Fisher said he wasn't close to equaling his former teammate because "I'm quite a few rings shy of where he stands."
Just the same, Fisher seemed relieved to have contributed in a playoff season that hadn't been kind to him -- 7.6 points a game and only 27.1% from three-point range coming into Thursday.
Fisher drilled another long three-pointer, this one from 27 feet, with 31.3 seconds left in overtime to help the Lakers take a 99-91 victory overshadowed only by their imposing 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday in Orlando.
Media criticism had been on the rise against a player who always has had time for revealing, in-depth interviews with reporters. Lakers fans had also been questioning whether the 34-year-old had lost a step.
"I've heard different versions of it," Fisher said. "I think what has really allowed me to continue to remain confident and play better as things have gone on has really been the support of friends and family who have thought of me, prayed for me. But the guys on the team are just as unbelievable. They ride with me good or bad."
Fisher was delighted after hitting the second three-pointer, as was Kobe Bryant, who joined the Lakers the same year as Fisher, back in 1996. Bryant was a fresh-faced 18-year-old, Fisher a little-known draft pick from Arkansas Little Rock, taken 24th overall.
Bryant embraced the nostalgia of 13 years ago, when he and Fisher were rookies together, forced to practice on days of back-to-back games while "everybody else would wait and rest at the hotel.
"A lot of times we were the only two there, so we ended up playing full-court one-on-one 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 because of his competitiveness and his ability to hit big shots."
