Lakers have a history full of miracles

FROM ORLANDO, FLA. — It was a daring, soaring, amazing shot that landed the Lakers in the lap of history.

It occurred in the final ticks of regulation in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, saving not only the day, but the championship.

Its author will be celebrated forever. Its moment will be replayed in perpetuity.

It was the greatest shot in Lakers history.

But, no, it was not Derek Fisher's three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation Thursday night.

Sorry. Really. We tried.

Still buzzing from Fisher's heave that saved the Lakers in their overtime victory against the Orlando Magic, we set out Friday to explain how it was the greatest single basket in the history of a franchise filled with them.

Nothing could be more dramatic, more surprising, more enduring than a guy who had missed all five previous three-point attempts throwing in a bomb to save his team a probable crown, right?

Wrong. It turns out, picking the greatest Lakers shot is like picking the greatest Malibu sunset. There's been so many of them, the standards are as high as a young Kobe Bryant's hair and as deep as an old Jerry West's hunger.

If we were listing the two greatest shots in one game, then Fisher would win, as his tying three-pointer Thursday was soon followed by a go-ahead three-pointer late in overtime.

But just one shot, one chance, one toss for one giant gold trophy?

The Thursday night heroics of No. 2 rank only No. 2.

The list of greatest shots in Lakers history, in reverse order.

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5 Jerry West's 60-footer and Derek Fisher's point-four.

These are certainly the two most outrageous shots in Lakers history, but because neither led to a championship, they can't be ranked at the top.

"When you have an organization that has won 14 titles, that becomes the standard for everything," said Steve Springer, former Times staffer who has written three books about the Lakers and serves as their unofficial historian. "A shot can't be judged the best unless it can be directly tied to one of those titles."

But, man, those were two cool jacks.

West's seemingly impossible shot, hurriedly launched from beyond midcourt at the Forum in the final second with no timeouts remaining, sent the Lakers and New York Knicks to overtime in Game 3 of the 1970 Finals.

"The man's crazy," the Knicks' Walt Frazier said at the time.