Last night's playoff game against the Golden State Warriors and the Utah Jazz was definitely the most exciting game thus far. Now that the Kobe show is over, the only team I care to watch are the Warriors. They leave it all on the court every game. They basically have a 7-man rotation, 8 including Monta Ellis who has disappeared in the playoffs and is playing very limited minutes (7 last night) due to his horrible play, which has pissed off Coach Nellie. Ellis should return his Most Improved Player award and give it to Kevin Martin. Despite the short bench, the Warriors have made believers out of most everybody. The play of Baron Davis during these playoffs, and last night in particular, has been phenomenal. The oft-injured B-Diddy has been broken down and rebuilt so many times over his 9-year career it's pretty amazing that he's still so productive (and can still jump with the best of them). If there were an MVP of the playoffs it would most definitely go to Davis, who's stat line last night was 36 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals
The drama of the game unfolded even before tip-off when it was announced that Derek Fisher would not play (but was listed on the "active roster" list just in case) due to personal reasons. Nobody really knew what was going on with Fish, who is Utah's most experienced player and whom provides invaluable leadership for the young Jazz players such as Deron Williams, Paul Milsap, and the wrinkle-headed Carlos Boozer, who are playing in the playoffs for the first time in their careers.
The first minute into the game, Utah starting guard Deron Williams picked up two fouls and had to sit for a majority of the first half. This is when Derek Fisher would have come in to contribute in the absence of Williams. Instead, the Jazz were forced to go with Dee Brown, (no not THAT Dee Brown) who is the third option at point-guard, and probably would not have played at all in this game. Then, another unfortunate turn of events occurred just moments later as poor, little Dee Brown suffered a neck injury when fat-old Mehmet Okur lands on him. Brown was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons and was unable to return; obviously. So, with Williams out with foul trouble, Brown in the hospital, and Fisher is God-knows-where, the Jazz are forced to use Andrei Kirilenko, a small forward, as the primary point-guard.
Nonetheless, the Jazz had the lead 63-58 at the half. Then, moments into the third quarter we get word that Derek Fisher is in the building. I repeat, Derek Fisher is in the building. It really was dramatic like that. Deron Williams then gets another foul and is forced to sit on the bench. Just then, here comes Fish, in full uniform, walking to the bench. Immediately, coach Jerry Sloan puts him in. He doesn't even get a chance to warm-up, or take a jump-shot. Nothing. He's immediately thrust into the fast-paced action the Warriors love to play, and he has to guard the best player in the playoffs; Baron Davis. Welcome back, Fish!
Fisher committed a key turnover right away, which helped fuel the Warriors comeback. They were down by 12, and suddenly found themselves in the lead. But his defense on Baron Davis late in the game, causing B-Diddy to turn the ball over at a crucial time in the game, and then his 3-pointer in OT, proved to be his most valuable contributions to the team this night.
The Warriors were getting murdered on the boards by the much bigger, and stronger, Jazz players, who out-rebounded the Warriors by a margin of 60-32. However, the scrappy Warriors were up by 5 with less than a minute to go in the game. It looked like the magic carpet ride that is the Golden State Warriors was going to steal this game. But then....the Jazz players made some big shots, and the Warriors missed three key free-throws (two by Mickael Pietrus and one by Baron). The Jazz forced overtime, and never looked back. This one might come back to haunt the Warriors. So close.
As for Fisher, it turns out he was in NY because his baby daughter was having a very serious surgery to treat a rare cancer in her eye. The surgery went from 6:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Ouch! Fisher truly is a class-act guy, is well-regarded around the league, and still gets standing ovations whenever he returns to the Staples Center. Plus, I will always love him for his miraculous shot against the Spurs back in '04. Which then made me think. Was this the best moment of his career thus far? With a heavy-heart and his team in dire need of help, he flew in just in the nick of time to provide crucial plays that were keys to Utah escaping with a 2-0 series lead. You decide.
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