LOS ANGELES — The homecoming began with the national anthem. The fans couldn’t even wait until it ended.
“Derek!” and “Fish!” they shouted during the song, interrupting the L.A. Delta Chorale in mid-red glare.
It always sort of felt patriotic to cheer Derek Fisher, didn’t it? It was certainly appropriate Thursday, his return to Staples Center becoming two hours’ worth of bombs bursting in the air above a Los Angeles Lakers team that cowered beneath their former leader and his new teammates.
Fish was back, just in time to remind the Lakers that they weren’t.
Fish won big, and the Lakers lost bigger.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, the best team in the West, came back from a 12-point deficit to run over the Lakers in a 102-93 victory that made a huge swaggering statement about the Lakers’ chances of playing in June.
Fisher (Little Rock Parkview, UALR) has a better chance of growing hair.
Perhaps buoyed by an emotional pregame tribute for his first trip home since being traded away two weeks ago, Fisher scored seven consecutive points in the second quarter and helped calm a Thunder team that outscored the Lakers 13-1 to start the third quarter and roll to the victory in an embarrassing fashion.
The Lakers were supposed to be a better match for the Thunder’s quickness, yet new guard Ramon Sessions was outscored 36-7 by Russell Westbrook. The Lakers were supposed to be even stronger inside with the evolving Andrew Bynum, but the Thunder played them to a 48-48 tie in the paint.
Thanks to Fisher’s return, at least the game had a little love.
Players from both teams stayed on the fringes of the court after pregame introductions while the video scoreboard showed replays of Fisher’s finest moments during his nearly 13 seasons here. Fans stood and cheered for a long couple of minutes after watching one last-second shot after another.
Standing in front of the Thunder bench, Fisher tried to act composed and cool and ignorant of the celebration before finally waving as the applause continued.
“Thanks for all you’ve done, Fish” read the scoreboard.
Then he came into the game with two minutes left in the first quarter and scored his seven points on a jumper, a runner, a layup and a free throw. That’s not what the Lakers will miss. What the Lakers missed was how he played 15 calm minutes in leading the Thunder to a comeback.
Fisher has always been about selfless inspiration, and nothing hurt him more than the talk that the Lakers traded him because they thought he would cause trouble in a backup role behind Sessions. In a pregame news conference, he became a bit upset when denying that talk. He made it clear, if the Lakers had only asked him, he would have gladly accepted a lesser role to stay here through the end of the season.
“That flies in the face of ... the type of team player I’ve been in every group I’ve ever been part of,” Fisher said. “I was raised doing team sports ... that has always stood for sharing and sacrificing and giving of yourself so the group can succeed.”
Was he disappointed in being characterized as a potential malcontent? He wouldn’t answer the question, but his steely stare said it all.
“I don’t know if I was disappointed, it’s not for me to speak at this point on how things could have been handled or should have been handled,” he said. “I moved on. I think obviously the organization had intentions of moving on, and exercised those intentions, and had every right to do so.”
What the Lakers didn’t think he could do, he is doing now in Oklahoma City.
“That’s what I’m explicitly focused on doing for the Thunder right now,” he said.
Maybe the Lakers really didn’t need Derek Fisher. But they certainly didn’t need this.
Sports, Pages 24 on 03/31/2012