Sports can be a great teacher...
Last night the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Orlando. The game put the Lakers up 3-1 in the best of 7 series. The game went into overtime...the final score was 99-91. The Lakers were trailing, 87-84 with 10 seconds left in regulation when Derek Fisher hit a 3 point shot to tie it up....Fisher then also hit a 3 pointer with 35 seconds left in overtime to put the Lakers up for good. Now, the Lakers are a flashy team...in L.A. with all the "Hollywood" people...superstars like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol...however, Derek Fisher was the hero last night. And Fisher has a very interesting past....he came from a little-known school (University of Arkansas at Little Rock) and was not heralded coming out of college. He is small by today's NBA standards for guards (6-1)....he is not the greatest athlete...and now he is 35 years old.
He has struggled all throughout the playoffs and people have been saying he is too old. He was 0-5 in shooting last night until the game-tying shot...Here is what his coach, Phil Jackson, said after the game:
"We've always said the character has got to be in players if they're going to be great players, you can't just draft it. It's not just about talent, it's about character, and (Fisher) is a person of high character, brings that to play, not only in just his gamesmanship but also his intestinal fortitude."
We agree....it's not always about talent...but character, drive and teamwork do make a HUGE difference. And we strive to have our players here at Utah show those same qualities.
The Lakers' win will no doubt please former Utah player, Chelsea Card. Chelsea is from Southern California and is a GREAT fan of the Lakers. So, congrats to Chelsea!
Posts
