In the last several months Derek Fisher has been called old, washed up, decrepit, worn down and even terrible. After hitting two huge three pointers, those adjectives quickly changed to savvy, veteran, clutch, reliable and winner. Oh what a fickle world we live in. 

As Kobe Bryant was double-teamed in the backcourt he flung the ball ahead to Trevor Ariza, who pased it to Fisher. With his team down by 3 with fewer than 10 seconds remaining, Fisher stepped into a three and buried it to tie the score 87-87, and eventually send the game to overtime.  

With the score tied in overtime and only 31 seconds remaining, Bryant was again double-teamed. He again kicked the ball to Fisher from the post to the top of the arc, and again Fisher buried the 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 94-91 lead. It was all the points they needed as they took a 3-games-to-1 advantage with a 99-91 victory over the Orlando Magic in Orlando.

Fisher was only 2-7 from behind the arc, but he made the most important two. 

"Character," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of his point guard. "Character has to be in players if they are going to be great payers. He is a person with great character and he brings that to play."

While many pundits have questioned why Fisher received so much playing time, Jackson trusted his point guard. For his part Fisher understands his role.

"I have a responsibility to my team that if I'm going to be on the court I have to make plays," he said of his two big shots. "We can't always count on Kobe."

It's a good thing the Lakers didn't wait for as Kobe as he struggled much of the fourth quarter, scoring only four points, and missing some wide-open threes in overtime. 

While Bryant's statsheet says "sensational" at 32 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, for the man deemed 'the world's best closer' he struggled in big possessions. 

In this game, however, his teammates bailed him out. Trevor Ariza led the Lakers back from a 12-point halftime deficit by scoring 13 third-quarter points. Ariza provided energy and aggression on defense and knocked down three-point shots when the defense collapsed on Bryant or forward Pau Gasol. 

Bryant did provide a spark to his team with several defensive plays on center Dwight Howard. Late in the third quarter Bryant muscled the ball away from the player known as "Superman." Howard immediately grabbed and fouled Bryant, who took exception and swung an elbow at the center. The two Team USA teammates bickered as they walked down the court for Bryant to shoot free throws. 

Bryant and Howard met again with 11.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter with the Magic up by three points. Howard received a pass in position to dunk, but Bryant grabbed and yanked him to the ground, sending him to the line for two free throws. 

Howard missed both free throws, setting up Fisher's heroics. 

Howard had a triple-double -- 16 points, 21 rebounds and 10 blocks -- but struggled from the free throw line, going 6-14. 

The Magic, which came out of the gate with enthusiasm, can only wonder what could have been. After missing a chance to win Game 2 at the buzzer they turned the ball over 15 times, missed 15 free throws and couldn't put the Lakers away in Game 5.

 

"The mood was obviously very somber," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said of his team after the loss. 

They have two days to shake off the loss or it will quickly become a somber summer as well.