Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — After chasing championships for so many years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Derek Fisher now finds himself standing squarely in their way.

Fisher, a Little Rock native and former UALR star, joined up with the Oklahoma City Thunder after getting traded away by the Lakers during the season, choosing to buy out of his own contract with the Houston Rockets and sign with a team he thought had a chance of winning the NBA title.

Fisher has already won five championship rings with the Lakers, but now his new team is a victory away from knocking Los Angeles out of the playoffs. The Thunder get their first chance in Game 5 on Monday night in Oklahoma City.

Fisher has had to put his personal friendship with Kobe Bryant on hold during the series. The two greeted each other the first time Fisher came off the bench and checked in during Game 1 but otherwise are adversaries as long as the Western Conference semifinals go on.

"As much history as we have, there's no holding back in terms of trying to advance to win the championship," Fisher said. "Personal friends or brothers or however close you are to somebody, it's about winning. He knows that better than anybody.

"I learned that and accomplished that right alongside with him, and so we feel the same way."

Fisher played with Los Angeles for 12½ of his 16 NBA seasons, and the only other time he made the playoffs with another team was in 2007 with Utah. But the Jazz didn't face the Lakers.

Los Angeles sent Fisher away at the trade deadline in March, when they added a first-round draft pick, point guard Ramon Sessions and backup forward Jordan Hill to try and improve for the stretch run. The 37-year-old Fisher chose his age as his jersey number with the Thunder, trying to make a statement that he could still play.

Statistically, Fisher has struggled in the series. He has averaged just over four points and one assist per game and his playing time has been cut back. Fisher's plus-minus is the worst of any Oklahoma City player, with the Lakers outscoring the Thunder by 12 points while he's on the court.

Yet coach Scott Brooks believes there's another way to measure the impact of Fisher, who has never put up big numbers — averaging 8.6 points and 3.1 assists — over his career.

"He loves the game, he has passion for the game and he's a winner," Brooks said Sunday after Oklahoma City flew back home, landing after 5 a.m. because of thunderstorms. "I can never emphasize that enough: He's a winner, and you can never have enough of those on your team. He has won before. He has won at a high level and many championships."

Before the series started, Fisher informed Oklahoma City of the Lakers' tendencies. During games, he has regularly pulled aside teammates for a few words of guidance. One of L.A.'s locker room leaders is now working for the enemy.