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Lakers' Locker Room L.A.'s reserves show up dressed for success
Posted: Saturday June 10, 2000 02:46 AM
By Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated LOS ANGELES -- Dressed in a spiffy gray suit with matching gray satin tie, Lakers guard Brian Shaw was exiting his team's victorious locker room Friday night when a voice called out from across the room. "B-Shaw!" teammate Derek Fisher shouted. "What you doing with a tie on? Must be the NBA Finals!" Laughing off the teasing, the normally casually attired Shaw fixed his tie with a dramatic flair and kept right on walking. Talk about being dressed for success. On a night when Kobe Bryant went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter, Shaw, Fisher and fellow reserves Robert Horry and Rick Fox answered the SOS (Save Our Shaq) and helped L.A. to a 111-104 victory and a huge 2-0 series lead. "We wanted to prove we're an important part of this team," Fox said. "Our bench has been maligned at times, been criticized, but we know we can get the job done." Though Glen Rice and Ron Harper did much of the scoring in Bryant's absence Friday night, the Lakers' bench came up with a combined 23 points and 11 rebounds to basically negate a similarly inspired performance (33 points, 14 rebounds) from Indiana's reserve corps. Fox led the way, scoring six points and coming up with huge plays at each end in the final minutes. With the Lakers leading 98-94 late in the fourth quarter, Fox made a key defensive stop by forcing left-handed Pacers forward Jalen Rose into a difficult fadeaway shot going to his right. Moments later, he took a pass at midcourt and drove the ball right to the basket, scoring and drawing a foul on Indiana center Sam Perkins, for a 105-98 Lakers lead. Realizing he had just all but iced the game, Fox sat on the floor and pumped his fist as the Staples Center crowd roared in delight. Meanwhile, Shaw made sure he played like a guy worthy of wearing designer threads. Though he finished with just four points (on 1-of-9 shooting from the floor), he dished out four assists and played stellar defense on Pacers guard Reggie Miller. "When Kobe went down, Phil made a little joke about how since Kobe had decided to go on vacation, everybody would have to contribute," Shaw said. "It's the same thing we did earlier this season when he was out [with a broken hand]." Horry added seven points and six rebounds for the Lakers and did a whole bunch of little things. With the Lakers' lead trimmed to a precarious 99- 96 late in the fourth, he cut baseline and took a pass from Shaquille O'Neal for a reverse layup and foul. He then hit the ensuing foul shot for a 102-96 Lakers lead. Fisher, meanwhile, proved for the second straight night that he could hold his own against lightning-quick Pacers point guard Travis Best. Partly because of Fisher's sticky defense, Best finished with just two points and zero assists in 19 minutes. "We understand our roles," said Fisher, when asked why the Lakers' reserve corps doesn't get more respect. "We don't come in and score like guys on Sacramento or Portland. Our job is to defend and just play solid basketball, and not hurt our team." On Friday night, they did more than not hurt the team. They helped it all but wrap up the NBA championship. "I knew they'd step up and get the job done," Bryant said. "Especially at halftime, when the guys came in and said they were going to make it happen. I believed them." Bryant, of course, should have known before the game that the bench guys would rise to the occasion. After all, it's not every day Shaw wears a suit and tie to the office.
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