A decade ago, the Los Angeles Lakers headed into an epic rematch in the NBA Finals with the arch-rival Boston Celtics. Kevin Garnett and company were able to take down Kobe Bryant's squad two years prior as Los Angeles lost in six games, but in 2010, it was a different story for the purple and gold.
The Lakers came bounced back with a vengeance during the 2008-09 NBA season by going the distance and getting the best of an Orlando Magic team led by Dwight Howard in five games. Los Angeles made easy work of the Magic, but still had something to prove a year later with Boston looming as their equal in the Eastern Conference.
As a part of our 10th anniversary series about the Lakers' back-to-back titles, Derek Fisher spoke to ClutchPoints about the team's journey to pull off the repeat and what fans might not know about the team that accomplished this feat.
Fisher’s statement is also featured in Episode 1 of ClutchPoints’ Kobe docuseries titled “The Final Ring.”
“I think the 2010 team, it's hard to put into words how bad we wanted to win the championship in that particular season,” Fisher told ClutchPoints. “We felt like people tried to discredit what we accomplished in 2009. So winning the title in 2010, in particular, because we played against the Celtics, we didn't know what it would be like after, but it ended up serving as this greater sense of validation for others that we felt like we were missing after winning the title in '09.”
Fisher admits that without winning the title in 2010, the championship won in 2009 would not have felt the same. The loss to the Celtics took a toll on this Lakers team and highly motivated squad moving forward.
“We felt great about what we accomplished in '09, but without winning again in 2010, it would not have felt the same,” Fisher said. “It's hard to put into words how motivated and pissed and angry we were after losing in '08 and that everything that we accomplished after that started from there.
“It was like Magic and Larry Bird how they talked about how they used to watch each other's performances. Larry would turn on the news or pick up a paper and see what Magic and the Lakers did last night. He felt like he had to top that or beat that. That was how driven we were to outdo them and outlast them.”
Ultimately, the Lakers were able to get their revenge against the hated Celtics winning in spectacular fashion in a gritty Game 7 on their home floor at the Staples Center.
In the next installment of this 10th-anniversary series, Fisher goes in-depth about the rivalry with the Celtics during this run by the Lakers and the impact it had on the team.
Follow Us
Subscribe