Who says there is no more loyalty in sports? Two very important role players on teams with championship aspirations each re-signed with their respective teams on Monday. Derek Fisher, a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, will remain a Laker for at least three more years while Udonis Haslem, a member of the 2006 Heat championship squad, spurned better offers from Denver and Dallas and will re-sign with the Heat.

After a weekend blanketed with news of free-agent superstars ditching their old teams for greener pastures, it was somewhat refreshing to see that there’s still some loyalty left in sports, and Fisher and Haslem proved there is no place like home.

L.A. has been Fisher’s home for 11 of his 14 seasons in the NBA. He was drafted by the Lakers in 1996, and after a brief three-year hiatus, he rejoined the club in 2007 and the Lakers have made three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals since his return. Life without Fisher would have been extremely difficult for the Lakers, especially for Kobe Bryant, who calls the 36-year-old guard the “emotional and vocal leader” of the Lakers.

Derek Fisher will return to the L.A. Lakers and make a run at a sixth championship ring. (GETTY IMAGES)

On the other hand, Haslem typifies what a Miami Heat player is all about: tough, aggressive, tireless and selfless. The undersized power forward has played his entire career with the Heat and is a close friend of Dwyane Wade. “UD is here to stay. Sacrifices all ard. I’m couldn’t b happier for any1 more then Mr Miami himself. My brother 4 life,” Wade wrote on his Twitter account.

Haslem’s deal is reportedly for five years at around $20 million.

Fisher has earned a reputation for making clutch shots throughout his playoff career, and is a huge influence in the locker room. During the 2010 NBA Finals against the Celtics, Fisher was the guiding force behind the Lakers’ huge victory in Game 3 and his tough defense on Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen, who is five inches taller than Fisher, was not to be ignored.

“Derek is very, very tough mentally and physically. He doesn’t back down from anyone,” Bryant said of his backcourt mate. “There’s not enough words or praise that I can use to describe him and how I feel about him.”

According to published reports, Fisher’s contract is a three-year deal, with the third year a player option. The negotiations got off to a slow start, with the Lakers not willing to match the $5 million per year Fisher was paid under his previous contract.

“I have decided to continue with Kobe [Bryant], continue with our teammates and the fans of Los Angeles,” Fisher said in a statement. “While this may not be the most lucrative contract I’ve been offered this off-season, it is the most valuable. I am confident I will continue to lead this team on and off the court. Let the hunt for six begin…”

Haslem opted to remain with the Heat, according to published reports, turning down bigger offers for the full mid-level exception from the Mavericks and Nuggets. Terms of Haslem’s new deal with the Heat were not available.

The Heat have stated throughout the offseason that bringing back Haslem was one of the team’s top priorities. It became an ever greater necessity when the team acquired All-Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play with Wade in South Beach because Haslem is the type of player who doesn’t need to have the ball to be effective and does all the little things on the court that ultimately lead to winning ballgames.

Udonis Haslem was a key member of the Heat's 2006 championship team. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

“He’s the ultimate Miami Heat warrior,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about the 6-foot-8 seven-year veteran. “Everything we try to have in a Miami Heat player, embodies all the characteristics, that’s Udonis Haslem.  He brings the toughness, he brings the character and he brings the leadership. And he’s true. There’s purity about who he is. He’s a Miami native and he’s special to all of us.”

Haslem, 30, averaged 12.7 points and 10.4 rebounds last season for Miami. In an e-mail to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Monday, Haslem said, “Turned down full mid level from Dallas and Denver. See u next season.”

Miami is slowing building up its roster to surround Wade, James and Bosh. Joining Haslem on this year’s squad are third-year guard Mario Chalmers, rookies Jarvis Varnardo, Dexter Pittman and Da’Sean Butler and forward Mike Miller, who was acquired this week. The 6-8 guard/forward Miller reportedly inked a five-year deal. Haslem and Miller were former teammates at the University of Florida.

Last year, Haslem lost his starting job to second-year man Michael Beasley, who was recently traded to Minnesota to clear some cap space. Haslem is expected to come off the bench and back up Bosh this season and could play some center.

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Phil Jackson got his message across earlier in the week and now it’s Doc Rivers’ turn to bellyache about NBA officiating.

During his Wednesday morning press conference, nearly 12 hours after his Boston Celtics lost, 91-84, to the L.A. Lakers in Game 3 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Rivers offered his thoughts on Derek Fisher and the way the veteran Lakers guard plays defense, and much of Rivers’ assessment wasn’t very complimentary.

When Rivers was asked how Fisher got around the screens and held Ray Allen to 0-for-13 shooting in Game 3, Rivers replied: “Besides flopping? He doesn’t do a lot, actually.”

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers had issues with Lakers guard Derek Fisher and how Game 3 was officiated. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

After Boston’s win in Game 2, Jackson complained about how Allen got away with bumping Fisher out of his spot as the Celtics’ shooting guard initated his activity through the gauntlet of screens.

Allen torched the Lakers for a Finals record eight 3-pointers on Sunday, but went 0-for-8 from behind the arc Tuesday night. What changed?

“I thought [Fisher] got away with a lot last night,” Rivers explained. “I thought there was a lot of holding going on and a lot of flopping going on. Finally he sold that last one. But he’s good at. He’s always been good at it, we knew that going into the series. He’s one of the best charge-takers in the game. It’s always been that.

“Some of them are charges, and then some of them are flops. But all of them are tough to call. It’s a brutal call to make.”

Rivers continued: “As far as the off-the-ball action, the single-double action, you are not allowed to hold. You’re not allowed to bump, you’re not allowed to impede progress. I read that this morning and I’m positive of it. When that happens then that has to be called.”

Jackson’s grumblings may or may not have influenced the officials, but it certainly ignited another debate. It’s an annual event that happens every spring when the stakes are higher and the games are more competitive. The losing coach seemingly always has something negative to say about game officials, and Rivers certainly knows the drill and is fine with it. He can play the “blame game,” too.

“I think [Phil is] as good, but we’re all pretty good at it,” Rivers said. “I hope that if Phil Jackson said something the day before and it happens, I hope that has nothing to do with the officials. I just hope that doesn’t, and I don’t think it does. But last night, you know, it’s funny because I thought they got away with more on the moving screens.”

Rivers thought the Lakers were given free reign to shift their position on their pick-and-rolls, which compromised the Celtics’ defense. Rivers says he has already filed an official complaint to the league regarding the non-calls.

“We got called for one last night, but I don’t think the Lakers were called for any moving picks,” Rivers said. “I don’t send in [tapes] a lot usually to the league, but I sent in a lot this morning.”

NBA referees have always heard the criticisms from players, coaches, owners and fans over the years, but it was multiplied by 10 after the Tim Donaghy incident and Commissioner David Stern hands out fines like candy to anyone who utters anything bad about his crew.

Rivers believes part of the problem stems from the fact that there are three referees during games and every player’s movement is unnecessarily scrutinized.

“When I played, it was only two officials. Back then they just called the game what they saw. Now, it’s so much more technical,” Rivers said. “In some ways it’s better, in some ways it’s not because officials won’t call it when it’s not in their area.

“But it’s tough. The game is more athletic, the game is faster and it’s brutal. We’re hard on them, everybody is hard on them. It’s a very difficult game to call. But what we all want is consistency. It’s tough to get to that, but that’s what everybody wants.”

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Derek Fisher drives past Kevin Garnett at halfcourt on his way to the basket with under a minute left in the fourth quarter. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Too old, too slow, too limited athletically and too short.

Derek Fisher has heard all the criticism, but the two aspects of his game that never gets questioned are his heart and his toughness, physically and mentally. Fisher, who is listed at 6 feet but is probably closer to 5-10, has such a strong belief in himself it allows him to play big in big moments. That was definitely the case in Game 3 of the 2010 NBA Finals when the 35-year-old Lakers guard – and one of the most highly respected men in the Association – stepped up in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers defeat the Boston Celtics, 91-84, at TD Garden.

L.A. now leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, and since 1985 the team that wins Game 3 after the series was tied 1-1 has won the NBA title 10 out of 10 times.

Fisher scored 11 of his 16 points in the final quarter and was 5-for-7 from the field in the fourth. He was 1-for-5 and had just five points through the first three quarters. He also played exceptional defense on Ray Allen, who torched the Lakers for a Finals record eight 3-pointers in Game 2. But in Game 3, Allen scored just two points and was 0-for-13 from the field and 0-for-8 from behind the arc.

“He’s been criticized quite a bit for his age. It’s a huge thrill for him and for all of us to see him come through in these moments. Truthfully, he’s done it over and over again. It’s his responsibility to our team to do these things,” Kobe Bryant said of Fisher, his longtime teammate and Laker co-captain.

“I went through years where I didn’t have him,” Bryant continued. “I had point guards nowhere near his caliber in leadership and shot-making ability and toughness. It changes things drastically for me personally. Now, I don’t have as much responsibility as I have when we wasn’t there.

“He’s the heart and soul of this team, as simple as that.”

Bryant, who led the Lakers with 29 points in Game 3, also credited Fisher for pulling the team together after the Celtics wiped out a double-digit lead at halftime and trimmed L.A.’s lead to a single point in the fourth quarter.

“Derek is our vocal leader. He’s a guy that pulls everybody together. He’s always giving positive reinforcement, and I’m the opposite. We play off each other extremely well. That’s what he does, that’s what he’s been doing and he has a knack for saying the right thing at the right time,” Bryant said of Fisher, who may be the only guy on the Lakers, other than coach Phil Jackson, who can pull Bryant aside and reel him in when he’s hurting the team.

“He’s the only one I listen to. Everybody else is a bunch of young kids,” Bryant admitted.

When the Lakers’ offense got a little stagnant late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter, Bryant and Fisher decided to go away from the triangle offense and played more side pick-and-rolls to free up Bryant and apply a little more pressure on the Celtics’ defense early in the shot clock.

“We did a lot with Kobe in that third quarter, which really got us in trouble. In the first half, we were much better with our execution and ball movement. It makes it hard for their defense when we’re moving the ball and we’re moving players. In that third quarter, we weren’t getting into our offense fast enough, which left Kobe having to do some things at the end of the clock and that’s not good, ” Fisher explained. “We saw some things we could accomplish by playing a little two-man game between Kobe and myself.

“When Kobe sets a screen his man is gonna be very reluctant to help off of him, so it allows somebody else to get in the interior of their defense. Couple of times I made a pass or two, and a few other times I was able to knock down shots.”

Fisher knocked down five huge shots in the fourth, none bigger than the one he made with under a minute remaining in the game.

With the Lakers ahead 84-80 with 56 seconds left, Ray Allen missed a 3-point shot from the corner and Fisher grabbed the rebound. Instead of holding the ball in the backcourt, Fisher wisely pushed the ball up the court and caught the Celtics napping on defense. Once Fisher got past Kevin Garnett at halfcourt, he noticed that no one was protecting the basket so he drove all the way to the rim on a one-on-four fastbreak, went up against three defenders, got fouled by Glen Davis and banked in a layup with 48 seconds left. His 3-point play made it 97-90 and essentially put the game out of reach.

“We have to do a better job in closing quarters and closing the game,” said Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. “All five guys out there made a mistake when the score was 84-80, and Fisher made a great play. We didn’t get back in transition. That play won the game.”

That play may have sealed the game for the Lakers, but the Celtics may have lost this game long before Fisher’s layup. Boston got down by as much as 17 points in the first half and struggled to score points because Paul Pierce got into early foul trouble and Allen suffered through the worst shooting night of his playoff career.

Pierce played 33 minutes and finished with 15 points, three below his season average. He made five of 12 shots for the game, but at one point was just 2-for-9.

It was a very tension-filled game in a highly competition NBA Finals between two storied rivals, and an emotional Fisher had to fight back tears when he spoke to ABC’s Doris Burke after the game.

“I love what I do and I love helping my team win,” Fisher said. “Even when things maybe aren’t going the way I’d like them to go for reasons I can’t control, I still pretty much keep my mouth shut and keep doing my job and remain faithful that things will come around when they need to. To come through tonight again for this team, you know, 14 years in after so many great moments it’s always quite surreal and quite humbling to experience it again and do it again. Just like being a kid … you never get tired of that candy.”

Fisher – who is now two victories away from winning his fifth NBA championship ring, the most of any active player in the league besides Kobe – noted that having trust within an organization is the formula to success.

“I was reading a book that talked about companies and businesses that they try to do to keep everybody focused on what the goal is,” Fisher said. “I recently have been reading a lot about trust. And that’s basically what we’ve talked about. Trusting each other, trusting the triangle offense, trusting our coaches, trusting that when you get into foul trouble the guy next to you or behind you can come in and get the job done and that there’s nothing to fear. Just go out there and give everything you have and trust that that will be enough. It was enough tonight, and I’m hopeful that it will be good enough [for Game 4].”

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The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics met in the 2008 NBA Finals, a series won by Boston in six games. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

When Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times asked Phil Jackson if the memory of the 2008 NBA Finals still lingers, the Lakers coach responded with a sarcastic quip. “I forgot. I have amnesia,” Jackson claimed. “What year was that now? 2-8? Ok.”

Jackson was obviously kidding about not remembering anything from the ‘08 Finals. He certainly hasn’t forgotten the terrible feeling he had when he walked off the TD Garden floor in Game 6 when his Lakers were destroyed by 39 points by the Boston Celtics – the largest margin of victory in a series-clinching game in the playoffs. He certainly hasn’t forgotten how the Celtics big men manhandled his frontline. And he definitely remembers Game 4 when the Lakers wasted a 24-point lead and lost at home.

The 2008 Celtics and the 2004 Detroit Pistons are the only two teams to beat Jackson in the NBA Finals, and the Zen Master – owner of 10 NBA championship rings – admitted that he hates to lose, especially in The Finals.

“There’s nothing worse than to lose in The Finals. It’s about as low as you can get,” said Jackson. “I’ve done it twice now, so I know it’s a real difficult summer after that.”

Just moments after the Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, all the attention and focus shifted to the much anticipated and very attractive Lakers-Celtics showdown in the 2010 NBA Finals, and Jackson couldn’t resist bringing up an unexpected encounter last summer involving one of Boston’s Fantastic Four.

“After the 2009 Finals, I ran into [Paul] Pierce at a complex where my daughter lives in L.A. I said to him ‘Get it back. I want to meet you in The Finals,’ ” Jackson recalled. “So, here it is. Almost a year later. We have an opportunity to renew this rivalry.”

When it comes to great rivalries in sports, few compare to the Lakers and the Celtics.

The two basketball superpowers have combined to win 32 NBA championships – the Celtics have 17 and the Lakers 15. Boston has reached the league’s ultimate game 21 times while the Lakers have been part of it a record 31 times.

“It’s a matchup that is very easy to talk about,” said Kobe Bryant, whose Lakers are facing the Celtics for the second time in three years in The Finals. “They are a lot of things people can write about. It’s a sexy matchup. So, we’re looking for to the challenge and looking forward to the test.”

The NBA as we know it now was built on the foundation laid down by the great Lakers-Celtics battles in the 1960s with legendary figures such as Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. The league then experienced an astronomical growth in popularity during the 1980s thanks to headliners such as Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

If it were not for the Celtics, the Lakers would have 24 world titles and a New York Yankees-like dynasty. The Lakers and Celtics have met 11 times in The Finals with Boston walking away with the trophy on nine occasions. The last meeting came in the 2008 Finals and the Lakers are still seething over how it ended.

For two years, the Lakers have been waiting to get their shot at the Celtics, a team who taught them a lesson in physicality and mental toughness. The Lakers feel their have overcome their deficiencies and they can’t wait to show the hated Celtics how much they have improved from the last time they met in the playoffs.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” Bryant said. “The last time we played them it was a great learning experience for us. It taught us what it takes to be a champion, with the defensive intensity that they play with and the tenacity that they play with. We learned a great deal in that series.”

So, did L.A. secretly hoped to play Boston in The Finals because they have a score to settle with the Celtics? “I don’t give a damn who we play. Doesn’t matter to me,” Bryant said. “The challenge is to win a championship, and the Celtics are in the way.”

Bryant may not say it publicly but he is thrilled to be playing the Celtics. He knows he can cement his legacy by conquering the team with a storied history, and he can put more distance between himself and the rest of the field by taking down a Boston team that knocked out Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Dwight Howard in this year’s playoffs.

But it won’t be easy.

The Celtics own one of the league’s top defenses and they have not lost a series since Kevin Garnett came on board on 2007. Boston employs a very physical but cerebral defensive plan. The scheme begins by loading up one side of the court and keeping all the opposing perimeter players away from the paint. Because the Celtics flood the paint the tendency is to shoot 3-pointers, which is exactly what they want you to do and they have the athletes who can close out on shooters.

“We’re playing a different style of ball now,” Bryant said. “We’ve had three series where every single one has been different. Now we’re going into this where the level of physicality and intensity will be at an all-time high. We’re not looking at games in the 115, 110-point range.”

The Lakers are certainly well equipped to handle any style, having faced three different philosophies in their path to the NBA Finals. They played a quick, athletic team in Oklahoma City, a rugged but methodical Utah squad and a high-scoring, loose bunch from Phoenix.

But going from Phoenix’s loose zone defense to Boston’s air-tight man-to-man concept will be a big adjustment for the Lakers, despite their familiarity with the Celtics.

“I don’t know if it’ll be a tough transition, but it’ll definitely be different,” said Lakers co-captain Derek Fisher. “If you really breakdown the Celtics defense, it’s basically a zone defense.”

The great Celtics’ defense vs. the great Lakers’ offense. It’s a match made in basketball heaven.

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All championship teams have great role players – guys who play their position, make all the hustle plays and knock down shots when called upon.

Magic Johnson’s Laker teams had Michael Cooper. Larry Bird’s Celtic teams had Danny Ainge. Robert Horry, who was instrumental in helping Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets, Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers and Tim Duncan’s Spurs win titles, is probably the NBA’s ultimate role player.

Since Horry retired, his former teammate, Derek Fisher, has now become the best role player in the NBA.

Fisher showed his value during a hotly contested Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against his former team Saturday night when he knocked down a key 3-point shot with 28 seconds left that put the Lakers ahead, 109-108, a lead L.A. never relinquished. The Lakers won, 111-110, and now have a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-series against the Jazz.

“He’s done that before. He’s one of those guys who is a tough guy. He played for us and was a great competitor,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said of Fisher, who played for the Jazz in 2007, but asked to be released so that his ailing daughter could get better treatment and L.A. was one of the places she could receive better care.

“A big loss for our team when he left. But that’s life,” Sloan added. “He gave us toughness, and he made a lot of shots like that for us. He was a wonderful guy to coach, a real professional.”

Fisher was 3-for-7 from 3-point range in Game 3 and finished with 20 points. And even though Deron Williams had 28 points, Fisher made him earn every point and even frustrated the Jazz All-Star point guard at times. And Fisher’s knowledge of Utah’s sets on offense has been a very valuable scouting tool for the Lakers’ coaching staff.

“Fish just being Fish. What more can you say. This is something he’s done his career,” Kobe Bryant said of his 35-year-old backcourt partner, now in his 11th season with the Lakers. “Even with things that don’t show up on the stat sheet: his recognition, his ball movement, his spacing, and obviously knocking down big shot after big shot. That’s something that he does.”

Laker guard Derek Fisher (right) has done a decent job defensively on Utah's Deron Williams. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

The Lakers attempted 29 3-point shots in Game 3, and Sloan said that was by design to try to combat the Lakers’ size advantage. Unfortunately for Sloan and the Jazz, the Lakers converted 13 of them.

“To try to help out our big people to keep the ball out of the middle, we gave them a lot of 3-point shots. We felt that gave us a chance to win the ballgame, and that probably got us,” said Sloan.

Fisher, Bryant and Ron Artest were a combined 10-for-21 from behind the arc.

Phil Jackson says he never worries about Fisher because the Lakers coach is confident the 14-year veteran will always make the right decision. That trust is the main reason why Jackson makes sure the dependable Fisher is on the court during crunch time, affording the Lakers two fourth-quarter closers – a luxury most playoffs teams don’t have.

Fisher has delivered timely shots during his outstanding Laker career, a career that includes four NBA championships and six trips to The Finals. No other role player on a current NBA roster has four championship rings.

In 2001, Fisher came back from a stress fracture on his right foot to help the Lakers sweep through the playoffs and finish 15-1. Fisher established an NBA postseason record for most 3-pointers made in a four-game series with 15 in the Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio.

Then, in 2004, Fisher killed the Spurs again when he made one of the most memorable buzzer-beaters in playoff history when he sank a game-winning shot in 0.4 seconds.

The Fisher Fling was the defining moment of his career until the 2009 NBA Finals when he made two clutch 3-point shots against the Magic in Game 4. With his team down by three, Fisher drained a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. He then buried the dagger 3-pointer late in OT to seal the deal.

Defensively, Father Time has taken away Fisher’s foot speed and he’s never going to be mistaken for being a shutdown defender. However, he is still  a scrappy defender and never backs down from a challenge. He always finds ways to contribute, taking charges, helping out on close-outs, sacrificing his body by bullying his way through screens and diving for loose balls. Those are the little things that lead to big parades in June.

“He played a great game,” Jackson said of Fisher’s Game 3 performance. “He hit some shots, made some defensive plays I thought were good out there on the floor. Just his tenacity is a factor for us.”

Fisher is one of the most physically and mentally tough players in the league, and his calming influence in the locker room should never be underestimated. He’s probably the only player inside the Laker locker room who has earned Kobe’s trust. Because of Fisher’s reputation for being a stand-up guy, he can act as a buffer between Bryant and Jackson.

Since Fisher returned to L.A. in 2007, it is no coincidence the Lakers have been to the NBA Finals two years in a row and are about to reach their third consecutive Western Conference finals.

His true value can’t be measure by statistics, and he’s the glue that holds the Lakers together.

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I hate to do this to my guy Derek Fisher because he’s such a great dude, but I have to be fair. Fisher was recently victimized by Minnesota’s Corey Brewer, who threw down one hellacious dunk over Fisher at Staples Center.

It started with a turnover by Pau Gasol on one end. Al Jefferson picked up the loose ball and flipped a pass to a streaking Brewer on the wing. Fisher was outnumbered on a Minnesota three-on-one break and the best he could do was try to draw a charging call.

Instead, he absorbed Brewer’s knees on his chest that pushed him all the way back underneath the basket.

Sorry, D-Fish. You just got punked!

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Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant are one victory away from earning their fourth NBA championship ring. (GETTY IMAGES)

Move over Robert Horry. Step aside Steve Kerr and John Paxson. Make room for the newest member of Mr. Clutch in the NBA Finals: Derek Fisher.

When Fisher stepped into those two crunch-time shots in the fourth quarter and in overtime that powered the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-91 victory in Game 4 of The NBA Finals, he simply planted his name into basketball lore. Kobe Bryant will most likely be the most valuable player of the The Finals, but Fisher just etched his image as the true defining moment of the 2009 Finals.

With 11 seconds left and the Lakers down by three at 87-84, Orlando decided to double team Bryant in the backcourt and rolled the dice, hoping for a miss. As soon as Trevor Ariza broke the Magic press and gave it to Fisher at midcourt, the 34-year-old savvy guard and a member of three Laker championship teams stepped into the vacuum provided by Bryant and unleashed a 3-point shot over Magic guard Jameer Nelson. It would have been one of the greatest shots in Finals history, only to be topped by Fisher in overtime when he drained a 3-pointer from the top of the arc that gave the Lakers a 94-91 lead with 30 seconds remaining in the extra session.

Two classic shots from a man who exudes class in every which way. Thanks to Fisher, who had missed his previous five 3-pointers before making his last two, the Lakers are one victory away from winning the franchise’s 15th championship banner, Phil Jackson’s record 10th title as coach and Fisher and Bryant’s fourth ring.

“In a championship run, you gotta have moments where you just need big plays. Tonight was one of them. Trevor made a big three, Derek obviously made two big ones. That’s what the journey is about,” Bryant said.

Where does Fisher’s shots rank among his individual accomplishments?

“Maybe 100, 101, something like that,” Fisher joked. “Naw, obviously, personally in the last couple of years, leaving this team and playing with these group of guys, it ranks up there at the top. Even greater than .4 because I feel like we’re as close as possible to our end goal.”

I have a responsibility to my team that if I’m going to be on the floor then I have to make a difference. None of us can’t continue to expect Kobe’s gonna save us. We have to be willing to take responsibility, accountability. I felt bad because Pau was kicking it out to me for some wide-open threes that I was missing. I promised him that I was not gonna miss those shots anymore even though Kobe was the guy who passed it to me, the last one I hit, I thanked Pau for warming up my elbow.”

Speaking of elbow, it was Bryant’s right elbow that knocked Nelson to the floor that allowed Fisher to step into an open 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in OT. As Fisher jogged back, he had the look of a champion.

“I just sensed it was the dagger. That was the one that would put us in a position to close out the game,” Fisher said.

It was similar to the play that Michael Jordan made during the 1997 NBA Finals when he drew a double team and kicked it out to Kerr, who swished a jump shot at the top of the circle that ultimately knocked down the Utah Jazz and gave the Chicago Bulls ring No. 5.

When Fisher was asked if he now considers himself a Mr. Big Shot, ala Robert Horry, he said he’s a few rings short of joining Big Shot Bob.

“I definitely don’t compare myself to Robert Horry. I’m quite a few rings shy of where he stands. He’s in his own category,” said Fisher, who credited his teammates and Phil Jackson for sticking with him despite his early struggles in the game. He finished with 12 points in 42 minutes.

“Just the way he’s willing to stick certain people that he believes can get the job done, and that is not always about statistically what this guy’s gonna bring to the table,” Fisher said of Jackson. “When this guy or these guys are on the floor together, as a coach he’s confident in those five guys’ ability to win a game. We had that type of group before, where it was myself and Kobe and Robert, and Rick Fox and Shaq. Those were the five guys, I don’t care who we were playing, those were the five guys who were gonna finish a game. With Trevor Ariza’s development, we have that five guys now that consist of Pau, Lamar, Trevor, Kobe and myself, we’re kind of becoming those five guys that when the game is on the line, more times than not, those are the five guys you’re gonna see out there.”

On the shot that sent the game into overtime, Fisher said the play was initially designed for Bryant, which was to be expected.

“The ball will always be in Kobe’s hands down the stretch unless the defense does something to take it away. When they trapped him, he kicked it up to Trevor and then he kicked it up to me,” Fisher explained. “Initially, I didn’t catch the ball cleanly so I wanted to make sure I gained control of the ball. I checked the clock really quick, as I continue to kinda dribble one dribble, two dribbles, three dribbles, I just noticed that Jameer was backing up and backing up and backing up and I just decided to go up and shoot. I felt like I had the space he wasn’t close enough to deter me from shooting. In that split second, I made the decision and it worked out better for me.”

If Fisher was the main hero of the game, there were too many guys who got the goat tag and all of them were on the Orlando side of the court, starting with Magic coach and ending with Nelson.

“We thought 11 seconds was too early [to foul], especially with the way we were shooting free throws,” said Van Gundy, whose team was 22-for-37 from the foul line in Game 4 and was 11-for-19 in the fourth quarter and in overtime.

“In retrospect, we gave him so much space to shoot the ball. We played him like we tried to prevent the layup,” Van Gundy continued. “We denied Bryant the ball, but we just didn’t play Derek Fisher. We didn’t guard him. It was my decision not to foul, and yes I regret in now but only retrospect. To me, 11 (seconds) was too early. I’m gonna have to look at it again.

“That will haunt me forever. We could have played that a lot better.”

In a postseason that has seen Orlando get victimized by big-time, game-winning shots in each round, Fisher’s shots will ultimately be the ones that will leave the deepest scars for Van Gundy and the Magic.

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Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest got real physical with each other in Game 2. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

The Los Angeles Lakers are going a little overboard in trying to shed their “soft” reputation. Against the Houston Rockets in Game 2, the Lakers lay down some serious smack talk during the game and smacked the Rockets with two vicious elbows. Both were calculated and delivered with malice.

In the fourth quarter of a hotly contested and very chippy game, Kobe Bryant sent a message to Ron Artest by swinging an elbow to Artest’s throat. It was an irony or ironies. The bully getting bullied. Ron-Ron did not like that one bit, as he stormed right to Kobe’s face to let him know about it. Artest was ejected, but Kobe brushed off the confrontation. When Bryant was asked about the incident during the postgame news conference, he said nothing. Bryant claimed he did not hear Artest. C’mon, Kobe! The guy was right in your ear. Stop playing the Obi-Wan card and just let the whole world know about your Darth Vader side.

But the biggest bow of the night was delivered by mild-mannered Derek Fisher. Just for the record, I like Derek Fisher. I think he is one of the most well-respected players in the league (he’s the president of the players’ union!) and is one of the classiest people you will ever meet. That’s why it was a total shock to me that D-Fish went to the bully tactic to deliver his message.

To recap what happened, Fisher sized up Houston forward Luis Scola and leveled him with a body check that lifted Scola off his feet and onto the floor. Fisher was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected. He tried to defend his actions, but he’s not going to convince too many people that it was just a hard, playoff foul. It was more than just a playoff foul. He wanted to hurt Scola to send the message to the Rockets forward, and the rest of the Rockets big men, that the Lakers guards are growing tired of all the illegal moving screens they have been setting for the first two games of the heated series.

Scola had been the target of many Lakers, including Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic and even Luke Walton, who rarely gets emotionally involved. Scola must have been really doing something shady to get almost half of the Lakers roster turn against him. Whatever it was, Fisher was going to let him feel it.

As much as I like good hard fouls and physical play in the postseason, I think the Lakers are crossing the line with some of their actions. It’s totally out of character for them. It’s one thing to play tough, it’s another to act tough. The Lakers are not what you call a “tough” team. They are a finese team. It is their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. Kobe is the only pitbull on their squad. The rest of them are puppies. The Lakers should be above all this nonsense, and should just focus on playing basketball instead of acting like a bunch of wanna-be mixed martial artists.

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Michael Jordan's greatness was on display against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

Larry Bird, Hall-of-Famer and three-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, once said that a true basketball “assassin” is someone who is not afraid to shoot when the game is on the line. Bird explained that it is easy to shoot a potential game-winning shot when the game is tied, and the worst thing that could happen is overtime. But, it takes a truly special individual to be able to knock down shots when your team is behind and the final shot will determine the outcome of a game.

Very few players in the world have that sniper’s mentality. Jerry West had it and so did Reggie Miller. Magic Johnson was not a sniper like Bird, Miller or West but the Magic Man always found a way to make that all important basket.

Steve Kerr and John Paxson are not Hall-of-Famers, but their shooting prowess are legendary. Both have had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of ending an NBA Finals series with one shot. Chuck Person called himself “The Riffleman,” not for carrying a concealed weapon but for being able to shoot down the enemy from long range. Isiah Thomas looked like a choir boy, but everybody sang the same sad tune when the leader of the Motor City Bad Boys delivered one of his clutch moments.

But the top gun in the history of the Association is and always will be Michael Jordan. If you poll the entire league on who should take the last shot to win a game, Jordan would be on top of that list. Jordan did in college. He did it numerous times during the NBA’s regular season. And he has delivered the fatal blow in the NBA’s biggest stage – the playoffs. His legend grew with each game-winner. The shot over Craig Ehlo in 1989 runs on a loop in the NBA video archives. The Jazz were on the receiving end of two devastating Jordan moments. He secured a Game 1 Bulls victory over the Jazz with a pull-up jumper over Bryon Russell in 1997. Then, in probably the greatest series-clinching shot in NBA Finals history, he drove right, gave Russell a love tap, rose up and buried a cold-blooded shot down the throat of 18,000 screaming Jazz fans in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Now that’s a true NBA assassin.

Joel Huerto, editor and publisher of OneManFastbreak.net, examines the best current crop of NBA assassins who are not afraid to pull the trigger when the game is on the line – especially in the playoffs. Here are the 10 best clutch shooters in the NBA:

10) HEDO TURKOGLU (aka “The Michael Jordan of Turkey”) – You think the Orlando Magic missed Turkoglu? The man who essentially replaced him in the starting lineup, Vince Carter, shot 36% in the 2010 Western Conference finals against the Boston Celtics and averaged just 13 points a game. Last season, Turkoglu was the catalyst of an Orlando team that upset the Celtics at TD Garden in Game 7. Turkoglu is 6-foot-10 point-forward who can create his own shot and make big shots in the fourth quarter.

9) JAMES POSEY (aka “The X Factor”) – TNT’s Kenny Smith calls him the “New Robert Horry,” which is probably the highest compliment you can give an NBA role player who has two championship rings. It takes a special player to come off the bench and deliver in the clutch. Posey is the ultimate “hired gun,” someone who knocks down the competition from anywhere on the court and for anyone who is willing to pay for his services. As a member of the 2006 Heat bench, the former Xavier Muskateer buried several critical 3-pointers during the Heat’s championship run, including the dagger into the hearts of the Dallas Mavericks during the waning moments of Game 6. Posey did it again in 2008, this time for the Celtics. He was the catalyst in the Celtics’ come-from-behind victory in Game 4 at Staples Center and his championship experience rubbed off on Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

James Posey, right, shot down Lamar Odom and the L.A. Lakers during the 2008 NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

8) STEVE NASH (aka “The Canadian Hero”) – Nash may have lost a step in the open court but his shooting eye has not deserted him yet. In fact, Nash is shooting better than ever, even better than his MVP days. Nash is at his best in transition when he can pull up for a 3-point shot or find open teammates on the wings. The only thing missing on Nash’s resume is a trip to the NBA Finals.

7) MANU GINOBILI (aka “Euro”) – He proudly wears and carries the flag of Argentina but … he looks like a Euro, plays like a Euro and smells like a Euro. Therefore, he’s all Euro! They even invented a name for his favorite basketball move: The Euro Step. It’s the one where he runs straight at his defender and then changes direction with one cross-over step to avoid a charging call. The Euro Step is the hottest move in the Euroleague. All the kids a doing it. Manu is the only Euro who is not afraid to be a hero. Most international players (i.e. Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol) tend to soften up in the playoffs, but not Ginobili. Tim Duncan may be the heart and soul of the San Antonio Spurs, but Ginobili is the oxygen that pumps air into the Spurs’ championship hopes.

6) CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (aka “Mr. Big Shot) – He earned the moniker “Mr. Big Shot” with his big-game heroics when he was a Detroit Piston. The Pistons went to the Eastern Conference finals six consecutive times because of Mr. Big Shot. Since Detroit shipped him over to Denver, the Pistons have become a lottery team while the Nuggets have become a power in the West.

5) DWYANE WADE (aka “The Flash”) – Former Miami Heat teammate Shaquille O’Neal gave him the nickname because of his uncanny ability to get to point A to point B in a flash. He nearly became a flash in the pan with an injury plagued 2007. But after going back to the lab with renowned trainer Tim Grover, D-Wade got back to elite status in a hurry. His coming out party came during the 2004 playoffs when Wade (then a rookie) dropped a floater in the paint over Baron Davis at the buzzer.

4) RAY ALLEN (aka “Jesus Shuttlesworth”) – Whether it is on the hardwood or Hollywood, Ray-Ray is a prime-time player. He set an NBA Finals record with eight 3-pointers in Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Lakers. His performance in “He Got Game” may not have earned him an Oscar, but how many NBA superstars can hang with Denzel Washington? In Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Lakers, Allen sized up Sasha Vujacic, got to the rim and scored on a left-handed layup over Pau Gasol to ice the game and the series for the Celtics. ABC commentator Mark Jackson said this on the air: “Ray Allen says I want to play one-one-one with Vujacic…and it’s time to dance! This is for all the marbles.”

3) DEREK FISHER (aka “D-Fish”) – Fisher is one of the physically and mentally toughest players in the league. Lakers coach Phil Jackson says he never worries about Fisher because he trusts that he will always make the correct play. Fisher’s career is defined by three moments: 1) his game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds left against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2004 playoffs; 2) his inspirational return to a playoff game in Utah the same day his daughter had emergency eye surgery in New York; 3) and his two clutch 3-point shots in Game 4 against the Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.

2) PAUL PIERCE (aka “The Truth) – When the game is on the line and the Celtics need a big shot, they turn to The Truth for answers. Time and time again, Pierce has delivered for Boston and has earned the reputation for being a big-game player. He is a fearless competitor who has the entire repertoire of shots. He can stick the 3-pointer, create his own shot, get to the free throw line and has one of the best mid-range games. The 2008 NBA Finals MVP also saves his best for last, as in the fourth quarter. His performance in Game 7 against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the ‘08 Eastern Conference semifinals and his game-winning shot in Game 5 against the Chicago Bulls in the ‘09 Eastern Conference semifinals are prime examples of his ability to rise to the occasion.

1) KOBE BRYANT (aka “The Black Mamba”) – A black mamba can strike in rapid succession. That’s Kobe Bryant. He can kill you off the dribble with either hand, he can post you up, he can posterize you, he can drop a floater in the paint, he can cross you over, he can pull up for a mid-range jumper (something 90% of the league can’t do) and he can step back and stick a 3-point dagger into your heart. Basically, if you are a defender, all you can do is pray he misses, which does not happen very often. Suns coach Alvin Gentry calls Kobe “the best player in basketball,” and it’s not even close.

Kobe Bryant is the most feared player in the NBA when it comes to late-game heroics.

A Sports Illustrated poll was taken in 2008 to rank the most feared players in the league. Kobe was rated No. 1. Michael Jordan always told his Bulls teammates that if they can keep the game close for three quarters he can win it in the fourth. Kobe operates the same way. If the Lakers can negotiate a game for three quarters, Kobe will most likely close the deal in the fourth. He did it six times during the 2009-10 regular season, and three of them were at the buzzer. LeBron may be the two-time reigning MVP, but Kobe has four championship rings and working on No. 5.

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