Derek Fisher played on some of the finest NBA teams of the past two decades and has experience coaching in the league as well, and he’s not buying excuses of a talent gap as the reason behind the sustained dominance of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.
Fisher, a former NBPA head, told Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins that, moreso than competitive balance, the issues are down to players who won’t push themselves beyond the limit to beat these stars, with defeatism seeping in mentally before the games are even played.
“When we were rookies, Kobe [Bryant] and I used to play full-court one-on-one all the time, and looking back, I had no shot to win,” Fisher said. “But at no point did I think I couldn’t guard him or couldn’t beat him. Guys have to respect each other, but when I watch these playoff games and see them patting each other on the back and helping each other up all the time, it tells me there might be too much respect. It tells me players are believing in the superteams, believing in the foregone conclusions.”
Fisher was particularly critical of a quote from Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who bemoaned the fact that “no one is closing the gap” on LeBron James during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
“I don’t feel sorry for the Toronto Raptors. I don’t pity the Boston Celtics,” Fisher said. “The shots they missed are not a collective bargaining issue. Obviously, when you have talent, it’s easier. But foregone conclusion? Impossible to beat? They’re not immortal. I played with some of the biggest, baddest dudes on the block, and there were plenty of times we could have lost. You can’t convince me it’s already written. You just can’t. Is Kevin Durant going to feel the pressure? Will he try to do too much? Those are factors you can’t predict.
“There used to be a time, with Magic and the Celtics, Jordan and the Pistons, you had to go through the big player, the big team, to reach your destiny. We’ve got a lot of guys that won’t go far enough beyond their perceived limits to step up and beat these teams. The guys who get the most out of themselves are the ones who win. That’s what it comes down to. Do you believe you can do it?”
Many within the game have bemoaned the construction of the so-called “superteams” in recent years. It’s clear that Fisher isn’t buying it.
