Fourth NBA Title Together Seems Like The First for Kobe, Fisher

ORLANDO -- They came to the Los Angeles Lakers together as rookies in 1996, one a brash high school kid who thought he was Michael Jordan from the start, and the other a humble, more likable, college graduate from Arkansas-Little Rock.

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher were – and are – so different. Yet as intense competitors, they are so much alike, so cool under pressure, so in tune with each other.

It's why they are on the verge of winning their fourth NBA title together, and why this one will be even better than the previous three.

"This one is special because you rarely have the opportunity to get back to the mountain twice in a career,'' Bryant said. "You have your first run, then you hit bottom. Then you've got to build back up and get back to the top again. Derek and I both feel very fortunate to be part of something like this.''

The Lakers, leading 3-1, play the Magic Sunday night, expecting to finish the Finals before they go home.

Although the pecking order is clear -- Bryant is the boss and Fisher the limo driver -- they have been together so long that they communicate on the floor without speaking.

"We know each other like we know the back of our hands,'' Bryant said. "I know where he's going to be before he even gets there. I can throw a pass to him blindfolded because I know exactly where he's going to be just because we've been playing together so long.''

Bryant didn't have to look when he drove the lane in Game 4, then made the pass back to Fisher, who promptly hit the game-winning 3-pointer in overtime Thursday night. Although Fisher is called the point guard, Bryant is the one who has led the team in assists throughout the Finals.

"As a passer? He (Bryant) is pretty remarkable,'' Fisher said. "He loves to dominate a game -- and he's a born scorer -- but if he chose to pass more, he would easily average Chris Paul-type assist numbers. I don't think there was anyone happier the other night when he kicked the ball out, and I made the shot.''

Fisher, like Bryant, is viewing Sunday's game as a chance to win their first title all over again. Both realize how different it will be without the shadow of Shaquille O'Neal looming over everything they do.

"This is so far removed from 2002 (when they won their third). There are a lot of guys on this team that were just graduating from middle school then,'' Fisher said. "Now they're teammates. It's a lifetime from the last championships won. It just feels new again."