Playoff Revelations honors playoff players without big names, but who are having a big impact in the postseason.Derek Fisher has just provided the postseason's most heart-warming moment so far. A cancerous tumor was found between the eye and brain of his infant daughter before game 1 of this series. According to Derek, the little girl had successful surgery and everything appears to be fine.
After flying back into town (and not having touched a basketball in days), D-Fish made a dramatic entrance into the game and the building nearly exploded. Incredible moment. There wasn't a dry eye in the place, and I nearly reached for the kleenex myself. OK, not really, but it was great nevertheless.
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan smartly inserted Fish into the game as soon as he emerged from the locker room, and he made the brilliant decision of sticking the defensively-minded Fisher on Baron Davis (who was torching anyone who tried to guard him through the first 3 quarters). Derek forced Baron into a crucial turnover late in the game by picking him up in the back court, and he made life very difficult for The Beard at crunch time.
With the Basketball Gods smiling upon him, Fisher hit a baseline three late in overtime. It was the game's signature shot, and it gave the Utah Jazz a 2-0 series lead. A professional screenwriter couldn't have come up with a better script.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-10-2007 @ 1:29AM
George B Vieto said...
Glad to hear that Derek Fisher's daughter is all right. Should the Jazz beat the Warriors good luck in defeating either the Spurs or the Suns in the Western Confernce Finals. Don't hold your breath.
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5-10-2007 @ 1:57AM
Wes said...
Utah actually matches up really well vs. the Suns. Won 3 of the 4 meetings in the regular season. They'll get killed by the Spurs.
Classic game tonight. Hope Dee Brown is ok.
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5-10-2007 @ 2:51AM
Toni said...
Have been a regular at Jazz games for many years (including all the NBA Finals games in 96-97 era). Tonight's game was possibly the most emotional game I've ever seen. Reminds you why we love the game so much.......the attachment we have is to the people afterall. Our love and prayers go out to Derek Fisher and Dee Brown. We love the Jazz win, but we love the people that they are, most of all. It's only basketball..........
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5-10-2007 @ 3:45AM
Ryan said...
Just when Golden State is the Cinderella story and has my support, Fisher comes through with heroics like this.
Love D-Fish, such a vital part to those Laker championships. His performance was awesome.
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5-10-2007 @ 4:40AM
TrojanMan said...
Takin' it upon myself to wish D-FISH and his family all the best from all Lakers fans.
3 championships and 0.4 seconds keep you guys in our hearts forever.
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5-10-2007 @ 7:50AM
kathy said...
my step daughter and grand daughter was born with bi-latteral retno-blastoma. (cancer in both eyes) my daughter lost one eye and had over 1000 tumors in the other to give her only partial vision, her eye was removed on christmas eve. 1973 at johns hopkins. my granddaughter was treated at wilmer, and doesnt even wear glasses now. (PRAISE GOD). this is a very tough cancer. it scares the adults. beause of the area affected. (near the brain) it is a stressfull time for both. although the children tend to sleep most of the time, the adults must watch and pray for the eye sight as well as the life of an innocent child. please do keep derek and his family in your thoughts and prayers. it means alot to know that someone cares.
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5-10-2007 @ 2:36PM
Brett said...
Derek Fisher is and has been a class act throughout his NBA career. He seems to understand the importance of setting a positive example for children both on and off the court. I hope his daughter recovers rapidly from the surgery! Fisher truly has the heart of champion!!
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5-10-2007 @ 4:16PM
Sara said...
We have watched D. Fish ever since he was at UALR here in Arkansas. He is a super guy & we all pray for him and his family.
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5-11-2007 @ 2:06PM
Jenny said...
God Bless Fisher and his family
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5-15-2007 @ 8:59AM
Merrie Braden said...
My son was diagnosed almost 21 years ago with bilateral retinoblastoma and treated by the same doctor and his late partner when they were at Cornell Medical Center in NYC. I hope that little Tatum recovers beautifully and that he continues to speak out for awareness about this disease. There are not a lot of us who have experienced it to talk to about it.........
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7-03-2007 @ 12:22PM
Sharon said...
Just heard the news about his daughter. Sending my prayers for Mr. Fisher and his family. I hope little Tatum will be alright.
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7-05-2007 @ 9:41AM
Claire Garabedian said...
Derek
My prayers & thoughts are with you & your family & especially with Tatum. Would like to send you some St. Raphael Holy Healing Oil. St. Raphael is God's healing angel & cured Tobit of blindness. If you feel lead by the Lord to accept the oil, please e-mail me back.
God Bless,
Claire G.
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7-05-2007 @ 1:12PM
Mrs. Ginny Freeman said...
Derek & Candace:
My son was diagnosed 44 1/2 yrs. ago with bilateral retino-blastoma. It was then a nightmare trying to find the place where they knew all about this cancer. Then, there was only one place in the whole world: The Wheeler Eye Institute @ Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, 168th Street Medical Center, NY City. Today, my son, George's doctor's name is on the facility in New York. It is called the "Robert Ellsworth Eye & Research Center" in NYCity. George is now 45 yrs. old and is working in a supervisory capacity @ Children's Hospital, Oakland, CA. George drives, swims, has a set of twins -- both retinoblastoma-free. Their umbilical cords are frozen for their future use. The twins will be 8 yrs. old August 9, 2007. George is in contact with them and is kept up-to-date on all the latest updates. He is blessed -- his left eye was tumor-ridden and he had 3 mal. tumors in the right eye. Back in those days - the treatment was in its infant stages. Dr. Algenon Reese started the study and researched all of these children. George grew up as one of seven children (the next to the youngest) and never knew he was handicapped. He did everything the others did, never once wondering if he shoulD BE IN THAT ACTIVITY. He tried T-Ball and seemed to always miss the ball - and he decided he didn't want to do that. (Of course, I told him that it was because he had only the one eye and it caused him a depth perception problem. But he was a very good swimmer (he got A-times in the AAU - Amateur Athletic Union). When he made out his application for College and sat down with a Counselor there, he was told he was handicapped. He argued that he was not. Then made a phone call to me to tell me -- my response to him was "Why?, what is you handicap?" So, he told me because he doesn't have a left eye (only an artificial one). I told him, "hey, you've been that way ever since you were 17 mos. old and you have been re-taught to look out for door frames, doors, heights, and to go up and down stairs while I was with only him in New York the very first time we were there (for 5 weeks or so). All of my children were AAU competitive swimmers at an early age and went up through the ranks, working summers @ teachers ' helpers; to teaching the swim classes, to being a Junior Lifeguard, to being a Senior Lifeguard and taking the RED CROSS SMALL CRAFT training in rowboat, canoe, motorboat, & Sailing. They were certainly water safe and any fears George may have had in the water were overcome immediately, as he needed to keep up with his siblings. And he did keep up with them.
I believe the positiveness that George received was greatly enhanced by no one ever thinking he was handicapped. I told George in re: his handicapped status @ college: "If I told you you were handicapped, you would have become handicapped. So, you have learned the few limitations you have, and you immediately handled them. Sso, what's your handicap?" George just laughed and said, "AW MOM", as he gave me a great big hug." And he went on to reminisce the many times in school when they all had to have eye tests and student's parents volunteered to do the testing . . .how they would have George cover his right eye even after he told them he could not see out of his left eye as it was an artificial eye. But they would insist that he cover the right one. Then they would be very upset, wondering what they did wrong, and how is it that he does not see with his left eye." We just chuckled and reiterated they have never heard of retino-blastoma; they certainly did not know what it meant when a child had this on his record -- back then (Geo diagnosed in 1963 finally in NYCity).
And we, my husband and I and all our family & friends, never heard of a baby being born with cancer. And it was hard to say that word "Cancer" because it denotes death and that's about all we knew about cancer then. We have all learned a "thing or two" about different kinds of cancer and can easily say that word now.
I remember when lthey took George up to surgery to enucleate (remove) his left eye, I wanted to pick him up and run away with hime so they couldn't start cutting & removing cancerous parts of him!" Fortunately, my husband was right there and told me how wrong it would be to do that. That it was only my emotion running on overtime ,,, I quickly stuffed that kind of thinking realizing the consequences of such an action... It was tough learning about the cancer in his good eye; but after enough of these "worst case scenarios" were laid out to me, I went home a built that little rock flower garden that I had wanted to build (the rocks were all painted white) and I constructed that rock garden in the font of my home, thinking of how "now I have something to cry about, and all the times I cried (whined) to get what I wanted," THIS WAS THE MOMENT IN MY LIFE WHEN I GREW UP -- ALL THE WAY! i had a whole new appreciation for life, and as I look back on my life, I have rarely cried since then; and when I did cry, it was because of loss oue sadness. THNAK YOU, GEORGE. You helped to shape my life.
My prayers are with you, Derek & Candace and your two precious little girls.
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