Derek Fisher on the Thunder-Heat 2012 Finals: “Our young superstars needed that experience” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
When Derek Fisher joined the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012 at age 38, he probably had no idea he was about to join one of the most electrifying teams in league history. And who could blame him? The man had already won five rings in seven Finals appearances, playing alongside the likes of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
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D-Fish came in with the mindset of a veteran on a young team, ready to enjoy the final years of his career while passing on championship experience to young stars like Kevin Durant, who at the time was 23, the same age as Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, who was a year younger. But soon enough, Fisher found himself in his eighth Finals appearance, as the Thunder—against all odds—ended up facing the Miami Heat “Big 3.”
“It was intense. You could feel the pressure on the Heat to win after they lost in 2011,” Fisher said on “Podcast P” with Paul George. “And then had we gone up 2-0, I feel like that narrative and noise would’ve allowed us to relax a little bit more. But to their credit, they were battle-tested because they had been in the Finals before together, and so they were able to make the necessary adjustments. The Finals format was still 2-3-2 at the time, and after they took Game 2 in OKC and stole home-court advantage, it was just momentum that started to build. Once they kinda got a sniff of having a chance to win an NBA title, it was just tough to overcome.”
“Shane Battier significantly changed that series because he was really struggling with his shot that playoff — I mean, struggle — and by the time the NBA Finals came, he started making shots, which changed everything for the Heat in terms of their floor spacing. Mike Miller, who was battling back issues, hit some timely shots. James Jones made some timely shots. They were a really well-balanced veteran team, and they deserved to win the series,” Derek added.
“But being in Miami, Game 5 in particular, it was just overwhelming once that momentum started to shift, and we could feel the championship right there to grab, but it didn’t feel like we could do much about it. That was the first Finals for most of the OKC guys. Kendrick Perkins and I had been there before with some championship teams, but our young superstars needed that experience and to go through it to really feel what it takes to finish that thing off and get four wins,” D-Fish concluded.
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OKC had three future MVPs
From that perspective, it might have seemed like a surprise that such a young Thunder team made the NBA Finals, but with hindsight, we realize that team had three future MVPs. Harden would go on to be a three-time scoring champion and two-time assist leader. Westbrook became a two-time scoring champion, three-time assist leader, and the player with the most triple-doubles in league history. Durant became a four-time scoring champ and two-time Finals MVP.
Those accolades alone put into perspective how much talent that team had. But after The Beard won the Sixth Man of the Year award, Sam Presti decided — for financial reasons — to trade him and go with Serge Ibaka, who was one of the league’s top shot-blockers at the time.
OKC finished the job in 2025
Looking at it now, OKC never returned to the Finals until last season, while Harden and Westbrook are still chasing their first rings. Durant has two with the Golden State Warriors, but many still argue that he’d still be ringless without Stephen Curry.
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In the meantime, Sam Presti has developed into the league’s best general manager, an award he received. Mark Daigneault became Coach of the Year, leading the youngest team in the league to first place in the West for two straight years and ultimately an NBA championship.
What the original big three couldn’t finish, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did — winning MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, NBA Finals MVP and the scoring title. His two sidekicks, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, have the potential to become some of the best players in the league, given how young they are.
Presti didn’t make the same mistake twice. He learned from that big Finals loss against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh and built a team with the potential to become a true dynasty.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.