Fisher Finds Serenity

BOSTON -- The tattoo on Derek Fisher’s forearm, so fresh the skin around it is still reddish, is a Chinese character Fisher said translates into “To be faithful in heart, mind and spirit.”

It is done in broad, dark strokes, so as not to be a passing thought but a life’s map.

Fisher, who turned 28 in August, has never been stronger, he said, both in body and in temperament. He is wrapped in muscle, rapt in the game he plays, deeply satisfied in a personal relationship he recently resumed.

And so, standing not long ago in a tattoo parlor, as he had more than once before but never committed to ink on skin, Fisher ordered what he believed would define him and then rolled up his sleeve.

“I’ve thought about getting one over the years,” said Fisher, who otherwise is unpainted. “But I wanted something that meant something to me.”

His faith, he said, is in his family, in God, in himself and in his occupation. Free of the foot surgeries and the hours of rehabilitation, having pushed through a third consecutive championship postseason during which his abilities were frequently and publicly questioned, Fisher said he was pleased with where he is, with so much more to go.

“Everything I believe in and I stand for, ‘To be faithful in heart, mind and spirit’ to that,” he said.

Rick Fox, serving the last of his six-game suspension tonight, joined the team Wednesday morning. He’ll watch the game on television tonight, though he wasn’t sure where. “I don’t know how beloved I am in the area,” he said. “I’ve had things thrown at me in a couple places here, and that was when I was a Celtic.” ... Shaquille O’Neal practiced for about an hour Wednesday, mostly in half-court drills. He won’t play in a game until Tuesday at the earliest.

TONIGHT

at Boston

4:30 PST, TNT

Site -- FleetCenter

Radio -- KLAC (570), KWKW (1330).

Records -- Lakers 2-3, Celtics 2-2.

Record vs. Celtics (2001-02) -- 0-2.

Update -- The Celtics played Wednesday night in Chicago, allowing the Lakers the luxury of being the more rested team in a strange town. The Lakers have had some trouble defending Celtic forward Paul Pierce, having allowed him 33, 33 and 42 points in the last three meetings.