"There are different approaches to being successful. We can all learn from everybody," Fisher replied. "Phil is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in sports history. Scotty is still early in his head-coaching career and possibly could be on his way to being considered one of the best coaches. His approach is different, but I've learned a lot since I've been here in how to manage people and manage players.

" ... (Brooks) has an unbelievable ability to have a sense of where (Thunder players) are. Maybe the advantage for him is that when these players were drafted, he was right there from day one. He's been with these guys for four years."

Fisher's responsibility: During the NBA lockout, players like Kevin Durant and LeBron James killed time by playing flag football and in charity basketball events. The 37-year-old Fisher didn't have time for flag football. As president of the NBA Players Association, he was involved for months in the negotiation of a new labor agreement.

"For obvious reasons, we all had a vested interest in trying to find a way to get basketball back onto the floor and out of the conference room," Fisher said. "I think we all should be proud of our efforts, but most appreciative of the (fans) - sticking with our game and coming back once we did resume play. ... You can't get this anywhere else. You can't find LeBron on another channel. There's not a Kevin Durant on other programming. That's what makes this really special."

Wade credited: Miami's Dwyane Wade was asked repeatedly Wednesday about where his body is at health-wise, and if his age - 30 - is beginning to show.

"I still have something in me, I have some left in me," Wade said. "I wish it was possible to stay at the same athleticism as I was at 24, but that's not possible."

Wade was 7-of-19 from the field Tuesday, scoring 19 points and dishing out eight assists. But on a night when the game's other stars - LeBron James, Durant and Russell Westbrook - were all playing at a higher level, his performance drew criticism.

Thunder players said they viewed no differences in Wade's game. Instead, they credited their defense for forcing him into a subpar effort.

"Everybody's defense is geared to not allow them to be superheroes, so to speak," Fisher said. "I think he is just as capable and always will be of putting up big numbers."

Durant reflects on Rucker game: On Wednesday, Durant was asked what he remembered about the night in August when he put on a streetball show at Rucker Park in New York, scoring 66 points and dazzling onlookers.

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NBA finals notebook: Coaching comparison