Take a look at this, he told them, pulling out his 2002 NBA Championship ring, the third one he won with the Lakers.

"Fish gave us a pretty good speech," said guard Deron Williams. "He told us to be respected as a team, these are the teams we have to beat. . . . We respect Fish so much, for him to come out and do that, it is going to affect you."

It's a little early, but Fisher believed two losses lent an urgency to Wednesday's game.

"There's no sense getting into any worse spot than we're already in," he said. "You know, catch it early, talk about it as a team."

So what did he tell them?

"Sometimes when things are going bad, you lose sight of the goal of why we're all here. You get so focused on one loss or two losses or one week, that you lose sight of how long the season is and what the objective is," Fisher said. "I just wanted to remind the guys that there's a bigger purpose here, don't get caught up in what we did the last couple of games. Let's go out here tonight and play against a team that knows how to be champions."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan didn't know Fisher planned to address the team, but he didn't mind.

"I don't care what they bring out, as long as it isn't illegal," Sloan said with a laugh. "Whatever winds your clock. We need whatever help we can get."

Expensive trip

Phil Jackson knew it was "one of those nights in Utah." But not many visits to Salt Lake City are this expensive.

The NBA has exacted a $25,000 punishment from Jackson for telling reporters that referees unfairly prevented second-year center Andrew Bynum from playing against the Jazz last Friday during the Lakers' 114-108 loss.

Officials Derrick Stafford, Derek Richardson and Leroy Richardson let the game devolve into a "roughhouse game," Jackson said, and hampered Bynum's game by called a traveling violation and a foul in the second quarter.

pmiller@sltrib.com