I’ll be doing an actual live blog tonight. I’ll refresh the post as often as possible so that we can continue to have a good back and forth. We’ll consider this our little joint experiment. I’ll try and pay attention to comments as we go too.
Pregame – Sasha is interviewed by Sager and says he knows Manu from Europe and that gives him confidence. Someone mentioned this might be a possibility in the comments from game 1 or 2, so kudos to whoever posited that possibility. Lakers will obviously making adjustments tonight (I hope) and the Spurs will try and replicate the success they had in Game 3 with solid defense and efficient offense. I can’t wait.
Lakers starting lineup is the usual. Finley will continue starting tonight, which means we’ll see the Ginobili off the bench.
1st Quarter
11:41 – Lamar starts it off with a 20 foot jumper that was too far left (elbow out?) but Gasol does well to grab the rebound and finish the play.
11:17 – Radman gets a nice transition dunk off a SA turnover.
9:49 – Lamar wills himself to the long offensive rebound. Great play. The Space Cadet converts the extra possession into a nice jumper.
9:20 – Spurs are shooting too early in the clock.
9:11 – Kobe hits a nice looking jumper from the left wing. Nothing but drainage. Greg Popovich decides he needs a timeout. Lakers out to an early lead, 10-4. I guess Kobe won out, the TNT overtime cam is following Kobe and Tony Parker
8:49 – The Lakers defense is stifling right now. Great steal leading to a Kobe fast break layup. More of this please. thanks.
8:30 – Ginobili checks in a little early. Radman is tasked with sticking him on defense.
8:19 – Ticky tack foul called on LO7. He stood right in front of Duncan’s turnaround baby hook in the post and got called for a foul. Weak sauce. Duncan makes both. 12-6 Lakers still up. Lamar with a little point forward action.
8:04 – lamar is very active tonight going after loose balls. He retains possession by going after a loose rebound and draws a foul inside. Make one miss one? I could be wrong, but I think his feet used to be much further apart earlier in the year and he was having more success (think back to that analysis of Paul Pierce’s free throw form). Hmm… he makes the first one and the second!
7:43 – TimmyDtheReal MVP makes the long jumper.
7:06 – Duncan hangs his big head running back down the court after being called for a foul going after the offensive rebound.
6:50 – Pau has come with some great aggressiveness. He gets a great look inside and makes the tough layup. Popovich is quite upset. Lakers up 18-8. I got to say, having the audio from TNT overtime is confusing. The whistles on the internet come about 5 seconds before the TV feed.
6:27 – following a timeout, the spurs are forced into a 24 second clock violation. Tony parker didn’t know the clock. He’s needing to get into this game.
5:53 – Kobe is doing a great job feeling his way through the offense. Lakers run a dribble handoff in the post and Kobe gets a wide open baseline jumper that didn’t involve fading away. Money.
5:25 – Spurs look to be in a position to capitalize but Tim duncan runs into the long arms of pau and Horry fouls Pau on the rebound.
4:46 – Fisher still doesn’t seem to have the basket locked in. he misses a jumper from just above the circle. He needs to keep shooting, he’ll find the range.
4:18 – Luke walton checks into the game and gets called for a traveling violation. TNT shows the play from underneath the scoreboard and you can see how much Robert Horry doesn’t respect Luke’s three point shooting ability.
3:50 – Parker comes up with the steal and in transition converts the layup. 22-15 Lakers. Spurs making a mini run here without Lamar in the game.
3:25 – Fisher hits a prayer shot from the corner. Extra high arc on that one, even for him. He was asking the man upstairs for lots of help on that one. 25-15 Lakers.
3:19 – With Tony Parker at the free throw line, it’s a battle of the bald men as Fisher and Joey Crawford discuss the proper use of the forearm on defense. I wonder who’s going to win that discussion. Whatever luck we were drawing from Kurt’s stay at the office is running out. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Spurs close the lead to under five by the end of the quarter, especially since Kobe will probably sit here soon.
Craig Sager’s suit is pretty loud. It’s a briht yellow color rivaling the Hornets’ alternate uniforms. Parker makes both free throws. 25-17 Lakers. farmar and Vujacic are in the game.
2:49 – PAU! PAU! PAU-WER! Pau gets the lakers another possession by doing an E Honda slap at the rebound back to a teammate and then he gets another rebound off of a Luke Walton miss from the right corner three. Pau makes both (kind of. he actually missed the second but Horry was called for a lane violation.)
2:29 – ginobili throws up a tear drop that drops about one foot from the rim. He’d like to RMA that one.
1:58 – Duncan to Pau: you can’t guard me. Duncan takes the ball strong into Pau’s grill and gets the nice layup. Shades of Amare on that one (but less fierce). walton turns it over on the other end.
1:37 – Lame touch foul called on Farmar against barry 38 feet from the bucket. Barry should make both. and does. 27-21Lakers.
1:13 – Pau is not Bynum/Dwight Howard. He can’t finish the difficult alley-oop off the pick and roll. That was a tough pass to handle and Pau doesn’t have boosties like his Airness.
0:49 – PHEW. barry missed the wide open three.
0:20 – Duncan travels his way to the basket and gets a dunc in transition. Doesn’t even matter, Lakers played no defense.
0:00 – Kobe gets away with his own travel but doesn’t convert. The quarter ends 28-23 Lakers. More LO please. And major props to gasol for his effort tonight. If he can continue at this high level, I like our chances.
On replay, the Duncan travel was very very very obvious. He took for steps by my count. Still can’t complain. even if he did dribble, the lakers weren’t even trying to stop him.
2nd Quarter
Phil blames the refs for the closing of the lead citing the ticky tack fouls.
11:38 – Ugh. Bruce Bowen does his Tony Parker impression. He’s forced off the three but shows off a little bank tear drop. 28-25 Lakers.
11:12 – Turiaf hits a nice jumper over Obert from the right elbow. We don’t need TNT overtime to see that one.
10:40 – Doug Collins says that Phil has taken Lamar away from working at the top of the circle and more along the baseline. I’m sure everyone will appreciate this change.
10:17 – ginobili is forced into a tough shot late in the clock. Great defense on the sequence by the good guys. Unlike Game 3, Ginobili misses it.
10:07 – Luke creates a great opportity for Ronny inside with a pretty spin move and dump off. ronny is fuoled and makes both free throws. Gotta be the shoes, Money. 32-25 Lakers.
9:41 – Great play by Lamar. He’s triple teamed (mismatched on parker in the post causing both Finley and Obert to help) and Luke cuts towards the basket weak-side. Lamar just throws it over the top and the Son of Bill finishes it off. timeout Spurs. 34-25. let’s hope the easy buckets keep coming.
If you watch the TNT overtime feed, you can see Eva Longoria looking on. Turiaf is the featured player this quarter! Go watch since he’s on the floor now.
8:45 – Spurs involve Horry and TP in the pick and pop but Odom just sags back to guard against penetration because he’s not worried about Horry shooting it. Luke gets a great rebound underneath the bucket on the other end and gets the nice putback.
8:07 – Lamar picks up his third foul going for a rebound against Horry and has to go to the bench. I’m not going to complain about the refs too much. Horry hits both for his first two points of the series. I don’t know how he’s getting minutes while contributing only two points over four games.
7:33 – radman takes his time to lineup the right, short corner three and nails it. 39-31. Important shot to quiet down the crowd.
7:00 – Jordan and Ronny go after the offensive rebound. farmar ends up with it and has the easy layup. 41-31 Lakers.
6:36 – Barry hits a long three pointer.
5:55 – Ho Ho Ho. Kobe denies Tony parker in the lane. Terrific play! Ugh. what a floptastic (veteran move). Farmar gets called for a foul going the other way because Bowen sold some sort of push. Ridiculous. farmar did grab Bowen first though. frustrating. 8 Turnovers so far. Automatic TV timeout. Lakers up 41-34.
5:30 – Duncan is a whiny baby. He creates all the contact against pau and misses the babyhook. Arms go flailing. No call.
5:13 – Pau does his best impression of a tree against the Tony Parker screen roll. He provides kleenex resistence and Tony parker ends up getting the offensive rebound on a Barry miss from three point land. And the foul on derek who lowbridged him accidently.
4:37 – the Space cadet is tuned into this game. He grabs the offensive reobund and gets the putback. Lakers are living off the offensive glass. 43-36 Lakers.
4:18 – timmyD gets the MVP chant at the free throw line. Aww, fisher needs a hug. he’s looking forlorn on the bench after picking up his third foul.
4:03 – Okay, that needs to be called, i’m sorry. Kobe was whacked as he went up for the shot. No call.
3:41 – What is this? Sasha going after a loose ball gets called for his 3rd foul. What a terrible call. barry just flopped over like a mackerel on the end of a line. Weak sauce. You cannot reward non-hustle by calling that foul. 43-40 Spurs are closing.
3:17 – parker makes a great move in transition against farmar but farmar gets called for another weak sauce foul. What is this???? these refs are really not paying attention. Absolutely absurd. I hate to complain about the refs but this is just insane.
3:05 – Pau gets a weenie shot over Duncan to go. ends a littel drought. 45-43 lakers still up.
2:29 – Luke walton works extremely hard to get the ball in the paint from Gasol. What a great play by Luke to work his butt off against Ginobili. He draws a foul on Ginobili and he’s tiring Ginobili out so he’ll be less effective on the offesnive end. timeout before the free throws.
I am absolutely excited about seeing Hancock this summer (along with the Dark Knight and Wall-E).
Pop talks about improved defense by the spurs but they need to work on protecting their defensive glass. He says the smalls need to box out as well. Look for the Spurs to improve because that is why the Lakers are winning.
2:25 – Brent Barry has cat-like reactions. he just takes the pass out of the air.
2:00 – There it is! Pau goes to his post spin move quick and draws the foul on duncan. He didn’t wait to read the defense he just went. Soemwhere Stu Lants is saying atta boy.
1:37 – Another bullet dodged. Ginobili misses his right corner three that would’ve given them a three point lead. Kobe hits a nice jumper on the other end under control. Lakers up 2.
0:56 – Farmar comes quick the other way after a TP force (trying to draw the foul on Pau) and Tim Duncan tells him to hit the weight room. It’ll be the Lakers ball underneath the basket after the Lakers’s timeout. 47-45. Ginobili has absolutely houdini’d tonight. Lakers set up with four people on the baseline. walton pikcs up the loose rebound and gets the tear drop to go. What a great play even with someone hanging on his back.
0:33 – TP scoops it in after a little hitch. Froze the defense.
0:23 – SON OF BILL! in the post against ginobili, gino tries to flop and walton converts the continuation play. can he make the free throw? Nope. But Radman makes a terrific play to save it!!!! Sing his praises ladies and gents. It’s mamba time! 1 second left and hits the jumper from the free throw line. Ariza is in the game. Spurs don’t get off the shot. Great finish to the half. 53-47 lakers.
I’m going to grab some dinner. Play nice. Be back during the third.
Best +/- is Lamar at +14 and the Space cadet at +7. Those are good indicators of the game they are having. Spurs have a lot of guys in the minus right now. brent Barry is a monster at +12, though. Is this by design? letting Barry get his but stopping everyone else? I doubt it. The Lakers have just had some brain farts against him and he’s been hitting some three balls.
3rd Quarter
Public Service Announcement: Bowling on Saturday could leave your arm still sore on tuesday. Or maybe that’s just me. Yikes!
11:08 – Derek hits a nice looking 20 foot jumper over parker. impressive, but not convincing unless he can do it a few more times. That’s what she said.
10:32 – “bryant, with a strong move.” Lakers up 7, 57-50.
10:18 – Tim Duncan reminds of a trebuchet when he shoots free throws. He slings it up there almost. He misses the second one but Oberto gets the offensive board. Turnover! LO goes the other way in a hurry and Kobe hits a little floater.
9:45 – Bowen finds his range and hits a three from the left side. 59-54 Lakers up.
9:26 – Pau is wearing the hyperdunks tonight too. Along with Radman. LO is back to his normal footwear.
8:35 – Lamar gets a good-looking jumper to go from the left side. We don’t want to rely on that one, but it looked good here.
8:10 – Parker hits a good looking jumper of his own, fed by hip hop ginobili.
7:25 – That’s not his forte. Parker short arms a three.
7:05 – Standstill elevation from Kobe on the right elbow over Bowen. That was a feat of strength. bowen will live with that shot, but still, as a defender, that has to be deflating. Kobe’s rocket boosters just have more thrust than Bowen’s. On a sidenote, my sister says 27 Dresses is “kind of awful.” Word to the wise. Just thought you should know.
6:43 – RadMan is really involved in this game. He sags off Bowen on the opposite side and ends up getting a hand on the rebound funneling it to Fisher. Without him there helping Lamar, the ball would’ve gone to Oberto. That kind of play won’t make it into the final report, but the little things make a lot of difference.
6:15 – Maybe I take that back. Duncan had it in the post and VladRad sagged down with a hard double from the same side. the man he left, barry, you know, the only person who can shoot tonight, drains a three. After a duncan dunc, the spurs are only down 2. 65-63.
4:37 – After a suspect non-call on the Lakers end, Parker ties it up. 65-65.
4:22 – bowen picks up a foul for holding Kobe away from the ball. Great pass to pau streaking to the basket on the screeen/roll. And pau makes the finishing lay-in.
3:50 – tonight just isn’t Fisher’s night. He’s got to be a little fatigued. He fouled Tim Duncan shooting a 21 footer as the shot clock was running out. He hits Duncan on the arm. he’ll bounce back next game. fisher can take solace in the fact that he’s ripped.
3:29 – LAMAR ODOM makes a great play to get to the defense rebound and Kobe is cherry picking for the reverse dunk! 69-67 Lakers still leading. timeout for the bad guys. The fans shower him with a smattering of boos. They’re going to wake him up if they’re not careful. he’s played a quiet game so far, so I’m not sure they want to do that.
You know, I would hate to play against Oberto. he just looks like the kind of guy who doesn’t shower for three days at a time just so his body odor will discourage you from bodying him up.
2:18 – Offensive REbound pau! great feed to Lamar by PAU! two points. 71-67.
1:52 – duncan is going to have to pay property taxes because he’s pretty much living at the free throw line tonight. odom fouled him? I think it was actually pau’s foul but the refs prove that they aren’t watching the game. Lamar will sit with the lakers up 3 after the free throws.
1:32 – Vujacic is going to complain on this one. Don’t draw a T. ginobili in semi transition takes it into sasha’s chest and uses his forearm to create space. Sasha gets called for the foul for not being set. I can see that one going either way.
1:12 – Kobe beats Udoka and Duncan baseline for the easy jam.
0:49 – The machine got recalibrated. he finally hits a shot and the foul! A four point play coming up? Yes. 77-70.
0:20 – TimmyD takes his own “weenie” shot against Pau’s freakishly long arms.
0:02 – Luke walton with a contested three as time expires isn’t exactly high percentage. I foolishly hoped for better. It’s okay. Lakers up 7 as the quarter ends.
There’s a website called, Will It Blend? The theme of this quarter should be, Will It Hold? Lakers need to buckle down and find the strength to pull this one out because the Spurs are going to throw everything onto the court in the last quarter. the Spurs have so much to lose if they drop this game.
4th Quarter
We start with farmar, son of bill, the machine, the space cadet, and pau. Spurs start with duncan donuts, the frenchman, barry, horry, and ginobili.
11:09 – Lakers start cold, missing their first tow shots. Tim Duncan makes a tuogh layup inside.
10:49 – On this possession duncan misses two layups. The spaniard really bothers his shots.
10:28 – vujacic gets tied up in the corner. Not a good play. He’s going to go up against Horry. Spurs gain possession. turn over lakers.
10:02 – brent barry sold his soul to the devil tonight. Barry hits a three ball to pull his team within 2.
Since halftime, the Lakers +/- stats have become a little more pedestrian and the Spurs stats have mostly recovered. Finley’s the worst still but he’s been sitting most of the game, with Barry taking his minutes and making up the difference with a +18 so far.
9:44 – The MVP checks back in and immediately drains a jumper. If I had to bet, I’d bet on Kobe willing the lakers to victory tonight. He’s got that calmness to him that is quietly confident. But he’s going to need some help. Lakers are turning the ball over twice as often as the spurs. 14-7.
8:45 – Barry hits a leaner in the lane. As much as it’s not derek’s night, it IS barry’s night.
7:53 – Kobe explodes through a double team at an unconventional angle to get a jumper off. it misses but turiaf hustles for the rebound and draws a looseball foul. The extra possession isn’t converted as Turiaf misses the jumper.
7:23 – Lamar is really after those rebounds. Kudos to him for understanding the lakers need to keep Oberto off the glass. He’s the garbage man and he’ll make them pay.
7:01 – both teams struggling to get a bucket. 81-77 Lakers up after a kobe miss.
6:44 – Tim Duncan gets mugged by turiaf in the lane and no call is made. Duncan is furious. Well, as furious as a teddy bear can be anyway.
6:08 – ginobili hits a step back from the top of the circle. The fans are excited to see if this breaks the seal fo rhim. I say, no. Lakers up 2. 81-79.
5:35 – Farmar = too much dribbling. Lakers have gone away from the beautiful ball movement that was serving them like Alfred to Bruce Wayne, that is to say, impeccably. Instead farmar forces a ridiculously tough shot and Turiaf gets called for a foul going after the rebound. sasha and farmar are both showing their inexperience tonight. Fisher needs to stop sulking and help calm those guys down. Run the offense, play with energy under control and the Lakers should prevail.
4:52 – The Space cadet was out of touch for a moment. He doubles down on Duncan but he wanted to take Duncan tango dancing. His arm was all the way around tim’s waist. He gets called for the easy foul. I’m not sure what he was thinking, or not, on that play. Gasol gets a great feed to Lamar in for a dunk.
4:00 – Spurs are still in a drought as the Lakers are grinding.
3:51 – Lamar drops in a layup with his left hand on the wrong side and draws the foul. He makes the free throw to make himself 5/5 from the line. He’s focused tonight. Like a LAZER.
3:30 – Kobe is really good at dunking in transition. hahaha, okay, everyone in the NBA is good at dunking without anyone guarding them. he gets a steal and the lakers are up 88-79. Lakers need to not let up, but this is certainly encouraging. they survived the Spurs mini run and will hope to work on their carpentry (nails in the coffin) to close out the game.
The Muffin-Man says the big three are tired for the Spurs. i’m not sure i agree, but they aren’t punishing the lakers the way they did in the third game.
2:44 – Lakers get two possessions with a pau offensive rebound and more time drains off the clock.
2:26 – Fisher hits another jumper and the Lakers go up 8.
2:07 – Duncan Donuts gets too easy a layup against the non-defense of pau.
1:51 – Lamar draws the foul on ginobili going to the hole. Ginobili says, “hey man, i thought we had a little bond among left-handers here.” Lamar makes one, misses one.
1:46 – trying to do too much, barry throws the ball away in transition. great job by the lakers to harass him on the break, forcing him into a mistake.
1:26 – sasha is just a little bit off. He can’t hit the wide open jumper.
1:09 – Lakers should win here. time is winding down and the lakers have a five point lead.
0:56 – Lamar works his butt off to get inside position on the Kobe miss (forced it) and draws a foul. He’ll shoot two. Drains the first like he’s been doing it his whole life. and the second. lamar, can i have your babies? Lamar at +15 and Kobe at +9. Barry continues to drag the hearst uphill with a +20 but Finley and oberto’s -18 and -15 are too much to overcome.
0:28 – Kobe rushes it and throws up a bad look. manu hit a three. Tony parker takes the bad miss and goes length of the floor for the layup (lamar goal tended supposedly). Lakers up two.
0:07 – Spurs get just what they wanted. fisher shooting a difficult level = 10 from the left corner. The shot misses so badly that Robert horry gets caught off guard and the ball goes off his leg. It’ll be Lakers out of bounds with 0:05.6 left. If the lakers inbound successfully, the Spurs foul, and the Lakers make both free throws, the game is for sure over. If they only make one, it’s still a nailbiter. and if don’t make any it’s no good. Oh. I’m a fool for listening to Doug Collins. the shot clock never reset so kobe is forced to shoot a fadeaway from the left side. He misses badly and the Spurs will have 2.1 seconds to get a bucket. Let’s hope the Lakers packed in the powerade so they don’t suffer brain lock and give up a cheesy foul or an easy two. Oh my goodness, my heart can’t take this stress. I’m going to have to go on hypertension meds.
0:02 – barry draws all kinds of contact from fisher (brain lock) but the officials don’t bail barry out. If they call that foul barry would be at the line for three throws with his team down two. I’ll gladly admit that that was a foul and Barry should have been shooting three free throws. But everyone knows you can’t count on the refs to blow any kind of whistle at the end of the game. they act like WWE-type contact is permissable at the end of games. But let me be the first to point out that the refs missed calls all night and this wasn’t the only call they missed. They missed that Duncan travel most noticeably and a bunch of other stuff. It’s sad a the game has to end like that. fisher needs to not foul from 30 feet away from the bucket. He’s got to get his head in the game when for Game 5.
Lakers fans, take a breath. that was a lucky escape. Spurs fans, I feel for you, but I gotta go with Kurt’s advice, handle your business during the game and it wouldn’t be up to the refs at the end of the game to make a split second decision that could go either way.
I like our chances to go to the finals now. Crossing my fingers, toes, and anything else I can. Lakers win 93-91.
Kurt says
nomuskles, you rock for doing this.
I like that the first two Lakers baskets were at the rim. Now, I just need to get home so I can watch this game. Damn day job.
Kurt says
Then again at 22-8, maybe I should be not jinx the mojo and stay at the office.
Darius says
barry is in the way back machine for the last 2 games….next he’ll be dunking in his warmup top.
euph0ria says
that was a nice travel dunk by Duncan…too bad they didn’t call it.
Darius says
Even though the Lakers gave up a good portion of that 14 point lead, I still like the fact that the put up 28 points in the quarter. Factor in some sloppiness from Luke and Odom’s two fouls and I like where we’re at after the 1st.
nomuskles says
I read a story where he says he wore the warm-up jacket because he had a t-shirt underneath that said White Men Can Jump but decided against showing it off, thus, he had to wear the jacket to cover it up. I say, good call. I think Kwame a. would agree.
lakeshow says
kobe let luke hear it…and he certainly needed to…
j. d. hastings says
2- Kurt- Don’t worry about it, it’s my fault. It was 22-8 right when I walked through the door. I think I’m rocking a -5 right now.
I’m sorry guys. Should I go back to the office?
Palani says
what happens to these offensive fouls????
j. d. hastings says
How is Horry using his forearm to push Vlad out of bounds so he gets the offensive board not an offensive foul? That was even more blatant than Farmar’s on Bowen.
Dr. J-Water says
Cool idea to blog it live. The game is good so far, but looks like the Spurs are making a run right now. It’s too bad Odom is in foul trouble on some suspect calls, because the Lakers need his length defensively.
j. d. hastings says
4 Lakers have 3 fouls right now.
nomuskles says
Cross your fingers that those foul troubled players don’t come back to haunt us at the end. So far, Lakers have been doing enough to maintain the lead. The bench mob is still a little out of sorts, but they are hustling to make up the difference.
j. d. hastings says
Does Joey Crawford even realize that he’s supposed to be blatantly favoring the Lakers?
CTDeLude says
No fixing from me, but these refs are absolutely HORRID. You cannot tell me the Lakers shouldn’t be killing them right now.
j. d. hastings says
Is that a cover of a Joy Division song???? Is Morrissey next?
kim dao says
Does anyone else think the Lakers aren’t passing the ball around enough on offense?
euph0ria says
I really don’t want to complain about the officiating, but that was a foul on “Oh Boy! It’s Oberto Beef Jerky” when LO got that rebound. At least the Mamba finished with style…
j. d. hastings says
Kobe’s launched 3 terrible shots now.
Palani says
machine!
lakerfan101 says
Yea Sasha 4 point play…
lakeshow says
the machine for the 4 point play!!!
LakeShowTime says
SASHA! NICE! We closed out the 2nd and 3rd qtrs well
Yezzir says
You’d think maybe someone would get a hand in Barry’s face…He hasn’t missed a 3 all series!
j. d. hastings says
I hate the entire Barry family.
Yezzir says
It’s KOBE time
kim dao says
great help defense!
Muffin-Man says
Kobe—ATTACK the rim!!!
goshowtime says
jeez, get farmar out of there.
LakeShowTime says
Attack the rim is right…no more jump shots on a guy with 4 fouls!!!!!!!!!!!
Nik says
We need fish, sasha, and pau on the floor
mj32 says
kobe needs to drive in and attack the rim. get the foul. 0 so far. what’s going on with him? is his back giving him problems?
Muffin-Man says
The big 3 for the Spurs are tired. If the Lakers attack the rim, good things are going to happen. If they settle for jumpers…
LakeShowTime says
That was a statement bucket by Odom!! That makes me feel good about his mental game.
goshowtime says
odom coming up big!
goshowtime says
dagger!!
Muffin-Man says
Fatigue, fatigue, fatigue! Spurs are running on fumes…lack of depth catching up to them. Keep attacking–no contested jumpers!
mj32 says
somebody needs to stay on barry! when are they going to learn?
magic days says
now all we need to do is hold onto the ball, don’t turn it over. take their time and run the clock down.
kim dao says
like they keep saying…”offensive rebounds”
Muffin-Man says
I am so proud of Lamar. The guy has shown tremendous character tonight.
TC says
Ball game.
Warren Wee Lim says
We’re 1 win away from the Finals guys… with 2 more home games. Lakers in 5.
LakeShowTime says
jeez this is an atrocious ending!!!!
magic days says
what the hell was kobe doing?
magic days says
if we lose this game, it’s on kobe.
Nik says
we’ll be ok but wow kobe
Muffin-Man says
Once again Horry with the key play down the stretch–off his leg! Man, what was Kobe thinking? I’m having a heart attack.
magic days says
i hope you’re right nik
Muffin-Man says
Pau’s missed free throws were what opened the door.
LakeShowTime says
mj32 says: guard Barry!!!!
Muffin-Man says
No 3s. Switch everything.
mj32 says
whoever said that this was going to be a nail biter is right. damn this is crazy. down to a 2 to tie or 3 to win (or lose). argghh.
goshowtime says
if we lose this game…
Muffin-Man says
THANK GOD.
mj32 says
yes! yes! thank god for that no call.
Nik says
wow that was a foul
LakeShowTime says
lol i thought he was going to get that call….jeez fish. but that was not in the act…..
but oh well, they had enough free throws this game 😉
goshowtime says
wow, we got lucky on that foul.
magic days says
i guess that’s a gimme back for all those no calls earlier in the game. worth it.
Nik says
Wow kobe is so funny…
LakeShowTime says
kobe kinda threw pau under the bus there…and he looked embarassed.
we need to crush them and not leave it up to the refs in game 5
mj32 says
there are going to be some pissed off spurs fans after tonight. they’ll be talking about that for the next year if the spurs lose this series.
now says
Lots of talk about the blown non-foul on Fisher, but what about the 2 that went against the Lakers in the last 30 seconds? Lamar had a clean block called a goaltend, and Fisher’s shot hit the rim but the shot clock didn’t reset. It’s a wash.
lakerfan101 says
It is a win that’s all I care about.
Thanks nomuskles, again for the live live blog.
euph0ria says
The Fish saves LA again! Even if the foul was called, it would’ve been two shots since Barry wasn’t in the act of shooting.
Palani says
is it possble that the last call is corrected??? or the last score is final?
Palani says
what was kobe thinking in the last 60 sec?????
JP says
How did Tony Parker’s layup count? I was re-winding my Tivo over and over when he and Lamar we’re at the rim. On the slow-mo the Spurs had 89 – after the non-basket their score was 91. Maybe it was the angle. Did Lamar touch it on its way down?
j. d. hastings says
How apt that the game would end on a bad no-call. Except now all the conspiracy theorists can continue to claim that there’s a pro-laker bias. Kobe shot 29 times and didn’t go to the line once. Is that a record for most FGAs without an FTA? I haven’t gone back to look at all those, so I don’t know if he was getting hacked but that’s why he started jacking up 20 footers at one point. I think the team showed a lot of character to take this game.
nomuskles says
I’m not sure about the Lamar goal tend. I don’t think it was, but it’s a tough call to make because it happened so fast. I don’t begrudge the refs on that one, but it seems on instant, slow-mo replay to be incorrect.
nomuskles says
Both teams shot terrible from three-point land.
anoni says
If anyone blames this Spur loss on the refs, you deserve to be heckled. We should blame the refs right now for this being anything less than a ten point Laker lead.
Tremble says
Ok, I’ll have that last call be a foul, if another 7 calls against the Lakers are waived off as fouls. Giving us about a 15 point lead. We win. EOD.
fatality says
bull. refs favor lakers throughout this series. you know that was a foul at the end, there is NO question about it. even if it wasn’t “in the act” barry would have made the two free throws and we would be watching overtime right now. lakers will go to the finals and get raped. trust me.
TC says
74-damn straight…..intelligent Spurs fans like Spurred On and others no doubt won’t blame the refs just for that last blown call on Ginobili’s shot. We played hella good D on them throughout the game, we moved the ball around well, they didn’t play particularly well….yes, if Spurs fans want to whine about this one, go right ahead.
nomuskles says
Phil mentioned in the post-game interview that Derek fisher’s last shot that didn’t reset the shot clock did hit the rim. I didn’t notice that, but on replay he’s right. Kobe shouldn’t have had to force up that ugly one with 2 seconds left.
magic days says
if the clock had been reset on that last kobe shot we might not be having this discussion about the no call foul. get one give one. that’s how the game goes. the spurs lost this game in the many opportunities they had to take the lead. pop just said he wouldn’t call it a foul if he was an official.
Sasha's HairNet says
Even if they call that foul, isn’t it on the ground and NOT a shooting foul? He doesn’t rise up until well after Fish bumped him.
Glad Pop admitted that it was a good non-call.
dafish says
Well, moving on, who’s going to be more dogged about that last call? I think the answer is obvious… hooray for inconvienent distractions.
anoni says
80. Doesn’t it still count if he’s ‘in the act of shooting’?
nomuskles says
I’m sure you can tell from the live blog, but I really enjoyed the Lakers’s hustle tonight. That was absolutely how they pulled this one out. Even when their shots weren’t falling, the Lakers never let their energy falter.
Amol says
No-call at the end balances out the fact that that Fisher’s shot with 5.something left GRAZED THE RIM! Lakers should’ve gotten the ball back with shot clock turned off, get it into a good free-throw shooter, up by 4.
Also, Timmy traveled for 2. So Karma hit the Spurs.
It was a good run by the Spurs at the end, but even Pop agreed with the non-call and stated that they had their chances and shouldn’t have left it to the end and the refs.
PS: Did anyone catch the Coach’s Corner that Sager had with Phil between Q1 and Q2?
Sager: Phil, you played a great quarter, but you’re only up 5. Why are you not in more control of this game?
Phil: You want me to be honest? It’s the guys with the whistles.
Haha, guys with the whistles turned out to be pretty okay in the end.
j. d. hastings says
Man, the Spurs are taking the non-call like men. I can’t even bring myself to dislike them. But the media is pushing the issue. They aren’t making an issue of the 24 second clock or the non-goaltend call.
lakeshow says
just want to say that i have the utmost respect for barry after watching his post game interview…
magiclover says
Lakers beat the Spurs and the refs.Kobe,no free throws,Lamar no goaltending. Fish no airball.
5 games to the championship!!
lakeshow says
also dont know really what to make of the spurs handling the last call. No complaints…gotta respect that….its not easy to do…
harold says
media knows what sells. controversy sells, not karmic justice.
bad call or non call, a split in SA, ending their unblemished home winning streak, with the chance to finish off the Spurs in 5 while the east had at least two games left…
all good, all good.
anyway, if the Spurs lose this series, it’s because they gave up the 20 point lead in game 1. beginning of an end for them?
JP says
The Spurs are being real and highly professional – it is *very* impressive. Great champs and opponents. The predictable media is looking for blood (something to sensationalize) as always. Moving on to Game 5: Go Lakers!!!
LakeShowTime says
i dont think there is much good cheer after this win, based on how awful we handled the last few minutes and that no-call…
hopefully it feels like a loss and we come out and crush game 5!!
paul says
one lucky call deserves another i guess
Snoopy2006 says
I didn’t think we did anything special on Ginobili defensively, I thought he was just off. There were plenty of times where Kobe sagged off him.
I did like our defense on Parker, though. He’s thankfully lost confidence in his jumper, and we did a decent job keeping him out of the lane, I thought.
I too was impressed with Barry’s class. And his game.
We need to close it out. We’ve given up a 3-1 lead before (although with an inferior team), but in my eyes the Spurs will be dangerous until they’re out for good.
j. d. hastings says
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-32-237/That-Was-a-Foul-.html
Pat says
What will it take for the Mamba to get to the freethrow line? Man do I miss ronnie brewer and paul millsap.
chibi says
BEIJING (Reuters) – NBA playoff games have been taken off air by China’s state television network because they are considered too entertaining for a nation still recovering from the Sichuan earthquake.
dafish says
95. I was about to say “too soon!”, until i saw that its an actual news item.
Brian P. says
I also have to respect the Spurs for their lack of complaining. That game gave me a heart attack. I almost couldn’t enjoy it after it ended.
DMo says
Zero free throws for Kobe. Duncan’s travel for 2 points. Phantom foul for Lamar’s 5th. Fisher hitting the rim without a reset in the last 30 seconds. Odom’s questionable goal tend. Fisher and Odom in foul trouble all night. 7 free throw differential for the champs at home… Anyone who blames the refs for this Spurs loss only watched Sports Center.
Those who were involved in the game–Duncan, Barry, Popovich–know that the Spurs didn’t deserve to win it, regardless of what happened in the last 2 seconds. And I give them all the credit in the world for acknowledging this. The Spurs conducted themselves like the champions they are and, as Laker fans, we should all appreciate it. San Antonio is the hardest working team in basketball, and their success is predicated upon accepting responsibility for their play–in both victory AND defeat. I hope the Lakers were watching.
tonystarks says
Just to restate the obvious
Tony Parker layup “blocked” by odom was a goaltend for sure. It hit the glass first then Odom swatted it.
Subsequent Kobe drive = mental breakdown.
Fisher missed shot = Hit rim, shot clock should’ve been reset.
Brent Barry = obviously a foul, on the ground, not in the act of shooting. Good no call if you’re a Laker fan. Bad no call if you’re a Spurs fan, Laker-hater, conspiracy theorist. Inside the NBA crew broke it down perfectly: Barry didn’t sell it as a foul, he kind of dribbled away from the contact, Nowitzki-style, and then hiked up a shot. Refs have to call that foul if he jumps into the contact. No doubt in my mind, Manu would’ve drawn the foul. This was Brent Barry. He doesn’t really have the experience in those kinds of situations.
With that said, Brent Barry and the Spurs post game = CLASS ACTS.
After the last minute, which seemed like a big blur, the win felt a bit tainted/cheapened. But who am I kidding, a win is a win and we earned that one. SuperSpurs had multiple opportunities, but couldn’t get over the proverbial hump.
Last thing – Duncan missed a ton of chippies. Some of it had to do with Gasol’s length. I’m thinking a lot had to do with fatigue. He looked tired. Pop knew how big of a game this was, and our quick start was important because it forced the Superspurs to play Duncan a ton of minutes – 45 minutes for Duncan in what was a pretty uptempo game in various spurts.
Warren Wee Lim says
Henry Abbott could not bear to see the Lakers in the Finals I guess… call it his “preference”. I’m prety sure that Truehoop will be flooded by how Joey Crawford “gave” the game to LA.
As Kurt usually puts it very well, the Spurs lost by the “other” plays and you should not put the blame on one play which, controversial as it is, had poetic and karmic justice written all over it.
The Laker fan in me jumped for joy… but I could not help but be bothered by the forthcoming articles of how the NBA “rigged” the games to put the Lakers on the Finals. I guess he will rig it one more time tomorrow so that Boston goes up 3-2? Please.
kwame a. says
98-Warren, I was just about to post something about that. Henry really has to get off his Blazer-induced Laker hate. The game was poorly officiated, but I think on the whole, it tilted in the Spurs favor moreso than the Lakers. Kobe shot 29 field goals and had no free throws, yea, the leauge really is trying to have the Lakers win. Anyway, I won’t let anyone tain the Laker win, biggest win of the year, and we still can play better.
Travis Y. says
Love the intensity and urgency shown this game. Like we’ve said all season you don’t win/lose the game in the last second, it’s done throughout the game.
With that said it WAS A FOUL, but it was on the ground.
Pop has a saying plastered in their locker room, “striking the rock 100 times, and then the 101st.”
The Spurs handled the situation like professionals and I wouldn’t expect anything less.
Not Charlie Rosen says
Here’s the thing…in the rule book, a defensive player is allowed to leave his feet and jump straight up and down. If the offensive player moves into this vertical “pillar” while the defender in the air, any contact incurred is either not a foul or an offensive foul.
Now, we seldom if ever see the game called properly like this…as soon as a defender leaves their feet, the offensive player leaps right into them to draw the contact and the automatic whistle…Kobe is brilliant at it.
But if you look at the replay, while Fisher doesn’t go straight up and down geometrically, it’s pretty close, and had Barry stayed where he was when Fisher left his feet, there wouldn’t have been contact, or at the most minimal contact. But Barry dribbled right under where Fisher was going to land, thus there was tons of contact.
Not that I think the refs thought through all that…they just swallowed their whistles because someone needs to be bleeding in the last 10 seconds before Joey Crawford blows his horn…
Given the way that this type of play is called 99.9% of the time (i.e. wrongly, with the benefit to the offensive player), I can understand how everyone involved is upset at the “foul” that wasn’t called. But really, by the actual text in the rulebook, that was (unintentionally) one of the more accurately called plays in the entire game.
The Dude Abides says
Not in a million years should the refs have called a foul on Fisher on that play. They will only call a foul on a pump fake if the man with the ball goes right back up to shoot. However, Barry was too far away from Fisher to go right back up, so he took a dribble and initiated the contact that way. Good non-call, especially considering Fisher’s shot that went off Horry’s foot out of bounds hit the rim before doing so. And if the less reasonable want to cry foul about the last play of the game, there was less contact on that play than there was on Kobe’s ill-advised shot that he took with 35 seconds left when he should have run the clock down to 18 seconds and then taken the shot. Kobe shoots one FT in two games? Give me a freakin’ break.
chris h says
i also felt the refs were not favoring the Lakers until about the last 3 or 4 minutes of the game, and the way I always look at it, it tends to even things out. I can’t tell you how many times I see a bad call, only to see the “make up’ call on the other end soon after.
this was just a case of things evening out.
and I also agree with other posters who have said the Spurs coach, and players all handled the issue gracefully, it was that IDIOT (in me best Ren accent) Sager who kept bringing it up, even though in EVERY interview, he was shot down, the non-call was ok, let it go.
and Duncan really did take a legit 3 steps on that one dunk, serious traveling (non) call.
UCR Mike says
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDc31xBkBg0
Some people are saying that Barry traveled before he got hit. What do you guys think? All I know is that this game is that play is going to be dissected to death.
laughing hard says
It’s kind of ironic to consider that, had Brent Barry exaggerated the contact a little bit more, he likely would have gotten the call… so the Spurs dynasty might come crashing down on the one instance that they didn’t flop.
LaFleur says
The refs aren’t going to let the game be decided on the line unless the shooters arms are swiped during the shot. They most def aren’t going to let the game be decided by little bump continuation foul.
Watching the the post game press conferences I really liked how Popovich didn’t complain about the call. You compare this with someone like Doc Rivers who you know would have blamed the loss on the refs (remember during the Cavs-Celts series he basically blamed one of the losses on a bad blocking call when the Celts were already down 5 with like 30 sec. to go).
That being said, if we can hold on and win this series and the Celts win theres it will be interesting see if there’s going to be any back and forth between Jackson and Rivers. Doc just seems like the type of guy whose skin you could get under easily. To be honest though, I would like to see it just for the entertainment value.
Palani says
poundingtherock:
http://www.poundingtherock.com/
pw says
One thing to consider. Even if the refs had called a foul, it would have been 2 shots because it was a non-shooting foul. Barry might not have made both and the Spurs would have lost. On the other hand, even if he had made both, do you think the Spurs had enough energy to play overtime. They looked quite exhausted out there in the 4th quarter.
In any case, I am glad we won. The Lakers did not play particularly well (except for the boards) and the officiating went against them the whole game. During the regular season with this kind of officiating, the Lakers would have folded, maybe gotten a couple of technicals. It’s great to see that they played through the non-calls and finally pulled out a win. I hope they bring the same energy next game and close out the Spurs in 5.
Abbott seems to be really fired up over the non-call.. Haha. Seems like he was rooting against the Lakers. Frankly, as many of you have already pointed out those sort of calls are never given. I have no idea why Abbott would want to use that non-call as an excuse to prove that the Game was rigged. If anything, the game was rigged in favor of the Spurs.
DMo says
105- Yeah, from that angle it does look like he changed his pivot foot before he put the ball down. It’s a tough call to make without the benefit of slow motion, but by the strictest interpretation of the rules, it appears to be a travel.
kwame a. says
I’ll give the Spurs this, they are truly, the Anti-Suns. Imagine D’Antoni’s reaction if he were the coach and Raja Bell if he were Brent Barry.
91601guy says
You would think folks have watched enough games to know they rarely call fouls at the buzzer.
Underbruin says
With all of that said, I still find myself agreeing somewhat with a lot of Spurs fans / conspiracy theorists. Look within and ask yourself, “if that’s Kobe in Staples… you really don’t think they call a foul?”
Mark Sigal says
Gotta love the Spurs. Not only did they not moan about the end call (or lack of), they fully recognized that the refs are not going to decide a game on that basis unless shot was truly altered, and they all called out Fisher for switching back well to defend Barry on that final shot.
No excuses, just as the Lakers don’t look for excuses. Closing out the champs won’t be easy. But victory will be that much more sweet when we do. (knock on wood!).
Mark Sigal says
Final note. Conspiracy theorists should look at the disparity of free throws in this series (heavily favoring San Antonio) and fact that Kobe has all of six free throws TOTAL in four games after averaging 13 a GAME against Utah.
No unfair advantages tilting LA’s way. Not by a long shot.
Underbruin says
Hrm. Let me clarify 114 by saying I don’t think there’s a true conspiracy. Just that I think Kobe gets that call in LA, while obviously Barry didn’t get the call in SA (also, has a lot to do with the fact that it was Fisher on D – if that’s Ronny, you really don’t think there’s a foul called either?).
drrayeye says
If you told me that Lamar made 8 of 9 free throws under intense pressure in game 4 against San Antonio, I’d have to expect a win–and we’d all have to marvel at how “X” our X man really is. But really now.
Would I have expected 4-9 shooting from Lamar? I guess that’s about right. Would I have expected 9 rebounds for Lamar? Sounds a little low, but about right. Would I have expected 8/9 freethrows, that changes Lamar’s point total from 8 to 16?
Only from our X man once in his career.
aB says
Underbruin,
I respectfully disagree. Kobe would only get that call in LA b/c he’s smart enough to jump INTO the defender. Same would go for Ginobili as well……..unfortunately, Barry pulled a Dirk and tried to sidestep the defense.
Great win, but I hope we don’t relax for Game 5. We really need to start off well and get a lead to make the Spurs work again. If the Spurs start off with a lead…….we’ll be in BIG trouble. Look for Kurt Thomas to get more burn and for Manu & Parker to sacrifice their bodies going to the hole in Game 5. I also would look for Bruce Bowen to be at his ultra dirtiest and stick his leg out under Kobe or throw a hip check/elbow!
I’ll be at every game from now on (I have the luxury of having 4 season tix, so I’ll sell a pair and use a pair) so if anyone is going to be near Section 115 (I’m in row 7) lemme know. Would love to meet some fellow FB&G bloggers!
harold says
Although this series may end in 5, it sure feels like a tougher series than the one with the Jazz.
But I sure as hell hope that our team gets another chance to get together and have dinner watching game 7 together.
chocomm says
I believe the game was officiated pretty evenly tonight. Funny thing is at this Laker blog, most of us are likely going to think that the Spurs were benefits of more calls / non-calls than the Lakers, but if you look at it objectively, it is pretty clear that there was no bias in the officiating.
Why did Kobe shoot 0 FT’s when he shot 29 FG’s? Because save for a few breakaway dunks and two lay-ups, most of Kobe’s shots were from the perimeter. It’s not because of the referees that Kobe is averaging less than 2 FT’s per game, it’s because in this series, he is attacking the paint less than he was during the UTAH series.
Lamar is making his trade in the paint and look how many FTs he ended up with tonight : 9. So, to have Kobe’s 0 FTs as a main reason the game was officiated favorably towards the Spurs is not a credible argument.
Brian Tung says
There are plenty of games where Kobe does take the shot, drawing the contact, and doesn’t get the foul. The refs just swallow the whistle at the ends of quarters. Stu hates it. I don’t hate it, but it is kind of weird. That’s what made Fisher’s trip to the free throw line in SLC all the more odd.
I’m not real pleased with the way the game ended, but the Lakers have nothing to apologize for. The refs did not hand that game away, especially given the graze of the rim on Fisher’s heave. Just like claiming the clock started late on 0.4 without acknowledging it stopped late on Duncan’s prior shot.
Brian Tung says
By the way, the vote on SportsNation at the WWL is running 4-to-1 in favor of no-calling the final contact. Don’t know how many of those are Laker fans, but there obviously isn’t that much steam behind the conspiracy theory on this one.
robz says
Just want to note that even if that foul were called, there wouldn’t have been continuation – Barry would have gotten 2 free throws for OT due to Lakers being over the limit, but should not have been given 3.
Mark Sigal says
Props should go to Lamar, who despite foul trouble, and never really getting into an offensive rhythm, stepped up big at the end of the game, which should give a lot of confidence.
Like the escape from Utah in that final game, give the Lakers credit, they find a way to win these crazy type of games.
Brian Tung says
How big a fine does Phil get for blaming the refs at the end of Q1?
ryan says
Technically it was a foul. But that will be a non-call about 9 out of 10 times. If Barry had gone straight up into fisher instead of trying to dribble around him, then the refs would have been forced to make the call. Yeah, there are some players like Kobe, Ginobili or James that probably would have gotten that call at home, but I think those players would have gone straight into the contact instead of trying to go around. I think it was a good non-call. Besides Fisher’s shot hit the rim, which it didn’t notice until they showed the replay so I understand how the refs missed that one.
I expect the Spurs to play extremely well in game 5 with a lot of energy. The Lakers will have to match that energy to win. Should be a good game; a cornered beast can be very dangerous.
Warren Wee Lim says
Bullets again:
– Special props to Derek Fisher for defending that shot. Once more, Fish “saves” us from the Spurs. Its the 0.4 nightmare for Spurs fans once more.
– The “foul” was supposed to be on the floor. If the Lakers were in the penalty, Brent Barry would be shooting 2 free throws.
– Lamar Odom’s supposed “goaltend” did not gain that much fuss didn’t it? What if that were the last play of the game? Or Timmy Duncan’s trophy “skywalker” a la Larry Nance dunk?
– Kobe is not shooting free throws because Bruce Bowen has a reputation that preceeds him. Equally good on offense Kobe is, equally dirty err decent/good Bowen is on D.
– Kobe is getting free dunks and layups because Bowen does not want to give him the foul. Conversely, Kobe does not make it the priority play every time down because it makes the offense stagnant. He will be tempted to shoot that midrange J all night long.
– Lamar Odom brought it tonight. Fear we did everytime he pressures himself, but he did come through tonight. Way to go LO7. Your extension awaits in the horizon.
– Pau Gasol being a weenie reminds me how much we need Andrew Bynum back. Either Detroit or hopefully Boston, Pau Gasol would have to toughen up or he will be another tweenie in the lane. At least have Lamar’s grit for those rebounds. Its not apple picking Pau. This is the Finals.
– Luke Walton redeemed his uggggly performance by atleast striking decent in the second.
– Man did drrayeye unjinx (is there such a term?) Vlade Radman. He was excellente tonight! Props to you once more bro, you the crystal ball.
– Jordan Farmar is playing TP decently. He will do even better at home.
– Sasha made ONE basket all night. And it was a 4-pt play.
– Ronny is providing quality minutes. Against Boston, we will see more of those mid range J’s.
– I hope to see more Trevor Ariza next round. Paul Pierce is his man.
– Truly, kwame a. was bestowed my lucky charm being the 1st poster. Ap, marrl, other Stephen, stay away.
The Fanalyst says
Here’s my sharpest piece of analysis yet:
We’re just better than everyone else right now.
Period.
I, like most of us, hope we can close this out at home tomorrow so we can begin talking about our Eastern adversary. I don’t like the way either of those teams have been playing, but when it comes down to it I’d like to see the Celtics because they have far less experience together. Should be a great, classic Finals.
That said, I don’t want to overlook the Spurs. This one could still easily go 7. My comment at the top was only half serious. 🙂 Get at ’em at Staples!
nomuskles says
Great observations Warren. however, I wonder if ariza can really stick with the Truth. Pierce is much bulkier, which might make him likely to push ariza around inside. If Vlade is dialed in, I suspect he and Luke have the best chance of making Pierce’s day difficult (although I doubt either of them could stop Pierce).
exhelodrvr says
Conspiracy nuts need to use their heads. If there was a conspiracy, it would be to make the series go 6 or 7 games, not 5.
the other Stephen says
i remember at least one other time this season in which we trumped a team with a no-call.
in the spirit of fairness, when’s the last time we got screwed over by a no-call, or unfair call at the end of a tight game?
Wagner says
Just wondering though, if the Lakers turn out at the end to represent the West and then the Pistons turn up at the East… will the conspiracy theories stop already?
If that’s true, I’d really rather have Detroit come out of the East… I am so sick and tired of having my colleagues heckle the living daylight out of me because of their claims that the Lakers are getting handed the keys to the Finals.
These same guys once called the Spurs the “San Antonio Sterns” after last year’s WCF battle with Phoenix, and now apparently it’s the Lakers’ turn already to get handed the glory. I don’t get people anymore.. I’d actually feel better if they just beat me up on street for being a Laker fan instead of laying all these crass “The Lakers DON’T DESERVE being where they are now” comments
J.D. Hastings says
I think this article nails it:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=SpursLakersGame4-080527
Darius says
I’m going to repeat what my boy Chris said when I called him after the game: “I’ll take it.”
We can talk about the refs all night…there were questionable calls for and against each team and Barry’s last play was just the cherry on the sundae of unevenness from the refs the entire night. I’ll defer to Kurt’s wise words whenever a game ends on a disputed play….’The team that lost should have played better throughout the game in order to win.’ Outside of Barry and Duncan, the Spurs did not play a very good game. They did not control their defensive glass, they had turnovers in some key situations, and were not making enough shots to win the game.
As for the media or non-Lakers’ fan reaction, I could care less. People will find a reason to express their bias in whatever outlet is available to them. Most fans of both teams (two classy teams at that…) will realize that the game last night was not decided by a non-call, just like as Lakers fans we know that our very first game of the season against Houston was not decided by Luke’s *own goal* where we gave away a basket that ended up being the winning margin. Most games are won and lost on the merits of the players, and I think last night falls in line with most games.
Hold your heads high Lakers fans, our team earned a win last night. The Lakers played a tough team on their home court and came out on top in a pivotal playoff matchup that will greatly impact the western conference championship. The Spurs fought hard but came up short. And no ref/non-call/media backlash is going to taint that for me. We are one win from the Finals. THE FINALS!!!! I’m loving it.
Gatinho says
I lost a little bit of respect for Henry at True Hoop for not giving a bigger picture analysis of the overall officiating and missed calls, esp. with the incendiary headline.
The ending kind of soured my joy until I heard all the Spurs at their press conferences, and I thought it would be LO missing free throws in crunch time that would haunt us…
I’d like to reiterate how much more fun it is to root for this team as an “underdog” and “new kid on the block” trying to beat the Champions and favorites. It may sound ridiculous, but when your team is supposed to win it is more of a relief when they do than a feeling of elation, and last night I was elated…
J.D. Hastings says
Truehoop’s post on it is the most inflammatory thing I’ve seen written on the game, but Henry’s a Blazer’s fan so I think the emphasis may sound anti-laker even when it’s not.
I think his point is the same thing that upsets me: What should have been a classic game between a budding rivalry is more memorable for the refs than the players.
Brian Tung says
ryan (127): That contact was pretty hard. I’m not so sure it’s only a 1-in-10 foul. But by not going up with the shot immediately, he missed the chance to make it a 10-in-10 foul. (And I’m not talking about selling the foul–the foul did not need to be sold any harder.)
Gatinho (136): To Henry’s credit, he did mention the missed shot clock reset. What I don’t agree with is the idea that external considerations such as the credibility of the NBA should enter into making a foul call or not.
Kurt says
new post up