I have new found respect for the spurs in a sense that they did not make excuses during the postgame interviews.... that was not a foul. It would have been an easier call if barry did not dribble after the contact was made... but as soon as he put the ball on the ground, it was a non call, as it should be. barry should have gone up as soon as fish was in the air, but it didnt happen that way and you can't expect the ref's to give you the game. the ref's will not decide the game in the western conf finals... THIS IS PLAYOFFS BASKETBALL BABY!!! LAKERS stole this game in pure MAMBA reverse double clutching style. LETS FINISH THESE GUYS OFF. spurs will not give anything away, we must take it!!!!

AK, BK and all the bloggers,

If we were on the other end of that last minute no-call, say with Kobe being fouled on and no call. Do you think PJ, KB and Fisher would be able to stay as classy as Popovich and Barry?

Hellloooooooooooooo. Does anyone not realize the fact that the play right before the fisher foul the ball hit the rim which would have given the lakers the ball with the shotclock off!. Kobe would've made two frrethrows and the game would have been over. Unbelievable!!

Correction Laker Nation on my last post that was FISHES shot that grazed the rim... my mistake.. I erred because both shots by he AND kobe at the end were pretty bad ones...

compton,
I have no beef with you personally especially since I dont even know you.

But if you want to keep talking crazy about how PJ doesnt know what he is doing then you can do so without me.

Every writer in the Associated Press would disagree with you.

I dont know why I thought that you would stoop to a level and try to convince someone of such a utterly ridiculous statement.

Now that I know that you just are in la la land on that topic then we can agree to disagree and move on.

And when PJ wins his 10th title as a coach you'll say DAMN, how lucky can someone be to win 10 titles....

sonny,

I don't think anyone's saying it wasn't a foul. But refs just don't call stuff like that on the last play unless it's egregious. Remember last year's Finals when Bowen tried to intentionally foul Lebron and they didn't call it?

And the game shouldn't have even gotten to that point because Fisher's shot hit the rim and the shot clock should have been re-set.

Sonny,
"It will behoove Laker fans to remember that."

Consider us behooved.

Let me remind everyone *mostly the doubters*

that we arent the FREAKING HORNETS..thanks!

lakers in 5...

NBA finals this year..75% chance of a title.......Bynum back next year Titles the next 5 years.:)..99.99999% chance...:)

And I agree with everyone...what is with this trade PAU crap?

seriously.....

ridiculous..he is playing out of position..granted he needs to pack on some muscle..maybe he does this off season..but he played TD really well..challenged his shots..got his length and bothered the spurms shooters...

so hats off

this was a TEAM win.

one more fellahs one more!

goodnight lakerland..

goodnight blog bros...

Hugo...you worry too much bro....you will get an ulcer.

all is well in purple and gold land.

!!!!!!!!!see you guys on thursday.

Here's a variation of one of Shaq's most famous quotes: One bad call deserves another.

Awesome! 5 games until the ring!! WOW!

Sonny B. you're embarrassing yourself, buddy.

Hush up, Sonny. Unlike 2002, this WCF won't take 7 games, overtime, and bad flopping from a dude named Vlade to close it out.

:o)

Xodus,

Egregious are muggings.

Sonnybelfast

No more weenie posts nor poo poo comments.

Lakers won an incredible game with some very one sided refs.

Take back Duncans travel and make at the half and I'll give you the Berry two at the end. We still win.

Debating that last supposed no call is silly. Their was a no call because their was no call to be made. Grow up and accept the fact the Lakers won. That play did not decide the game as Fisher said. Those with BB knowledge know better.

Great win on their court. Great win.

In four of the Laker's last five wins they have never been behind. How many times did Utah have chances to take the lead in games 5 & 6? How many times did SA miss when they could have taken the lead tonight? I do not recall the last time I have seen that - especially this deep in the playoffs. And two of those four were ON THE ROAD. Be afraid, Boston - be afraid.

Fish fouled him, and I totally agree with AK. If you let the logic of refs not deciding games run to extremes, you have guys mugging guys under the "no call" umbrella. Even Phil (while trying to minimize it with a sneaky verb) felt there was contact. Phil, however, made me feel much better about this win by correctly pointing out that the Lakers should have had a fresh 24. I slowed that play down and you can see the ball hit iron.

What was weird to me was Pop's absolute conviction there was NO foul. And Barry saying it was Fish's great defense (which Manu also commented on his read). Yeah, Fish had a great read to get there, but he clocked him. Was Pop going to some uber male place of stoicism to show up for Phil complaining about the refs ruining the game for us when he was writing on his clipboard?

I also don't buy Kenny, Charles, et al.'s logic that Barry didn't "sell" it enough. There's enough "selling" of fouls in the game. It's lame, we never liked it from Floppy D., and it appalls me that they suggest that as a remedy to the no call. Yes, he could have jumped up and shot through it, but if I'm playing a one-on-one game in the park, I have no problem calling that foul -- ON MYSELF, if I was Fish.

I haven't heard from Fish, but I hope he owns up. That would earn a lot of respect from me.

It was such a great, great win, and the finish really left a bad taste in my mouth. This is the second time our clock management at game's end has handed the other team the opportunity to win. Mark my words -- if we do so in the Championship series, it will be our doom.

from the Spurs blog - they are pretty classy, much respect. Strange he came out bad on the radio chat:

poundtherock.com

The Bell Tolls for We
by Matthew Powell on May 27, 2008 11:54 PM CDT
(I had this post already mentally written with about two minutes to go in the game and then the Spurs came back. And now I'm all discombobulated. And what's incredibly fitting is that I'm moving tomorrow, so I have to disconnect my cable, t.v. and stereo system tonight.)

Please don't Spurs fans. Just don't. Yes, it was an obvious foul on Derek Fisher. Yes, it should have been two free throws. But, but, but:

1. Derek Fisher's shot with 5 seconds left, the one that hit the Corpse of Robert Horry's knee and went out of bounds, grazed the rim. The shot clock should have been reset, forcing the Spurs to foul. This would have changed everything.

2. The goal tend call on Lamar Odom with under a minute left was incorrect. It looked correct at game speed, but the replace clearly showed he got the ball before it hit the rim. This would have changed everything.

3. Kobe Bryant shot the ball 29 times. He took 0 free throws.

Complaining about free throws is just grasping at straws, like a vanquished foe begging for their life. It's unbecoming.

The story of this game is the really the same as the story for the season: Old and Slow. The announcers repeatedly talked about how the Lakers were "quicker to the ball." Well, yeah. They're quicker to everything. They're quicker answering the door. They're quicker taking a dump. They're quicker.

I mean Robert Horry played 16 minutes. A guy that passed up a wide-open 4 footer played 16 minutes. A guy that has LITERALLY done NOTHING all year to earn a SINGLE minute of playing time plays 16 minutes in the biggest game of the year. Shouldn't this automatically disqualify the Spurs?

Ahh Brent Barry. His play tonight makes me want to find Popovich and force him to give an adequate explanation for his continued infatuation with Michael Finley, who, by the way, was -18 in just under 9 minutes. Pop, long lauded as the master of adjustments, has taken too long to make them this whole playoffs. He waited until game 3 before putting Bowen on Peja, and West didn't even know Tim Duncan was on the defensive end of the court until game 6. Those gaffes almost cost the Spurs the series against the Hornets. Now Pop took too long to figure out Brent Barry should be getting Finley's (and / or Udoka's) minutes. It's inexcusable, really. Against the Hornets he could use the excuse that Barry couldn't defend any of their guards. But against the Lakers? Vujacic and Radmanovic are exactly the type of players Barry can be adequate against.

I didn't mean to turn this into a throw Pop under the bus rant... this is more an exhausted ramble than anything else. And I'm avoiding the obvious topic that has to be addressed. I just don't want to talk about him, you know? It's too soon. The wound is too fresh, and I just want to remember the good times we had.

Sorry this isn't eloquent. Sorry it's not fiery or vehement. I don't even think I managed a curse word in this whole thing. I'm tired, folks. This has been a long season for me, for you, for the Spurs. It's not over. But it's time to say goodbye.

What I really find sweet about this Lakers victory is that the Spurs never led for the whole game. That took the crowd out of the game by frustrating them everytime they got close to going ahead and then not being able to go over the hump...

Let the little trolls have their little opinion, they're entitled to that much, but do not give them the pleasure of a response.

3-1 BABY! Now let's get some home cooking and put them away on Thursday!

TOO MUCH EMOTIONS ON THE BLOG.

Take a deep breath and we are winning by 3 -1 so if you made some excess talk due to excitement, calm down we won. That's playoffs basketball there will be fouls calls and no foul calls, refs. will let the players play. There will be omissions like the 24 sec call that is not supposed to be, part of the game. Lakers have to recognize all those factors. I am happy Popo and his players were classy in whining on the last call. If foul has been called, it will not be a 3 pt. f/t but a sideline throw reset at 1 sec.

Lastly, don't underestimate SA when they come to LA. If the Lakers don't close it as they are supposed to do, then Spurs will always have a wiggle room. If they manage the time, spread the court and play a great D then we go to the finals. Yes, Finals baby.

I am disappointed in the Laker bloggers on this site. Trade Gasol, trade Luke, Phil Jackson is lucky when it comes to winning!

Anybody who put any of these comments down, believes in them, or even thinks they are relevant to any point in any of these games this year is retarded.

Everybody on every team in the league has ups and downs. And guess what their is 1 team that is up right now and that's the Lakers.

I panic, and worry, and yell during games too, but 1 relax. 2, understand that this is their year and the writing has been on the wall for quite some time now. And 3, we have the best player and the team with the brightest future.

Not only is it ALL GOOD, but dammit, it aint never been so good. We THE NEW DYNASTY. Boston prepare to get smashed by Kimbo, I mean the Lakers.

Sonny, if you don't raise the same sort of hell over them missing Fish's shot grazing the rim and not reseting the shot clock, then I would consider you a Laker Hater.

But you are, and here we are again. We all express our gratitude for your opposing view, but you still are what you are. Your comment was expected. The refs aren't our problem. I hope you take your comments to a referee forum.

AGAIN, the refs are not our problem. We won within the parameters of the game set by the officials. Veteran play by Fisher, lack of clear purpose by Barry. His father would have gotten that call for sure.

The difference between the Spurs and Suns/Kings of recent memory? Popovich and Barry themselves said it wasn't a foul. I really, really respect that. They are going to be ready to play this next game. Its the mark of a champion, to play on despite the odds, the score, or the refs. I'll be damned if Kings/Suns fans aren't still visiting this site in a year or 2, still wishing for our demise.

Have any of you read articles by a guy named Buck Harvey? He's a sport writer for a paper in San Antonio. This guy is a complete moron. You should Google and read his articles.

This is for Lamar,

To quote "Harry" from one of my favorite movies...

"Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go out and do something like this....and totally redeem yourself!"

Lamar you played like Lamar ODAMN especially in crunch time!

I looked at the play by play, and LO fouled Manu with 1:51 to go, so the Lakers were out of fouls in the 4th - Barry would have shot two if the bump was called. Doesn't matter - it was a god no-call.

Lakers will beat Boston in five.

Joey Crawford continues to plague the Spurs.

Just once I would like Kobe to say that he really screwed up and takes responsibilty for almost costing us the game.

Phil is just as frustrating to me as Kobe is.

If Joey Crawford had made the call and Barry had hit the 2 free throws, I beleive we would have lost in overtime and the series would have been tied in more ways than one.

Walton had a terrible/good game, as usual.

How did we win this game?

1) Last play should have never happened. Ask any physicist, and they will tell you that the ball hit the rim, and that the lakers should have gotten the ball back with 2 seconds remaining. Lakers get fouled. Likely, make 2 free throws. Now SA gets the ball back down 2 with 1 second left to play.
2) Brent DRIBBLED into the contact. Dribbling into contact is INCIDENTAL. Refs hardly EVER call dribbling into a player as a foul.
3) Even if it was a foul, the contact CLEARLY happened BEFORE the shot. If the lakers were in the penalty (not sure if they were) that warrants only TWO shots. At most it would have been a tie, and the lakers lead the whole game

All in all, if I was a lakers fan (which I am) I would say the no-call isnt a big deal and that spurs lost the game from minute 1. If I were a Spurs fan I would be crying bloody murder, and demanding that we got at least 2 foul shots. I would not demand three shots because I know the rules and I realize that that potential foul would not result in 3 free throws.

Lakers played a tough game, and they deserved to win despite the poor clock management. The ball CLEARLY hit the rim and refs CLEARLY blew a VERY important call.