***LAKERS -at- CELTICS 6/13 NBA Finals Game 5 Thread***

[calialiali]

I really don't get all the posts coloring this as a tainted series because of the refs. Bad calls are going to go both ways in any series, just like they have in every NBA finals I've ever watched.

Game 5 :
Celtics - 23 fouls committed, 9/13 FT's
Lakers - 22 fouls committed, 17/26 FT's

"But it's the calls they _didn't_ make! Waaah". Puh-lease.

In this game, the deciding factor was a complete lack of toughness, cohesion and hustle by 9 out of 10 Lakers. I think anyone who's whining that the refs are ruining the series is basically giving themselves an excuse to feel a little less crappy if the series doesn't go their way.

If the Lakers gel and play like a team, they're going to be impossible to beat. But, unlike previous series in this post-season, it just doesn't seem to be coming together against the celtics. Every possession, it seems like the only scoring option is Kobe for the off-balance, double-teamed jump shot, or Kobe from 35 feet out. It's fun to watch, but you can't win like that.

[LALdynasty!]

Well, I'm never starting a game thread ever again. That's for sure.