How much do you think the NBA wants the Lakers in the finals? Well you can tell if by looking at one thing in the boxscore of last night’s game. Under the referee section, you’ll see Joey Crawford. Yes, that same Joey Crawford who actually challenged Spurs superstar and gentle giant Tim Duncan to a fist fight.
If you watched the end of the Lakers two-point win over the Spurs, there is no way you cannot agree that the fix was in. Several calls went Los Angeles’ way — including the egregious non-call on Brent Barry’s last second attempt. He was clearly fouled by Derek Fisher, who bit hard on the pump fake, and while he shouldn’t gotten the three free throw attempts for the shooting foul (he was still on the floor) he should have gone to the line for two. Knowing Barry’s accuracy, he would have sent the game to overtime.
Now, the Lakers get to come home after — literally — stealing a game on the road and have two more chances to ice the series and punch their ticket to the finals at the Staples Center.