NBA Finals Ref Report: Game 5

by Matt WatsonFiled under: Lakers, Magic, Playoffs, NBA RefereesObjectively speaking, the referees haven't been much of a factor in this series, and that's how it's supposed to be. I'm sure some fans in Orlando will disagree -- what about Pau's goaltending? Or Kobe's elbow? Those are two isolated incidents that might have warranted a whistle, but for the most part, the Lakers have gone up 3-1 despite the referees, not because of them. Consider: the Magic attempted 18 free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime in Game 4 before the Lakers attempted one -- and the only reason the Lakers made a single trip to the line was because Mickael Pietrus committed a flagrant foul in the final seconds.NBA Finals Ref Report: Game 5 originally appeared on Fanhouse NBA Blog on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:30:00 EDT . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments