Okay, Brent Barry got fouled.

It doesn’t matter.

It’d take more than 10 fingers to count how many times the Spurs’ got ridiculous calls or no-calls. In fact, if you take into account just 3 flops (two by Oberto, one by Bowen) you negate 7 Spurs points and add 6 Lakers fast break points.

Lakers should have won by 20, it was close because of the referees in the first place. Phil Jackson was right during his 2nd quarter interview. The refs turned an 11 point lead into a 5 point lead with 3 consecutive bullshit calls.

Let’s take a closer look at the last minute or so shall we?

• Fish’s shot hit the rim. Small detail? How convenient to overlook that.
• Odom’s block was legit. Eh, let it slide.

Hank Abbott ain’t talking about those plays, though. Instead he sees an aging Barry and vicariously plays the old guy not getting the fair call on a shot he never would have made. Face it – that shot wouldn’t have gone in. Not even in Hank’s pick-up game that he talks about in his article.

And this isn’t a pick-up game. Even pick-up games — and series — shouldn’t really come down to one play. Spurs still lost to L.A. three other times. Thing is, they know it’s over now, and it sure stings doesn’t it?

But after all the crying, shameless flopping, cheap-shot Rob plays and getting away with continuously fouling Kobe and CP3 — isn’t it a shame that when the Spurs play, win or lose, there’s always some trailer about the refs or dirty this or that?

It should be about basketball.

Then again, maybe it is — sometimes the ball rolls where you don’t want it to. Sometimes the calls don’t go your way. Sometimes your star player is chucked into a scorer’s table on purpose and you lose the series because of a technicality (yeah, I’m still pissed).

The game isn’t perfect, people aren’t perfect, refs aren’t perfect. One bad call after another or just a poetic reflection of the human condition? You be the judge.

Anyway, Spurs should just be grateful they’ll have all of their starters back. Sure would suck to lose two starters for a game 5, huh?

Statistically speaking, most series where the home team is the better team do end 4-1. I hope Hollinger was right. Would be nice to watch real basketball in the Finals and not feel the urge to ship a barge of No More Tears to Timmy and Manu after every play.