In last nights game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors there was plenty of complaining from both sides. The Warriors stole the first game of the home and home set on Sunday at the Staples Center and the Lakers were prepared to battle in Oakland last night. The Warriors came out strong, again, took an 11 point lead at halftime, and again, managed to blow the lead in the 3rd quarter. Warriors fans have decided that this game was decided by a last second negotiable call by referee Bob Delaney.

For the second night in a row, a great basketball game ended in the most unexpected way. The first game was capped off by Stephen Jackson taking a shot from way beyond the arc and nailing it to secure the victory. This time around, Fisher and Odom took over to bring the Lakers ahead in overtime. Lamar Odom has finally grown into a dominant player in a Lakers jersey. He has finally done a great job to find his role on this team and his recent outbursts of 20+ points and 20+ rebounds has been amazing. Last nights line of 23 points, 21 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 5 assists and 2 steals made some fantasy owners quite happy.

After being subjected to watching the NBA TV broadcast of the game, I became so furious that I couldn’t believe the Lakers had won. I usually only get this mad if they lose…

The game ended on a questionable call against Monta Ellis with 4 seconds remaining in overtime. The Lakers were ahead by 2 in the extra time, after being behind by 11 at halftime, and were playing man to man defense against the Warriors. Baron Davis set a strong pick in which he is clearly holding on to Kobe Bryant so that he can’t go anywhere and essentially setting a screen for the actual clutch shooter of the night, Monta Ellis. Monta was being guarded by Derek Fisher and as Fisher attempted to stay in front of his man while back peddling, Ellis bulldozed him at full speed. Although Fishers hands were wrapped around Ellis, it is clear that he did not pull him down. Perhaps it is time that analysts look at the big picture and not just the portion that is controversial. As the NBA TV commentator said last night, he has never seen a game decided by such a horrible call. Let me just say that man is an idiot.

Derek Fisher was in no position to “pull” Ellis down because that strength comes from your legs, the same legs that were stuck in between Ellis’ legs that caused him to lose his balance with the slight shove from Monta. The game was incredible throughout but I can’t stand to hear people complaining about losing a game due to one call. Even if the inbounds pass had gone through, the Warriors still had to make the shot, and lets assume the person that takes the shot is one of the 5 guys on the floor at the time, well, the Warriors shot a combined 43% from the field last night, so they had about a 40-50% chance of making the shot. Had Monta Ellis been freed up to take the shot, be my guest, he was already 7 for 20 last night, let him blow the game on his own.

CLARIFICATION: I DO NOT SUPPORT THE CALL MADE AT THE END OF THE GAME. I BELIEVE A NO CALL WOULD’VE BEEN BETTER OR A DOUBLE FOUL TO ALLOW PLAY TO RESUME.

Golden State Warrior’s fans are obviously some of the most dedicated fans in the NBA. They are also respectful and deserve lots of credit; at least they didn’t throw a beer on the court and boo Derek Fisher like the Utah Jazz folks did last week. The unfortunate thing is that the Warriors fans have obviously forgotten how many calls they got away with throughout the game prior to the final play. Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, and Baron Davis are the three guys that tend to get away with a bunch of offensive fouls. I’m wondering if its Don Nelson thats teaching these guys how to get away with calls, but for some reason, these three players continuously use their off hand to push the defender off of them, they take a step back, and end up getting a wide open shots. Trust me, it’s not because these three happen to be the three best players in the NBA at creating an open look, it’s simply because of the off arm that they use every possession.
By the way, I’m not even going to bother mentioning the offensive foul where Baron Davis ran straight through Kobe busting his face open with a cut below his left eye that was bleeding throughout the night. Not only was there not a call against Davis, but the blocking foul went against Kobe… that makes a lot of sense. There you go Warriors fans, there are your 2 points… enjoy your loss either way!

The Lakers are moving on with life and are prepared to battle for the remainder of the season. They are currently sitting atop the Western Conference with a 1/2 game lead over the New Orleans Hornets with what is definitely the easiest remaining schedule in the conference. Hopefully with the return of Pau Gasol this week, and Andrew Bynum in the next few weeks, the Lakers will show how dominant they truly are with a full lineup.