Decisive battle for Game 5! Admit the Spurs are outmatched, but the NBA referees are simply too outrageous!

After Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, I felt vaguely that the key to the pivotal Game 5 would be the refereeing.

Before the game started, seeing the head referee was Tony Brothers made me gasp...

First, let me explain a basic concept: you can't objectively assess the officiating just by comparing free throw counts after the game.

The logic is simple: if I hit you twice and then give you a candy as an apology, is the harm the same?

The so-called "art of officiating" in the NBA is that if you don't watch the game, you often can't see how absurd the control is...

What did this Tony Brothers do?

In the third quarter, Kornet's putback was clearly interfered with by Cason Wallace, but it was ignored.

Wembanyama drove, the ball hit Chet's foot and went out of bounds. The referee wrongly awarded possession to the Thunder. Mitch used the substitution break to buy time for the video team to review, then signaled for a challenge, but was ignored.

He yelled at the referee and was hit with a technical foul.

Dort blocked Fox, and Tony Brothers, feeling guilty, gave the Spurs a makeup call.

In the fourth quarter, right under Tony Brothers' nose, an out-of-bounds ball was called a jump ball...

This is not just about favoritism; it's just terrible officiating.

Some may argue: "The referees also gave the Spurs some calls, didn't you see that?"

I saw it, and that's exactly the concept of giving you two pieces of candy mentioned earlier.

High-level referees control the game by officiating normally most of the time, but hitting you with two calls at critical moments makes you unable to bear it and your spirit deflates.

Brother Di has many older fans who have experience playing full-court games and can definitely understand what I'm saying.

That's all for my complaints about the referees.

The Spurs lost Game 5 on the road because they didn't play well themselves. They must honestly admit they were outplayed.

This sentence should be highlighted in red and bold.

1. The whole team lacked the same intensity as in Game 4.

Including Wembanyama, I could see fatigue.

2. Far too many inexplicable turnovers.

Wasted too many possessions.

3. The Thunder once again showed their roster depth.

Caruso and the Magic Man both bounced back after resting one game.

You have to admit the Thunder have real quality; they still have this depth despite two starters being injured.

4. The issue with Wembanyama.

He doesn't attack the paint enough and hangs around the perimeter too much; that will never beat the Thunder.

If he continues like this in the next game, he should pack his bags and head to Shaolin Temple in China...

5. Fox played poorly for long stretches.

Why call out the Fox?

He's earning over 50 million, and look at his performance...

6. Game 6, a do-or-die matchup in San Antonio.

Popovich needs to walk into the locker room again and tear into them once more...