Live Blog: Game 5 of the NBA Finals

9:00 pm ET - Here is my live blog of game 5 of the NBA Finals. As stated before, I'm not a fan of the NBA, but I thought I'd try to do this. I also want to note that I just finished watching the U.S. Open, and it's amazing that Tiger is still walking. He started showing pain on the second hole, and was able to force a 18-hole playoff tomorrow.

9:02 - Celebrities in LA going to a basketball game. It is the trendy thing to do, just like Duke students doing their thing.

9:07 - Oops. Missed the tip-off because I was getting some food. That should tell you something. Kobe makes his first ill-advised shot. Let's see if this continues.

9:09 - This time Kobe misses the ill-advised shot. If he keeps shooting these bad shots, he'll shoot the Lakers right out of the final.

9:12 - I think Kobe has forgotten he is on a team. And if you hadn't guessed, I do not like Kobe.

9:14 - While I'm thinking about it, I really dislike music being played in the arena during the game. Lakers up 15-5 with 7 minutes left.

9:18 - Saw a commercial for the show Wipeout. I'll just say that Japanese game shows should be left to the Japanese. Granted, I do like seeing idiots hurt themselves.

9:22 - Just made a comment about Kobe's leadership in that he's showing it by doing stuff. All I see him doing is making shots that are poor choices. If my memory serves me correctly, that's what cost them game 4.

9:23 - Odd. If a guy gets fouled during the rebound, and then shoots, should he get foul shots? My mind tells me no, but it happened.

9:25 - Time out. Lakers up 31-15 with 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter.

9:28 - Just saw a commercial for "I Survived a Japanese Game Show." I have a bad feeling that this is another show. And Kobe is talking about how this is his March Madness, since he didn't go to school. Uhg.

9:34 - End of the 1st quarter with LA up 39-22. This has been a frantic game. If LA keeps this pace, they should win easily. What will be interesting to watch is what happens if Boston can cut the lead to around 6. Does game 4 enter the Lakers minds, and they start pressing? Bad things happen when people press to hard.

9:40 - Lakers continue to hit ugly, off-balance shots.

9:49 - The WTF calls in the Lakers favor are starting to add up. Not a deciding factor in the game, but something to keep an eye on.

9:51 - I find obvious make-up calls funny. Lakers got call for a questionable charge, and next time down, Boston gets called for a questionable reach in. Wonderful.

9:52 - Garnett picks up his 3rd foul by touching the ball.

9:54 - I never realized just how bad officiating is in the NBA. And Boston has trimmed it to 43-39 with 6 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.

9:58 - I do like the "There can only be one" NBA Playoffs commercials. Unfortunately, there was also a commercial after that for a reality show called "High School Musical: Get in the Picture." Uhg again.

10:00 - The poor shots Kobe was hitting early in the game have stopped falling.

10:07 - Defense must be a 4-letter word to Radmonovic, or he's still mad after getting a technical foul.

10:11 - Lakers have remembered how to score. Lead is fluctuating between 5-8.

10:14 - Paul Pierce has had an amazing 2nd quarter, hitting a 3 before the end of the quarter. It's halftime, with the Lakers leading 55-52.

10:20 - Is it just me, or does Bill Walton always sound drunk to anyone else?

10:31 - Oh my god. Both of ABC's Japanese type game shows have hour long premieres on the same night. May god have mercy on our souls.

10:36 - The color commentary is painful at times.

10:38 - Lakers fell asleep and allowed Boston to tie the game. Boston was just out-working them on one trip down the court.

10:39 - Boston has taken the lead on a Pierce free throw.

10:42 - So far, the difference in this game is that it looks like Boston is able to play some defense, whereas LA generally seems not to want to. Or not able to.

10:44 - Last two fouls that have gone LA's way have been very questionable. Questionable as in that no one touched either LA player.

10:52 - Rondo just negated about a minute of hard work on both ends of the court, by fouling Derek Fisher after he shot, leading to a 3 point play. Lakers lead is back up to 7 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

10:57 - Matt Damon is a brave man, cheering on the Celtics at courtside.

10:58 - Just caught glimpse of one ref that looks like he is at least 70. Wow.

11:00 - Even though LA is still leading this game, with the way both teams look, I get the sense that Boston is the harder working team.

11:06 - The Celtics are having too many unforced errors, allowing LA to stay ahead.

11:11 - End of the 3rd quarter with LA up 79-70.

11:15 - It appears that Lamar Odom took a hit to the family jewels. Actually, he took a knee to the family jewels.

11:16 - LA has expanded the lead to 12, and Boston calls time out.

11:22 - Lakers have expanded the lead to 14 with 9 minutes left. They've been able to up the pace to near what it was in the first quarter. Frantic.

11:24 - I'll take this moment that I'd like to see the NBA institute something the NHL has, in that only certain people talk to the officials.

11:26 - I do not think that when the offensive player fakes the defender up into the air, and then jumps into should be a foul. Casell did that to Faramir.

11:31 - LA up 7 with 6 minutes left.

11:32 - Pierce falls down, gets the ball to Posey for a 3. Craziness. When Pierce rolled over was properly not called a travel because he maintained a pivot foot, even though he was on the ground.

11:35 - LA's lead has shrunk to 2 with 5 minutes left in the game.

11:37 - Game tied. 4:30 left. I don't know if LA can hang onto this game.

11:39 - Garnett and Pierce have both just picked up their 5th foul. LA up by 1, 92-91 with 3:31 left.

11:46 - Pierce looks spent. I think he's played every minute, again.

11:47 - Gasol, quit your whining. You landed on Garnett's back. There's too much of that in the NBA, and Garnett just missed both free throws. LA up 95-93 with 2:14 left.

11:49 - There's no reason to chant MVP for someone, after they've already won it. You chant that when trying to campaign for them to win it.

11:51 - Lamar Odom, quit your crying. An over the back at the end of game should still be called. Pierce hits both free throws. LA up 2 with 1:12 left.

11:53 - Lakers get a steal to take a 4 point lead with 38 seconds left. Upon review, by steal, it really means that Kobe hit Pierce's side, and the ball squirted loose. So yeah, Pierce should have been on the line with a chance to tie it. But it's being called a great steal by Kobe.

11:56 - Boston unable to score, and Lakers have the ball. This may be the ball game.

11:58 - LA up by 5 with 24 seconds left.

12:00am - Boston misses a 3, and that should be the game. LA is on the line. Kobe makes it a 6 point game with 15 seconds left.

12:02 - They showed Kobe's "steal" again, and finally commented that it might not have been a steal. He wasn't close to the ball.

12:03 - Boston just hit a 3, and quite possibly should have gotten the ball back on a traveling call that was not made when Kobe fell to the floor with the ball, and slid.

12:04 - Lakers win 104-99 to force a game 6 in Boston. This was the perfect example of simply surviving.

Well, this was an interesting time, writing this live blog type thing. I doubt I will do it for game 6 or game 7, but I will probably do this occasionally for other events. Actually paying attention to this game did not change my opinion of the NBA.