The referees are biased! Thunder beat Spurs 127-114 in Game 5, with SGA shooting 17 free throws. Let's see what media experts say.

On May 27, Beijing time, Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals started. Following an intense contest, the Thunder, with help from the officiating, cruised to a 127-114 victory over the Spurs in what felt like an 8-on-5 game, going up 3-2 in the series. Now just one step away from the Finals, the three referees in this game drew heavy criticism, as they repeatedly made wrong calls and missed fouls that went against the Spurs, and allowed Alexander to attempt 17 free throws in three quarters, making 16.

As the two best teams in the Western Conference, their battle for the Finals has been like a collision of titans. After splitting the first four games 2-2, this Game 5 became a crucial "Tianwangshan" matchup, with the Thunder hosting the Spurs. For both sides, winning this pivotal game would greatly improve their chances of advancing to the Finals.

From the start, the Thunder showed strong fighting spirit, dominating both ends of the court in the first half and building an 11-point lead, while Victor Wembanyama struggled. In the second half, the Thunder continued to pull away, but the Spurs quickly cut the deficit to single digits. At critical moments, the referees stepped in, repeatedly calling fouls against the Spurs, allowing the Thunder to regain a comfortable margin. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder controlled the game, and no Spurs player stepped up to score, ultimately leading to the Spurs' loss on the road to the Thunder.

This victory for the Thunder was ugly and far from honorable. The referees were blatantly biased—every time the Spurs tried to close the gap, the whistle blew against them. There were continuous wrong calls and missed fouls that hurt the Spurs. A clear goaltending violation by the Thunder was not called, and a ball that bounced off Chet's foot out of bounds was inexplicably given to the Thunder. When the Spurs' head coach requested a challenge, it was denied, and when he protested, he was hit with a technical foul. It seemed the referees were wearing Thunder jerseys, making the win unsportsmanlike and leaving fans furious, with many saying the league might as well hand the trophy directly to the Thunder.

After the game, many media experts commented that the referees had gone too far and were being ridiculous. They questioned whether the league was trying to gift the Finals to the Thunder, calling the officiating truly exaggerated.

Written by Sports Novel