Throughout the season and playoffs, the Spurs' big weakness was offense in the second half, particularly the third quarter. In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, it reared its ugly head again, causing the Spurs to blow a 17 point lead and put an end to their title defense. The Lakers advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2004.

The first quarter though was all San Antonio, giving the impression that once again they would not go quietly. The Spurs ended up with a 13 point lead after the first, and a lead as high as 17 in the first half before the Lakers finally woke up. An 11-2 run at the end of the half pulled the Lakers within six, and was a sign of things to come.

San Antonio's offense imploded in the third quarter, as they managed just 15 points. This allowed LA to finish the comeback, and by the end of the third, the Lakers had taken a 64-63 lead. The fourth was Kobe Bryant's playground to close it out. Of his 39 total points, 17 of them came in the final period. The lead slowly grew, but the Spurs refused to die and gave it one last effort to get within two. They even had a shot at the lead again with 3:47 to go, but just like what happened time and time again in Game 4, FBS missed the three.

The other big star at the end of the game was Pau Gasol. His defense and rebounding did as much to clinch the game as Kobe's scoring. With 2:04, he blocked Tim Duncan, and the ensuing bucket made it a nine point game. 45 seconds, he pulled down an offensive board, which resulted in two more Laker points. Tony Parker missed a jumper next time down, which was again rebounded by Gasol as part of his career high 19 rebounds. Game over.

While there is a laundry list of reasons not to like the Spurs, their run still deserves respect. Given the age of that roster, it'll be interesting to see how they retool.

The Lakers now have a week off before the Finals. Given how they've gotten through that West gauntlet, they have to be considered the favorites regardless of opponent.

LA Lakers 100, San Antonio 92

Oh, and that last Vujacic three was bush league. Show some class.