NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Ending was all about the buzzer

Los Angeles has a 3-2 lead against the defending champions.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Tim Duncan avoided the outstretched arms of Shaquille O'Neal by double-clutching a jumper from the top of the key. Once he let the ball go, it thudded against the glass and banked in with 2:44 remaining, giving San Antonio its first lead since the opening minutes.
Wild and improbable, it was only the start of a crazy finish to Game 5 of the Spurs-Lakers series.
Duncan hit an even more amazing shot -- from nearly the same spot -- with less than a second to go to put San Antonio ahead again. Then Derek Fisher answered with an 18-footer at the buzzer that gave Los Angeles a 74-73 victory Thursday night.
It's that time
"That's what happens in playoff basketball," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "The odds are very slim. They are always desperation shots."
The Spurs are hoping there's one more unbelievable twist.
They've protested the last play, claiming the clock did not start quickly enough after Fisher caught it. One of the three officials triggers the start with a wireless device on his belt. A neutral timekeeper does, too, as a backup.
"I think it definitely started late," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.
Pending an unlikely reversal, the Lakers are headed home for Game 6 Saturday night a win away from the conference finals, while the reigning champions are a loss away from elimination.
"We've been leaning so hard on the past, it's time for us to make a new mark and identify who this team is," Fisher said. "Hopefully this win can catapult us to that direction."
Down by 16 with 3:59 remaining in the third quarter, San Antonio went on a 26-7 run that put the Spurs up by three with 2:14 remaining, highlighted by Duncan's amazing shot.
Baskets by O'Neal and Kobe Bryant put the Lakers back up 72-71 with 11.9 seconds to go, setting up Duncan's next sensational play.
He took an off-balance 20-footer while falling to his left, again with tight defense from O'Neal, and wound up on the ground.
"I couldn't believe it went in, honestly," said Duncan, who had 21 points, 21 rebounds and four blocks, but also made seven turnovers. "I just had to take a shot, let it go as high as I could, knowing that Shaq was there."
All that remained was defending one more play.
After three timeouts, the Lakers planned on Gary Payton lobbing the ball to O'Neal or hit Bryant curling to the sideline.
Two defenders followed Bryant as he ran toward Payton. Fisher, who had been setting a screen for Bryant, popped free from the foul line by taking two steps toward Payton. Fisher caught the ball, sank the shot over Manu Ginobili, then ran off the court in celebration.