Little things kill

Fifteen feet.

In basketball, that is the distance between the front of the rim and the foul line. It is also the chasm between going to the NBA Finals and going home for the Sacramento Kings.

In the culmination of an incredibly played -- if not officiated -- series, the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings exchanged blows like two heavyweights in the 12th round of a close boxing match. They both laid it all on the line and had nothing left in the tank. In the end, the Lakers' experience and battle-tested players came out on top in a 112-106 overtime victory.

The win sends the Lakers to the NBA Finals for the third straight year. They will face the New Jersey Nets, who make their first ever appearance in the NBA's Championship series.

Both teams struggled to create some kind of momentum the entire game. Neither was successful.

Both teams attempted to run the ball through their respective stars. Both were somewhat successful.

Both teams needed to do the little things right. Only one did.

Sacramento shot an abhorrent 53 percent from the free throw line. If they had made even half of their 14 misses from the "charity stripe", the game would never had needed to go into overtime and the Kings would be soaked in champagne instead of tears.

By comparison, Shaquille O'Neal -- who is usually hounded for his poor free throw shooting ability -- shot a more than respectable 11 of 15 from the line.

For the series, Sacramento shot 68 percent from the line. The Lakers weren't much better at 71 percent, but free throws are a big part of being successful when two teams as closely matched as these two were in this series.

The Lakers know that from experience. Sacramento just found out.

Overall, the series was everything anyone could have wanted. Close games, debatable outcomes, and more drama than one can handle out of a series. And this was just the Conference Finals!

The average margin of victory for the series was just over five points. Leave out the 13-point victory by the Kings in game 3, and that margin drops another point.

In each game, the team that could execute consistently at the end came out on top. The Kings just ran out of time -- and they had five minutes longer than they expected.

The Lakers stuck to what they did best and rode their two stars, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, to the victory. O'Neal led all scorers with 35 points -- including a big free throw and an even bigger spinning jump hook in the extra frame. Bryant added 30, including the clinching free throws in the closing seconds.

The Kings likewise executed their game plan, getting a team high 29 points from Mike Bibby and another 20 from Chris Webber.

However, in the end, the Lakers' poise outlasted every weapon the Sacramento Kings attacked with.

Getting gritty performances from Rick Fox, who was thre assists short of a triple double and Robert Horry who chipped in 16 points including yet another three-pointer in the fourth quarter that tied the game, the Lakers showed they're more than two stars and bunch of also-rans.

The defense played by veteran Brian Shaw should not be discounted either. You won't see that in a box score, but it was just as important as anything else that transpired on the court.

Bibby came up with more big shots yet again for Sacramento, but struggled to connect in the overtime as the Lakers decidedly made it impossible for him to get a clean look.

Doug Christie failed to make an appearance offensively, missing nine of the 11 shots he attempted, including a three pointer in overtime that pretty much sealed the game for the Lakers.

This series was unbelievably even. Neither team is more talented than the other. No one can question whether or not either was hungry. What made the difference was that one team had been there before.

It has been said that experience is what you get exactly 30 seconds after you need it. Sacramento found that out the hard way.

However, they will become the better because of it.