Lakers fans probably think their team is losing the NBA Finals because the referees are handing it to the Celtics. Boston fans probably say their narrow 3-2 lead is shocking because the refs are constantly cheating their team.

The players, of course, have their own thoughts. In the first five games of the Finals—which continue Tuesday with Game 6 in Los Angeles—the Celtics screamed, threw up their arms or spun around in disgust (or all three) after 48% of the fouls they were called for, according to an analysis by The Count. We looked at every foul in the series that wasn't intentional, tracked the observable reactions and gave extra weight to the more blatant complaints. The Lakers expressed displeasure about 36% of the time, even though Kobe Bryant disputed half of his while Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce only bickered about one-third of theirs.

At least Mr. Bryant's carping was usually sedate, consisting mainly of dirty looks and puzzled stares toward referees (we didn't include the time he yelled at a teammate for being in the wrong place). The Celtics' Rasheed Wallace, an infamous hothead, wasn't so calm—he whined about 65% of his calls, usually jumping and running around the court in frustration. Then there is Lakers' center Andrew Bynum, the biggest player on the court. He only took issue with 15% of his calls, the lowest mark of any regular player in the series.