The way Kishimoto wrote it all, even with his mistakes... there is not one love that was only a mere crush. Nor Sakura's, nor Naruto's, nor Hinata's. Lee's love for Sakura neither. Every single one of them all REALLY LOVED someone, and they gave their all for this someone. EVERYONE.
BUT Naruto and Sakura had the best chemistry. Period.
There is no need to talk about crushes. Hinata risked her life for Naruto. Sakura risked her life for Sasuke. Naruto risked his life for Sakura. Lee risked his life for Sakura.
All those loves were real loves.
Still, Naruto and Sakura should have been together in the end, because the author seemed to develop their bond and he also was making changes in Sakura's feelings. He made her grow more and more dependent of Naruto, and more and more fond of him. Those faces she made around him, those faces she made thinking about something he said to her... it can't be fooled. Just as Kishi made Yamato said "just by looking at her" we could knew. Period.
Also it was the best to be for the protagonist.
But the protagonist has been relegated to the sidelines in order to have more couples and more children for the "new era" kitten. They just wanted to make money out of this story. They wanted to milk the cow more.
I am still hopeful that sometime in the future, we will get the alternate ending by Kishimoto himself...