Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle expressed frustration with the officiating in his team’s 130-121 loss to the New York Knicks, stating that “small-market teams deserve an equal shot” during a post-game press conference.
The Pacers, now trailing 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, saw Carlisle ejected late in the game after receiving two technical fouls. Carlisle referenced a lack of consistency in officiating and vowed to submit complaints to the NBA regarding what he perceived as erroneous calls.
“I’m always talking to our guys about not making it about the officials and, but, we deserve a fair shot,” Carlisle said.
Officials acknowledged an incorrectly called kicked ball violation late in Game 1, but the Pacers believed there were plenty other instances of wrong whistles.
Carlisle cited a specific play in the third quarter where he believed the Knicks’ Josh Hart committed a foul against Pacers’ All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, which went uncalled.
“It’s all over Twitter right now because a few people have showed it to me and JB DeRosa is looking right at it,” Carlisle said. “You can see he has vision of the play and he shoves Tyrese into the corner and there is no whistle. Right in the back. That was shocking and there were many others. But I can promise you that we are going to submit these tonight. New York can get ready. They can see them, too.”
and this was a no call on hart pic.twitter.com/lX72oPzgAE
— anakin (@Infinity0nStump) May 9, 2024
He also mentioned a controversial moment in the fourth quarter involving a double dribble call against Pacers’ center Isaiah Hartenstein, which was later overturned in favor of the Knicks.
Reggie Miller: How is it inadvertent? I heard it. I heard the whistle and the call.
Brian Anderson: And the signal.
Miller: Right. And the signal. He signaled, double-dribble.
Bizarre sequence that ultimately led to Pacers coach Rick Carlisle getting ejected. pic.twitter.com/hxEupXzJfE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 9, 2024
Despite Carlisle’s criticisms, Pacers’ guard Tyrese Haliburton acknowledged the team’s need to take responsibility for their performance on the court, emphasizing that officiating was not the sole reason for their defeat.
The Pacers’ free-throw differentials throughout the series were noted, with the Knicks attempting 12 more free throws than the Pacers overall. While the Knicks held a slight advantage in free-throw attempts during the regular season, the Pacers committed more fouls per game on average.
Carlisle’s remarks underscored ongoing concerns about officiating consistency, particularly in high-stakes playoff matchups. As the series shifts to Indiana for Game 3, Carlisle emphasized the importance of ensuring fairness for all teams, regardless of market size.
The article highlighted the contentious nature of officiating decisions in both Game 1 and Game 2, though the impact of these calls on the game’s outcomes remains subjective. Carlisle’s proactive approach aims to mitigate the influence of officiating on the remainder of the series.
