Rick Carlisle got his money’s worth on the field – and in the post-match press conference.
The Pacers coach was ejected late in Game 2, a 130-121 Knicks victory, as he was visibly frustrated with the lack of calls in his team’s favor Wednesday night at the Garden.
He yelled at on-court officials in the final minutes of the Pacers’ loss and went on a lengthy rant with reporters after the proceedings, which saw his team fall into a 2-0 hole in the semifinal series. Eastern Conference finals. .
The back-breaker for the Pacers occurred when Isaiah Hartenstein was initially called for a double dribble late in the fourth quarter, but after an officials’ conference, the call was overturned, allowing the Knicks to retain ownership.
Despite Carlisle’s two technical remarks that followed, during his press conference he said Hartenstein’s call was just a “small piece” in the grand scheme of things.
“One guy just said he didn’t double, but it looked like (Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau) went over there and argued and they changed it,” Carlisle said . “This is what it looked like. I can only trust what I saw. They’re small beans compared to everything else. Small market teams deserve an equal opportunity. They deserve a fair chance no matter where they play.
Carlisle said it wasn’t a one-game problem, as the Pacers were furious with the first game’s problems — 29 of them, to be exact.
The Indiana coach said the Pacers saw 29 calls that he said were “called the wrong way,” although he did not address his issues with the league in the hope this would help Indiana become a more balanced referee in the second game.
But Carlisle said his team would submit appeals to the NBA to officiate Game 2, and he explicitly denounced Josh Hart shoving Tyrese Haliburton in the back during the third quarter.
Hart was not called for a foul.
“I always tell our guys not to talk about the officials,” Carlisle said. “But we deserve a fair chance.” There is no consistent balance and that is disappointing.
New York Post
