Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was not pleased with the officiating during his team’s 130-121 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday.
“Small-market teams deserve an equal shot,” he told reporters when discussing the officiating. “We deserve a fair shot no matter where they’re playing.”
He also said the Pacers believed 29 plays were called incorrectly during their Game 1 loss on Monday but decided not to submit them to the NBA.
Those plans are changing for Game 2, especially after the head coach was ejected near the end.
“We’re gonna submit these calls tonight. New York, get ready, you’re going to see them,” Carlisle said. “We deserve a fair shot… there’s not a consistent balance, that’s disappointing.”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Thursday on Get Up that the Pacers submitted 78 plays to the NBA:
From what I am told, through the night the Pacers worked and early this morning they submitted 49 calls that they feel they were wronged about in Game 2. And while they were on the server, they slapped the other 29 calls from Game 1 to submit what they feel is 78 missed calls that went against them from Game 1 and Game 2. And by the way, the Knicks automatically get copied on that so when the Knicks wake up, they’re going to have 78 clips should they want to review them. And so, what I think is going on here, obviously they’re trying to make a point but my view is that the Pacers looking at how banged up the Knicks are, they think this series is absolutely still in play and they want to make the officiating a factor to help them going into Game 3 in Indiana.
The Knicks are a physical team, which Carlisle pointed out. He also said Indiana’s physicality is getting punished with whistles far more often than New York’s in this series.
Still, the Knicks’ 22-17 free-throw advantage in Game 2 wasn’t exactly a particularly significant one. Plus, Indiana had a double-digit lead and failed to capitalize even though the home team was without OG Anunoby for the fourth quarter after he was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Then there was Jalen Brunson, who spent much of the first half in the locker room with a sore right foot. Even with those injuries, the Pacers lost by nine points with a final deficit that suggests the outcome didn’t come down to one or two calls.
Yet this may be lingering frustration from Game 1, which was determined in part by poor officiating.
The NBA’s last-two-minute report from that contest revealed the officials mistakenly whistled Aaron Nesmith for a kicked ball violation in the final minute with the game tied. Indiana appeared to have forced a turnover and potential opportunity to take the lead, but the Knicks got to keep possession.
And Donte DiVincenzo drilled a three-pointer that put his team ahead for good on that possession.
Referee Zach Zarba admitted it was a mistake, but kicked ball violations are not reviewable.
Officiating was more of a storyline after Game 1 than Game 2, but Carlisle still wasn’t happy after the latest outcome.
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