Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle wasn’t shy about expressing his frustration with the officiating following his team’s 130-121 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series. After the game, he told reporters, “Small-market teams deserve an equal shot. We deserve a fair shot no matter where they’re playing.”
Carlisle also mentioned that the Pacers believed 29 plays were called incorrectly during their Game 1 loss on Monday, but they decided not to submit them to the NBA. That stance, however, changed after Game 2, particularly after he was ejected toward the end of the game.
“We’re gonna submit these calls tonight. New York, get ready, you’re going to see them,” Carlisle declared. “We deserve a fair shot… there’s not a consistent balance, that’s disappointing.”
The coach pointed out that the Knicks are a physical team but claimed that Indiana’s physicality seemed to draw whistles more frequently than New York’s. Despite this, the Knicks had a free-throw advantage of only 22-17 in Game 2, which isn’t a particularly large discrepancy. Moreover, the Pacers had a double-digit lead at one point and couldn’t capitalize, even though the Knicks were without OG Anunoby for the fourth quarter due to a hamstring injury. Jalen Brunson also spent much of the first half in the locker room with a sore right foot. Yet, the Pacers still lost by nine points, indicating that the outcome likely wasn’t due to one or two calls.
It seems that the frustration from Game 1 might have carried over to Game 2. The NBA’s last-two-minute report from Game 1 revealed that officials mistakenly called a kicked ball violation on Aaron Nesmith in the final minute with the game tied. The Pacers appeared to have forced a turnover, which could have given them a chance to take the lead, but the Knicks retained possession, and Donte DiVincenzo hit a crucial three-pointer on that same possession to put the Knicks ahead for good.
Referee Zach Zarba acknowledged that it was a mistake, but kicked ball violations aren’t reviewable, leaving the Pacers to deal with the aftermath. While the officiating seemed to be a bigger issue after Game 1, Carlisle’s discontent was clear following Game 2 as well.
