Rick Carlisle’s Indiana Pacers had a tough task ahead of them heading into Wednesday night’s Game 2 NBA Playoffs matchup against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Pacers got off to a strong start in front of nearly 20,000 spectators, scoring 36 and 37 points in the first two quarters to hold a 73-63 lead at halftime. But the Pacers ran into trouble in the third quarter, mustering just 18 points, while the Knicks didn’t skip a beat, scoring 36 points to take a commanding 99-91 lead heading into the final frame.
Then, Jalen Brunson’s return from a first-half injury lit the flame that carried the Knicks to a 131-120 victory.
But the box store doesn’t tell the final story. Not according to Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. Shortly after the game ended, Coach Carlisle used his press conference to plead for more help from the NBA referees, putting part of the blame on Indiana playing in a small market compared to the New York’s of the world.
“Small-market teams deserve an equal shot. We deserve a fair shot no matter where they’re playing.”
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle on officiating
Back to the box score, the Pacers were called for 17 fouls compared to the Knicks’ 14. Not a huge discrepancy.
Carlisle added that the Pacers felt there were 29 plays that didn’t go their way in Game 1’s loss, but they actually opted against submitting them to the league for further review. That changes after Game 2, where they’ve submitted a total of 78 plays combined from their first two losses.
“We’re gonna submit these calls tonight. New York, get ready, you’re going to see them, We deserve a fair shot… there’s not a consistent balance, that’s disappointing.”
Coach Carlisle, continued
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Tyrese Haliburton disagrees with Rick Carlisle on Indiana Pacers’ troubles
As disappointed as Carlisle was, the top player on the Pacers doesn’t agree with pitting the blame on the refs in a nine-point loss.
“Let’s not pretend like [officiating] is the only reason we lost; we just didn’t play good enough. We just got to be better.”
Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton
Whatever the reason, the Pacers don’t have much time to figure it out. Indiana is back in action for Game 3 on Friday, the first time the series heads to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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