Is it truly a Knicks-Pacers second-round game without referee qualms?
Friday night continued that trend when the officiating discourse continued after the Pacers’ 111-106 win over the Knicks Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“From my vantage point, I thought those calls could’ve gone our way but I’m not gonna comment until I look at the film,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “We’ve just got to find a way to win, that’s the bottom line.”
Most notably, Knicks wing Josh Hart believes he should have been the recipient of a goaltending call on his layup attempt with 2:03 left in the game.
The teams were tied at 102 at the time.
“I know it was a goaltend,’ Hart said. “I saw it. … But obviously they didn’t call it.”
Friday’s loss cut the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle brought officiating to the forefront after the Knicks’ Game 2 win, lambasting the referees for not giving his team a chance due to their “small-market” status.
“Small-market teams deserve an equal shot. They deserve a fair shot… no matter where they’re playing,” Carlisle said after Game 2. “We deserve a fair shot, and it’s just not. There’s not a consistent balance,” Carlisle said. “And that’s disappointing. So give New York credit for the physicality that they’re playing with. But their physicality is rewarded, and ours is penalized, just time after time.”
The NBA subsequently fined Carlisle $35,000 prior to Game 3 for his comments.