Rick Carlisle got his money’s worth on the court — and in the postgame press conference.
The Pacers coach was ejected at the end of Game 2, a 130-121 Knicks win, as he was visibly frustrated with the lack of calls going his team’s way on Wednesday night at the Garden.
He yelled at officials on the court in the final minutes of the Pacers’ loss and went on a lengthy diatribe with reporters after the proceedings, which saw his team fall in a 2-0 hole in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The back-breaker for the Pacers was when Isaiah Hartenstein was initially called for a double dribble late in the fourth quarter, but after officials conferenced, the call was overturned, allowing the Knicks to keep possession.
Despite Carlisle’s two technicals coming after that, during his press conference, he said that the Hartenstein call was “small beans” in the grand scheme of things.
“One guy just said he didn’t double dribble, but it looked like [Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau] went out there and argued and they changed it,” Carlisle said. “That’s what it looked like. I can only go by what I saw. That’s small beans compared to everything else. Small market teams deserve an equal shot. They deserve a fair shot no matter where they’re playing.”
Carlisle said this hasn’t been a one-game issue, though, as the Pacers were incensed over issues in Game 1 — 29 of them, to be exact.
The Indiana coach said the Pacers saw 29 calls that they felt were “called the wrong way,” though he didn’t submit his issues with the league in hopes that it would help Indiana get more balanced officiating in Game 2.
But Carlisle said his team will be submitting calls to NBA for the officiating in the second contest, and he explicitly ranted about Josh Hart shoving Tyrese Haliburton in the back during the third quarter.
Hart was not called for a foul.
“I’m always talking to our guys about not making it about the officials,” Carlisle said. “But we deserve a fair shot. There’s not a consistent balance and that’s disappointing.”