NEWSLETTER
Listen. I totally understand being upset at officials after a couple of close playoff losses on the road. But the Pacers are a little too upset about the officiating in Games 1 & 2 of their first-round series against the Knicks.
ESPN is reporting that the Pacers have filed a complaint with the league over 78(!!) plays throughout their last two games against the Knicks. The Knicks won Game 1 121-117 and Game 2 130-121. In Game 1 the Pacers were whistled for 22 fouls compared to New York’s 19. In Game 2, Indiana committed 17 fouls to the Knicks’ 14.
Will Pacers Complaints Get Anywhere?
I do think that Indiana has a bit of an argument here. To be sure, 78 calls feel like a little bit of overkill. However, through the first two games, it has seemed that more often than not the calls have gone more of the Knicks’ way. A few that come to mind are the kicked-ball controversy in Game 1, the illegal offensive screen on Myles Turner (that was probably a foul but kind of never gets called), and the overturned double-dribble in Game 2.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who was ejected in the final minutes of the Game 2 loss, was furious in his postgame press conference last night.
“I can promise you that we’re going to submit these tonight. New York can get ready. They’ll see ’em too. I’m always talking to our guys about not making it about the officials, but we deserve a fair shot…Small-market teams deserve an equal shot. They deserve a fair shot no matter where they’re playing.”
Rick Carlisle, Pacers Head Coach
For what it’s worth, I do think the officiating will start to shift a bit toward Indiana as the series shifts back to Indy. Carlisle posturing for more calls is a strategy that coaches take in the postseason every year, and it should help a bit in this case. As will the series shifting back to Indy.
It does feel to me at least like one of the reasons the Knicks have maybe gotten a few more calls is because they were at home in front of that emotional Madison Square Garden crowd. But time will tell.
New York might also have a few problems of their own to worry about. Their rotation is beginning to shrink quite a bit. Headed into this series they were already shorthanded running essentially a seven man rotation. Then Mitchell Robinson was hurt and will be out 6-8 weeks, and last night OG Anunoby left early with what looked to be a hamstring injury. Heck, Josh Hart has played FOUR complete games already!
For Tom Thibodeau teams, it always seems like a race against time as to when they’ll start to run out of gas. As fun as they are, the heavy minutes they play throughout the season seem to always catch up to them. Now with all of these injuries and with the tempo Indiana likes to play, Games 3 & 4 feel like a real uphill battle for the Knicks. It sure is a good thing they held serve at home!
