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The Indiana Pacers couldn’t hold onto their lead.
They were up by double digits for most of the first half, as Jalen Brunson left the game in the first quarter with an injury and didn’t return until the third quarter.
Then, both teams went back and forth in crunch time, and a questionable call may have ended the Pacers’ hopes of making a comeback.
With just a handful of minutes left and the New York Knicks up, they called a double-dribble violation on Isaiah Harstentein, which was later overturned.
Reggie Miller: How is it inadvertent? I heard it. I heard the whistle and the call.
Brian Anderson: And the signal.
Miller: Right. And the signal. He signaled, double-dribble.
Bizarre sequence that ultimately led to Pacers coach Rick Carlisle getting ejected. pic.twitter.com/hxEupXzJfE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 9, 2024
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was absolutely frantic on the sidelines, getting in the officials’ faces and having to be held back because of the overturned call.
Following the game, Carlisle didn’t hold back on the referees, and he made sure to let them know that he felt like they were robbed (via NBA TV).
“We deserve a fair shot… I’m just really disappointed,” Carlisle said.
“We deserve a fair shot… I’m just really disappointed.”
Pacers HC Rick Carlisle comments on the officiating in Game 2 pic.twitter.com/bq0LiF2G2A
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 9, 2024
Of course, the referees have always been a subject of discussion in the league, especially in the playoffs.
Then again, they weren’t the reason the Knicks were able to come back from a double-digit deficit.
At the end of the day, the series is now 2-0, and it’ll be up to Carlisle and company to revert this situation, not the referees.
The post Rick Carlisle Sounds Off On Officials After Game 2 Loss To Knicks appeared first on The Cold Wire.