Watch: Bizarre non-call gets Pacers coach ejected
The Indiana Pacers thought they were victims of questionable officiating in Game 1. A strange sequence at the end of Game 2 was even more questionable.
With 1:19 remaining and the Knicks leading by six points, the referees blew the whistle and appeared to signal a double-dribble violation on New York center Isaiah Hartenstein. After a lengthy discussion, the officials ruled it was an “inadvertent whistle” and the Knicks kept the ball.
Knicks best writer Fred Katz wasn’t buying the whistle explanation.
Nor was Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who argued vociferously enough that he eventually got two technical fouls and was ejected from the game.
In the restored possession, the Knicks ended up grabbing two offensive rebounds, and scoring after having the ball for 41 seconds, and went on to win, 130-121.
Carlisle didn’t rip the officials after Game 1, even after a controversial kicked ball violation on Aaron Nesmith late, and a moving screen call on Myles Turner. He didn’t complain about Jalen Brunson’s 14 free throws either.
Indiana’s coach took a timeout to complain before the ejection, so it may have been a conscious move to fire up his team ahead of Game 3.
But for referee Marc Davis, it was another rough playoff game, after he took significant verbal abuse from Nuggets coach Michael Malone Tuesday night and missed Jamal Murray throwing a heat pack on the floor.
Davis can’t win when he blows the whistle or when he doesn’t, it appears. Carlisle is likely heading for a fine, but if his team gets motivated for Game 3, it’ll be worth it.
More must-reads: