Indiana Pacers Rick Carlisle Calls Out Referees After Game 2

The Indiana Pacers went down 0-2 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night and head coach Rick Carlisle was steamed. It was a wild scene at Madison Square Garden, where Knicks fans made sure to remind Pacers legend Reggie Miller how much they hate him as he was inserted into the series as a commentator.

The fans were in such a craze because of another wild game that the Knicks somehow found a way to pull out a victory. Things certainly looked bleak for New York in the first half when their start, Jalen Brunson went to the locker room without about three minutes remaining in the first quarter.

He did not return for the remainder of the half and the Indiana Pacers took full advantage. After trailing by as many as 11 in the first quarter, took a 10-point lead into halftime. Brunson was able to return for the second half and played the entire way, not sitting for a second and energizing the crowd and his teammates.

Alas, during that stretch, New York suffered another brutal loss. Forward OG Anunoby, who was having his best scoring night as a Knick, blew a tire going in for a layup. He was grabbing at his hamstring and was immediately removed from the game and shortly after ruled out with soreness.

Without him in the game, the Pacers were able to get Pascal Siakam going as New York’s already undersized and undermanned frontcourt rotation got even smaller. But, the next man up mentality they have used all season worked again, as Precious Achiuwa stepped into the lineup and played big minutes.

Despite the Knicks being without two of their most important players for nearly 1.5 quarters each, the Indiana Pacers could not get the job done. They lost the game 130-121. After the game, head coach Rick Carlisle placed the blame for how the game turned out on the referees.

“We deserve a fair shot,” Carlisle said, referencing calls he believed the referees missed and making note of being a small-market club.