The Indiana Pacers have found themselves in an 0-2 hole after Wednesday's Game 2 loss against the New York Knicks. After jumping out to a 10-point lead in the first half, the Pacers quickly relinquished that lead in the third quarter and fell behind rather quickly to eventually lose the game.
While there were many factors contributing to this loss, poor refereeing was one of them once again, and this time, Rick Carlisle plans to do something about it. After watching his team lose Game 1 because of bogus late-game referee calls and watching the Knicks once again being given favorable calls in the second half of Game 2, Rick Carlisle stated in the postgame interview that he plans to submit certain calls to the league office to get them reviewed.
“We’re gonna submit these calls tonight. New York, get ready, you’re going to see them,” Carlisle says. “We deserve a fair shot… there’s not a consistent balance, that’s disappointing.” https://t.co/rxxC6I8g2I
— Tony East (@TonyREast) May 9, 2024
Carlisle listed 29 plays that he noticed in Game 1 but stated that he didn't plan to submit them to the league. His mind changed after Game 2, during which he saw plenty more calls favored towards the Knicks, specifically pointing to a no-call on Josh Hart shoving Tyrese Haliburton on a fast break in the third quarter, notable because Haliburton has struggled with an injured back recently.
Two hand shove to the back on a fast break and no whistle. Hilarious pic.twitter.com/ZvyOfsguUX
— Young Simba (@the2kmessiah) May 9, 2024
While it is true that Indiana has been given unfavorable treatment so far in this series, this does not mean that the loss is all on the referees. Specifically, Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell stated that they understood and appreciated Rick for his thoughtfulness, but that they would have to play better as a team for Indiana to get a chance in the rest of the series.
Unfortunately, submitting calls to the league office will not do much to help the Pacers, as these games cannot be replayed and they still stand as Knicks wins. Hopefully, this helps motivate the Pacers to play better on their home floor.
The Pacers cannot rely on more favorable officiating to win their games going forward, as they will have to do it themselves and not collapse down the stretch like they did in the second half of Game 2.