The series between the Pacers and the Knicks is just as intense as the one between the same Knicks and the Sixers, and unfortunately, as in the first round, we talk more about the referees than the exploits of the players. After Rick Carlisle, fined by the NBA, it's Tom Thibodeau's turn to complain about the men in gray. For the moment, he is more measured than his colleague.
“From my point of view, I think these decisions could have been made in our favor, but I will not comment until I have watched the video” he replied about the “money time” of Game 3.
The most contentious action? This layup by Josh Hart blocked by Myles Turner. A “chasedown block” as LeBron James likes, but for the Knicks, and Hart in particular, the counter was not valid. “I know the ball hit the boards. I saw it “ assures Hart. “It was an illegal counter, but they obviously didn't whistle it. »
A referee in the sights?
At the time of the shot, there were two minutes remaining, and the Pacers and Knicks were tied: 102-102. The problem is that Tom Thibobeau no longer had a “challenge” to contest this decision, and perhaps Carlisle's criticisms weighed on the referees' decisions.
“I like my money. I'll keep my money” responds Hart about these criticisms. “I think what was difficult for us was that one of the referees was not accessible… In a playoff match, the rules are sometimes different, and we want to understand what they interpret and what which they consider a fault for knowing how they are going to whistle. One of them was not accessible at all. So it was difficult for us. Quite simply because we couldn't see where we were wrong, where we had made a mistake and what we could have done better. That's the only thing that was complicated. But it's not the referees' fault. We had a lot of chances to win the game. »
