Rick Carlisle didn't just make friends by criticizing the refereeing of the series between the Knicks and the Pacers, and by declaring that the fight was not fair between a big market franchise like the Knicks, and a small market team like the Pacers.
“This is really stupid,” replied Josh Hart has The Athletic who asked him if he felt a difference in treatment when he played for the Pelicans or the Blazers. “We're going to say that the big markets always win, while the Knicks haven't won a title in 51 years! Obviously, it doesn't matter, and in the end, I find it very stupid because it's the best who wins. »
Josh Hart was particularly targeted by criticism from Carlisle for having pushed Tyrese Haliburton without the referees flinching in Game 2. “I don’t even know what to say,” sighs the Knicks winger. “If you look closely, I touched the ball. Could I have bumped him a little? Yes, because we are both running at full speed, he is in front of me and I am trying to play the ball. Rick says what he feels, it has nothing to do with us. »
In the end, for Hart, it is even a lack of respect on the part of Carlisle to imagine that the referees favor the Knicks. “At the end of the day, I think he disrespects us because we are there to play and give our all. It's not about refereeing or anything else. For him to discredit the way we play is a lack of respect.”
