cgf wrote:Scalabrine wrote:Billl wrote:Meh. I watched and didn't think it was called lopsided. The knicks just up the physicality and the pacers didn't match, especially on the glass. Seemed like the knicks got every rebound in the second half. Also, the call carlisle was all worked up over was a really blown call by one ref. The refs huddled and overruled with the correct call. They got the call right and nobody had to challenge or use a timeout. It would be nice if the refs did that a little more often.
I think the reason he was mad about the overturn is because they didn't overturn the kickball that wasn't in Game 1. That was a huge call that, while I don't think guaranteed the Pacers a win, it would he put them up 1 with a minute or so left. Perhaps a ref even said that they saw it his hand and not kick but they didn't get the chance to overrule it (thats just my personal theory). It's fair to be mad, but in the long run, he really hurt his team by getting two techs in a nail biter, especially considering that the refs ended up getting the call right, which is all that anybody should want here regardless of outcome.
I dunno about that. I think he sensed his team had already lost the plot so he a) wanted to take the heat off them, and b) wanted to put the pressure on the refs before games 3 & 4. Getting tossed and fined showed his team that he had their backs, and put more pressure on the refs to give them the home-cooking down in Indy.
He hurt his team by getting two techs, yes, no doubt about it. It was a game that went down to the wire and every point matters. I'll elaborate more though, your probably right that he was taking the heat off of them in some form, but by constantly complaining about every call and making it all about the refs and them doing the Pacers wrong, I think he is hurting the team by making them lose focus on what they can control. The techs compounded that point and put his team in a bigger hole.
That game was a must win, in my opinion. They had Brunson out for the majority of the first half and then he was clearly hobbled the rest of the game. OG went down in the 3rd and from that point on the Knicks only had 6 players, including Brunson, who was gutting it out. The Pacers had an opportunity to stomp on the Knicks necks after halftime and instead, they let them back in the game almost immediately. Instead of keeping his team focused, Carlisle aided the unraveling by harping on the refs instead of keeping his players composed in a game that they should have won. It's not the refs fault they lost this game or either game.
The Pacers were in control of their own destiny and they decided to focus on something else. If that is called strategy for home court cooking with the refs in Indy then I think they missed a bigger opportunity by not focusing on what was right in front of them.