Things went off the rails for Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle in the dying moments of Game 2 of their second-round matchup against the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA playoffs. Carlisle's frustrations were already mounting as the Pacers blew the double-digit they built in the first half en route to a 130-121 defeat to the Knicks, but the officiating sent him over the edge. Following a double dribble call that was overturned without a challenge, Carlisle racked up two technical fouls in quick succession, sending him to the locker room early.

But Carlisle wasn't done yet. The Pacers head coach continued his crusade against what he perceived as the referees' biased officiating, even pointing out specific instances where he feels like his team got the short end of the stick. Following this rant, it was only a matter of time before the league dished out a punishment towards Carlisle, and on Friday morning, the NBA officially fined the Pacers head coach a sum of $35,000 “for public criticism of the officiating and questioning the integrity of the league and its officials”.

What Carlisle primarily asked for in his Game 2 postgame presser was for the officials to be more consistent with their decision-making. The Pacers head coach decried what he perceived to be partial refereeing towards the Knicks' favor, as New York, according to Carlisle, got away with much more contact than Indiana did.

But in Carlisle's frustrations, he also cried out that small-market teams such as the Pacers “deserve an equal shot” “no matter where they’re playing”. He insinuated that the referees were helping out the Knicks due to the eyeballs they draw thanks to their status as one of the most famous big-market franchises in the NBA, and it's this questioning of the officials' integrity in this regard that drew the ire of the league office.

Josh Hart fights back

The 2024 NBA playoffs has been a coming out party of sorts for Josh Hart. Hart was already beloved in league circles due to his hustle, rebounding, and energy on both ends of the floor, but his performances for the Knicks in the 2024 NBA playoffs have elevated his stock even further.

Hart, despite playing 48 minutes a night, and perhaps even more if the game went to overtime, is doing his job without any complaints, and the Knicks are benefitting as a result. Thus, it's not too big of a surprise to see that Hart isn't too pleased to hear about Rick Carlisle's gripes about the officiating, as it discredits how hard he and the Knicks have been working to grind out victories.

“It’s not about who complains the most, small market, big market, OK, whatever. It’s about going out there and playing the game and competing at a high level,” Hart said, per Fred Katz of The Athletic.

The Pacers head coach singled out Josh Hart on one play during Game 2 where the Knicks forward clearly pushed Tyrese Haliburton on the back but got away with it. Now, Carlisle's frustration towards that play might be warranted. But blaming the officials for blowing a double-digit lead, being unable to contain the glass, and being unable to stop Jalen Brunson is disingenuous.

Pacers players make no excuses

Despite Rick Carlisle's protestations that made his bank account $35,000 lighter, the Pacers' players were not willing to resort to official-blaming in the aftermath of their Game 2 loss to the Knicks. Tyrese Haliburton, in particular, was resolute in his observation that the Knicks, indeed, did outplay the Pacers, and that plenty of credit must go to New York for never giving up despite mounting injury woes.

Haliburton was balanced with his approach in his postgame presser; he made sure to express his discontent with the officiating, saying that he for sure would welcome a greater level of consistency. But he saw no need to kick up too big of a fuss.

Even TJ McConnell, the man who bothered Jalen Brunson the most on Wednesday night, was more than willing to give the Knicks their due flowers for what was an outstanding performance to protect homecourt.

It's a sign that the collective mindset of the Pacers locker room is in a good place. In the playoffs, the worst thing teams can do is overreact to a loss. It is a seven-game series after all, and it's not over until a team wins four games. The biggest key to remaining even-keeled is to focus on what you can control and not on what you can't, and Tyrese Haliburton and TJ McConnell are making sure that they remain prepared and in the best mental shape as they try to turn things around in the series.