“It’s awful what some of the things I’ve seen about the officiating and Scott Foster in particular. He’s a great official, he’s done a great job in this playoffs,” said Rick Carlisle in the aftermath of Game 4 of the NBA Finals. To their credit, both he and Mark Daigneault took a united stand in defending the referees who had come under fire for their officiating in the matchup. After all, with tensions high between both teams to perform well, who needs the drama, right? Well, unfortunately, drama is hard to avoid. This time, the officiating got to at least one of the coaches.

Onlookers at the Paycom Center saw a major incident come up in the 1st quarter of Game 5. Rick Carlisle was awarded a technical foul! A coach. The Pacers’ HC certainly could not believe this. He wasn’t in a good mood and reportedly had to be restrained by the Pacers’ coaching staff. Though he seemed to tell them he was fine, he certainly wasn’t.

Carlisle reportedly got the technical foul after he took issue with the officiating early on in the game. When the Pacers had possession of the ball, Andrew Nembhard got himself close to the paint to attempt a close shot. Lu Dort, in an attempt to defend his rival, got close in a way that Nembhard’s leg came into contact with Dort’s. Unfortunately, Nembhard was not awarded a foul call over this decision, leading to Rick Carlisle getting openly frustrated and expressing that feeling to the referees. According to The Sporting News, lip readers reportedly deciphered Carlisle saying, “that’s a foul”, amongst other utterances that the officials did not take kindly to.

Fortunately, the Pacers‘ head coach had some supporters. ABC’s Richard Jefferson agreed with Carlisle that Nembhard was fouled even though the refs did not. According to the ABC broadcast, there certainly was “a ton of contact there.” Meanwhile, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst hinted that Carlisle’s technical might have been a strategic choice. After all, nothing might fire up the Pacers more in a hostile environment than to see their coach get a technical foul. If that’s true, then one only has to keep guessing what strategic moves keeps going on inside an NBA referee’s mind from time to time.

Though Scott Foster is not on the call for Game 5, Carlisle’s earlier comments were a defense for all referees. Therefore, it was certainly interesting to know that despite that, he’s not above feeling anger toward officials. Carlisle, too, can feel exhausted by narratives and excessive contact. Then again, the recent incident shouldn’t have been too big of a surprise. After all, this isn’t the first time Carlisle has criticized the officials and paid the price for it.

Rick Carlisle once got fined $35,000 for criticizing referees during the 2024 Pacers-Knicks series

It must have felt like an eternity since the Indiana Pacers competed against the New York Knicks last year, right? Well, for many, the memory of that upset loss for the NY franchise is still fresh, especially since they had lost again this year to the same team. No matter who won or lost, the 2024 series was certainly a competitive one, with both teams putting out their best performances. Unfortunately, giving their best can also lead to frustrations when things do not work out your way. Rick Carlisle certainly proved that.

During Game 2 of the Conference Semi-Finals, the Pacers’ head coach flagged a non-call when Josh Hart made contact with Tyrese Haliburton during the 3rd quarter. This was just one instance, as, according to ESPN, the Pacers reportedly identified 78 plays to the NBA where they felt disadvantaged by a referee decision in Games 1 and 2 combined. Carlisle had already gotten in trouble during the game after expressing his frustration on a double-dribble called against Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, which was overturned in the game’s final 45 seconds. Carlisle was ejected from Game 2 after his criticism caused him to draw two technical fouls. However, this did not stop him from continuing the trend in the post-game press conference, too.

“Small-market teams deserve an equal shot,” said Carlisle. “They deserve a fair shot no matter where they’re playing.” He also added that “I’m always talking to our guys about not making it about the officials. But we deserve a fair shot. There’s not a consistent balance, and that’s disappointing. Give New York credit for the physicality that they’re playing with. But their physicality is rewarded and ours is penalized. Time after time. I’m just really disappointed.”

Well, the NBA did not take too kindly to Rick Carlisle being honest about his feelings. The coach was fined $35,000 for “public criticism of the officiating and questioning the integrity of the league and its officials”. Therefore, one can hope the coach does not say anything further after this game, too. At the same time, if he goes on to express his true feelings, despite the danger of incurring a fine, no one will blame him (except the league).