Getty Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.
Word war has erupted as the Eastern Conference semifinal series shifts to Indiana with New York Knicks‘ do-it-all forward Josh Hart firing back at Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
Hart slammed Carlisle over his post-game rant insinuating that the NBA favors the Knicks because they are a big-market team.
“[Expletive] no, that’s so stupid bro,” Hart told reporters following Friday’s shootaround. “You’re going to say the big market always wins? The Knicks haven’t won a championship in 51 years, so obviously that doesn’t hold much weight. I don’t fully understand that. Sorry, New York, for the reminder. It’s idiotic. At the end of the day, it’s who is playing the best. I’ve never seen a ref shoot a free throw or make a three or miss a rotation.”
Josh Hart, who has played in New Orleans and Portland in addition to Los Angeles and New York, on if he’s ever felt while playing for a small market team that he was at a disadvantage:
“F— no, that’s so stupid bro. You’re going to say the big market always wins? The Knicks…
Carlisle was ejected late in their Game 2 loss to the Knicks and his frustrations boiled over his postgame press conference.
“I’m always talking to our guys about not making it about the officials, but we deserve a fair shot,” Carlisle told reporters following their 121-117 loss in Game 2 on May 8. “Small-market teams deserve an equal shot. They deserve a fair shot no matter where they’re playing.”
Carlisle and the Pacers submitted 78 plays in which the referees had incorrect or non-calls to the NBA that they felt put them at a disadvantage in Games 1 and 2, ESPN reported.
The NBA responded with a $35,000 fine on Carlisle for public criticisms of the officiating and questioning the integrity of the league and its officials.
Rick Carlisle Complains About Non-Call on Josh Hart’s Shove
One of the non-calls that Carlisle complained about involved Hart. Carlisle accused the Knicks’ do-it-all forward of shoving Pacers All-Star point guard , who is playing with back spasms in the series.
“It’s all over Twitter right now because a few people have shown it to me and (referee) JB DeRosa is looking right at it,” Carlisle said. “You can see he has a vision of the play and he shoves Tyrese into the corner and there is no whistle. Right in the back. That was shocking and there were many others.”
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Hart defended himself, claiming he was after the ball and he bumped into Haliburton because they were both running at full speed.
“Rick’s saying whatever he feels,” Hart told reporters. “It has nothing to do with us. But at the end of the day, I think it’s pretty disrespectful to us because, at the end of the day, we’re out there competing and playing at a high level. It’s not about officiating. It’s not about anything like that. For him to discredit how we’re playing, I feel like that’s pretty disrespectful.”
“We’re out there playing and competing at a high level, it’s not about officiating. For him to discredit how we’re playing, I feel like that’s pretty disrespectful.”
Josh Hart on Rick Carlisle’s comments:
‘It’s Not About Who Complains the Most’
Hart dismissed Carlisle’s comments as he would rather focus on helping the Knicks take a commanding 3-0 series lead in Indiana.
“It’s not about who complains the most — small market, big market, whatever,” Hart said. “It’s about going out there and playing the game and competing at a high level.”
The Pacers had no answer to the indefatigable Hart, who played the entire 96 minutes of Games 1 and 2. He leads both teams in the series in rebounding with 14.0 per game. He also averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks.
Hart, not the officiating, is Carlisle’s biggest headache next to Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson.