PAT McAfee is back with Rick Carlisle.
The Indiana Pacers coach was fined $35,000 by the NBA on Friday for criticizing referees in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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“Small-market teams deserve an equal chance,” Carlisle said after Wednesday’s loss to the New York Knicks.
“They deserve a fair chance no matter where they are playing.
“We’re always talking to our guys about not talking about the referees, but we deserve a fair chance.
“Give New York credit for the physicality they’re playing with, but their physicality is rewarded and ours is penalized over and over again.”
The Pacers reportedly sent the league 78 examples of what they considered to be bad decisions in the first two games of the series.
McAfee agrees with Carlisle’s claims – and believes the league sent a message with the fine.
“The Pacers and Knicks play in Indiana, our city, the referees might feel a little different,” said the ESPN personality said on the Pat McAfee Show.
“Carlisle is trying to rally the boys, he’s also trying to send a message to the league, the league that only gave him a $35,000 fine, which is incredible.
“There’s certainly a chance he could criticize the referees for screwing a small-market team, which could lead to questioning the integrity of the game.
“This is just a few days away from the $100,000 fine issued to Jamal Murray for throwing a heating pad onto the court.
“I was publicly expressing the same feelings as him, I thought it was a very low fine.
“The NBA is saying, ‘You should have been a little angry, you should have been displeased.’
“If this is how you’re going to motivate the team and let them know you’ve got their back, you do what you have to do.
“And when it’s in Indiana, it’ll be a little smaller and a little dirtier.
“Welcome to the Thunderdome at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.”
New York holds a 2-1 lead heading into Game 4 tomorrow.
The Pacers had an unlikely hero to thank for getting their first win of the series.
Andrew Nembhard entered the fourth quarter scoreless and was 1-7 when he hit a huge 3-pointer.
And fears of a Knicks curse may ring true after OG Anunoby was ruled out this weekend.
The star guard is suffering from a hamstring issue.
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