INDIANAPOLIS — Josh Hart turned to a Knicks staffer and asked him how much time was left on the clock when Pacers center Myles Turner was credited with a blocked shot on his layup attempt with 2:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.
No, Hart was told this play would not appear on the Last Two Minute report the league issues the day after every game detailing missed calls.
The Knicks have had several late calls go their way — as opposing coaches Nick Nurse and Rick Carlisle have complained — and a few go against them so far in the playoffs, and Hart will have to accept that this one fell in the latter category.
“I know it was a goaltend. I saw it,” Hart said after the Knicks’ 111-106 Game 3 loss. “It was a goaltend. But they obviously didn’t call it.”
Carlisle had been fined $35,000 by the league for “public criticism of the officiating and questioning the integrity of the league and its officials” after he was ejected in Game 2.
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Asked if he believed Carlisle’s gripes impacted the officiating Friday night, Hart replied, “I mean, did you see it? I’m not going to sit here … I like my money. I’m going to keep my money. I think what was tough for us was one of [the officials] wasn’t approachable.”
Hart wouldn’t disclose the official’s name, but he added, “In a playoff game, the rules are sometimes, you want to see what they interpret and what they see the foul so you know how they are calling it. One wasn’t approachable at all. So that was tough for us. Just because we couldn’t see where we were wrong and where we fouled and what we could have done better. That was the only tough part. But it’s not on [the referees]. We had plenty of chances to win the game.”
Hart didn’t play a third consecutive complete game, registering 10 points and 18 rebounds in 43 minutes.
Moments before what he believed should have been a goaltending call on Turner, Hart had missed one of two free throws with 2:26 to go, which would have given the Knicks a 103-102 lead.
Tom Thibodeau stopped short of criticizing the officials for the potential goaltending call and a few other potential misses by the officials.
“From my vantage point, those calls could’ve gone our way,” he said. “But I’m not going to comment until I look at the film. We just have to find a way to win. That’s the bottom line.”
