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Indiana Pacers discuss the officiating from the end of Game 1 loss to New York Knicks

The last minutes of Pacers-Knicks was controversial

Tony East

May 6, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against the Indiana Pacers
May 6, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against the Indiana Pacers / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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NEW YORK — The Indiana Pacers Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night had many moments in the final minute of action that were frustrating for the blue and gold.

Some of them were basketball moments. Donte DiVincenzo wiggled free for a vital three-point shot to give the Knicks a late lead, and Tyrese Haliburton had a crushing turnover on Indiana's final possession. Andrew Nembhard missed a shot and committed an away-from-the-play foul in the final minute or so. The blue and gold had a chance to win Game 1 — the score was tied with 41 seconds remaining — but came up short.

Yet many of the questions fielded by Pacers players after the game were related to the officiating. In the final minute of action, Aaron Nesmith was called for a kicked ball violation on defense and Myles Turner was whistled for a moving screen, and there was another review less than a minute before that.

To the Pacers, some of those whistles felt incorrect. "It wasn't a kicked ball. You can clearly see it," Nesmith said after the game.

A kicked ball call is not reviewable, something the Pacers knew in real time during the game. They couldn't stop things and have that play looked at, and Crew Chief Zach Zarba explained after the game that a kicked ball violation can't be reviewed. The ball hit Nesmith's hand, but the call on the court is what mattered.

The Knicks retained possession, and DiVincenzo wiggled free for the aforementioned three-point shot. "On the floor we felt that would be a kicked ball violation. Post game review did show that it hit the defender’s hand, which would be legal," Zarba said in his pool report. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said he wasn't given an explanation for that call.

Indiana kept fighting. They scored and got a stop, meaning they had the ball down by one in the final 20 seconds of action. That's when Turner was whistled for an illegal screen. He was shifting his weight as DiVincenzo tried to get around him, and the officials deemed it an offensive foul.

It gave the Knicks possession, and they used it to balloon their lead to four and put the game away. "In my experience in this league, I think it's best when players decide the outcome of a game," Turner said after the game, noting that DiVincenzo sold the contact well.

Those two plays were noticeably frustrating to Pacers players during the game. Turner said during his press conference after the outing that he's looking forward to the Last Two Minutes report that will be released on Tuesday.

While those two moments in particular led to emotional responses after the battle, the Pacers know that it's a 48 minute game. It isn't decided in two possessions. They need to play better, especially defensively and on the glass, if they are going to bounce back in this series.

"You can't leave the game to be decided by the refs. We have to take accountability as well," Turner said. He finished with 23 points in the loss, a team-high number. "You can't rely on the refs, especially in this building,"

Essentially everyone else agreed. "We can't worry about the officiating. They're just trying to do their job," point guard T.J. McConnell said. "There are many plays that we could have made where it didn't even come down to that. That's the stuff we've got to focus on." McConnell had his second-straight terrific playoff game, finishing with 18 points, three assists, and three steals.

"I don't want to talk about the officiating. We're not expecting to get calls in here. It'd be nice if they laid off that one, but they didn't. That's just the way it goes," Carlisle said, specifically referring to the moving screen call on Turner. That call was challenged and upheld.

Indiana lost the first game of their first-round series as well, and they bounced back in Game 2 with a key road victory. That is their only win away from Indianapolis throughout the playoffs so far, and it proved to be vital. The Pacers have done well all season to recover from low points, and they'll look to do it again on Wednesday night.

  • Myles Turner finally reached the conference semifinals after a winding career with the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
  • Indiana Pacers to face New York Knicks in 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals — Schedule, TV listings, and more. CLICK HERE.
  • Indiana Pacers ability to adjust shines in Game 6 as they close out Milwaukee Bucks. CLICK HERE.
  • Indiana Pacers drop Game 1 late vs New York Knicks and fall behind in series. CLICK HERE.
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Tony East

TONY EAST

Tony East is the Publisher of AllPacers. He has previously written for Forbes Sports, the West Indianapolis Community News, WTHR, and more while hosting the Locked On Pacers podcast.