The Indiana Pacers are currently moving in rapid descent at 9.8 m/s², losing 10 of their past 11 games entering their Friday night battle against the Los Angeles Lakers thanks in large part to Tyrese Haliburton's absences due to knee and elbow injuries. However, head coach Rick Carlisle and the rest of the Pacers faithful have hope, with Haliburton making his much-anticipated return against the purple and gold to try and snap the Pacers out of their funk.
And for the majority of the contest, the Pacers looked like their early-season selves, even taking a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter. However, the Pacers' offense sputtered in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers imposed themselves; as a result, the Lakers were able to storm back and take a 113-112 victory, thanks in large part to their 16 to zero advantage in the free-throw attempt department in the payoff period.
Thus, it's no surprise that following the game, Rick Carlisle expressed his frustrations towards the officiating that seemed to heavily favor LeBron James and the Lakers, even using hyperbolic language as a result.
“They got to the bonus 3 minutes in (to the 4th). They put their heads down and the whistle kept blowing,” Carlisle said, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. “It's something I've never witnessed in 38 years in this league. … They'll see it in HD (in New York).”
It's hard to fault Rick Carlisle too much for reacting this way; his Pacers have been struggling, and they needed everything to go their way even if they shot themselves on the foot during the payoff period with their inability to make shot.
Still, it looks like the players and coaches' collective frustration with officials is reaching its boiling point. Even the Lakers could attest to the occasional ineptitude of officiating in the NBA. Just last Saturday, the officials cost them dearly in a hotly-contested matchup against the Boston Celtics after missing a stonewall foul on LeBron James in the final possession in regulation.
And following the Pacers' matchup against the Lakers, the officials proceeded to blow yet another call, this time costing the Pelicans a chance to tie the game against the floundering Dallas Mavericks, who had lost Luka Doncic to injury earlier in the game.
It's unclear what the NBA could do to appease players and coaches alike, especially if these perceived incompetence continues to fester.
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