Trae Young Critiques Referee Blame Game as Officiating Controversy Overshadows Knicks’ Win

The attendees at New York’s Madison Square Garden were lit up once again after the New York Knicks recorded their second consecutive semifinal win against the Indiana Pacers. Despite two of the franchise’s major players being absent due to injuries, the Knicks still managed to hold on to a 9-minute lead as the minutes drew to a close.

With an officiating controversy dominating a major part of the game, however, Atlanta Hawks player Trae Young took it upon himself to discuss the news.

A few minutes ago, the player took to his official X account. He proceeded to write, “Is it just me or is everyday there’s more ref debate recently”, accompanied by a couple of emojis. This reaction came in light of the alleged controversial calls that were made by the officiators and which were challenged aggressively by the Pacers.

The first one came after a double dribble call was made against Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein. Soon enough, however, the referees decided to reverse the decision. This angered Rick Carlisle, who argued with the officials and ended up receiving a technical foul.

As the final quarter started to come to a close, it became apparent that the Knicks were going to win. Possibly bearing the same thought, the Pacers HC proceeded to sarcastically clap in the direction of a referee. He received a second technical foul due to this action, which further resulted in his ejection from the court. Jalen Brunson made use of both the free throws that came out as a result of the fouls and further increased the Knicks’ lead.

The Pacers’ recent criticism of the referees is just another example of other such incidents that have been dominating the ongoing playoffs. During the recent Nuggets-Timberwolves clash, the defending champions were upset after Karl-Anthony Towns collided with Jamal Murray. They were more upset when a foul call didn’t work out in their favor over the action.

As a result, the frustration seemed to have reached its peak after head coach Michael Malone proceeded to scream at the referee in the aftermath of the incident. This, along with the Knicks’ alleged resentment towards the referees, caused Trae Young to speak out about what many fans would have been thinking.

Rick Carlisle speaks out on the referees’ officiating during Game 1 and Game 2 of the Semifinals

Despite getting ejected from the game, Rick Carlisle had the opportunity to make his voice heard during the post-game press conference. He kicked things off by stating that there were “29 calls in Game 1” that could have gone in their favor. The coach did not submit them, as he felt that the situation would improve during Game 2.

“It didn’t feel that way,” said Carlisle. “I can promise you, we’re going to submit these tonight… We deserve a fair shot… There’s not a consistent balance, and that’s disappointing.”

When speaking out about the overturned ‘double-dribble’ decision, the coach highlighted it as “small beans compared to everything else”. Furthermore, he had no regrets over receiving the two technical fouls.

“The two technicals, you know, you gotta make a stand for your guys. You gotta stand up for what’s right and what’s not right, and that was it. So, we need to get home, we need to play better,” he said. Where do you stand with Rick Carlisle’s opinion? Let us know in the comments down below.