Topic - Rick Carlisle

“Our guys got a real taste of what the elevated stage is all about,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said at the time.

Injuries are a common theme for NBA teams off to fast -- or slow -- starts →

Carlisle had said the Pacers identified 29 plays they felt were wrong in Game 1 - referees had already acknowledged one of them on a kicked ball violation they said was called incorrectly - so that meant 49 more in Game 2.

Rick Carlisle fined $35,000 by NBA for criticizing referees, implying bias against small markets →