Mavs coach Rick Carlisle has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of officiating following a 130-128 loss to the Rockets, the NBA announced. Specifically, Carlisle took issue with the referees early in the fourth quarter of Game 3 when Dwight Howard appeared to push Devin Harris out of bounds without penalty.
“The officials got to get that stuff under control,” said Carlisle, “because there’s too much physical stuff going on. Howard is throwing people all over the place.”
From ESPN:
The NBA has fined Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle $25,000 for publicly criticizing the officials after Friday night’s Game 3 loss to the Houston Rockets.
“Look, referees miss calls, but there’s just a lot of physical stuff going on out there that just doesn’t look kosher to me,” Carlisle said after the loss, which put the Mavs on the brink of elimination. “They’re a more physical team, but this series has got to be played within the rules.”
Without prompting, Carlisle specifically mentioned a long rebound by Rockets center Dwight Howard on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, a play on which Dallas guard Devin Harris ended up flat on his back by the Mavs’ bench after Howard warded him off with his right arm.
“We’re scrambling like hell defensively and Devin Harris is going to get the ball, and Dwight Howard throws him into our bench,” said Carlisle, adding that he had reviewed the play six times on film. “He takes the ball, skips it over the top and [Trevor] Ariza gets a wide-open 3. So instead of us getting the ball and a foul on Howard, it turns into essentially a five- [or] six-point swing.
“That stuff’s got to stop. The officials got to get that stuff under control, because there’s too much physical stuff going on. Howard is throwing people all over the place, and that can’t happen in Game 4.”
