It didn’t take long for things to get fiery in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Less than five minutes into the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was none too pleased with what he felt was a missed call on the Thunder, and he let the officiating crew know about it. Naturally, he was whistled for a technical foul.
Carlisle’s passionate response to the non-call resulted in him needing to be restrained by Pacers staffers and veteran forward James Johnson also obstructed his coach’s path from further berating the officials.
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Here’s what drew the head coach’s ire.
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Rick Carlisle technical foul
Carlisle’s frustrations stemmed from contact made by Luguentz Dort, who was defending an Andrew Nembhard putback attempt.
Because of the contact, Nembhard was unable to score on the play. Dort’s defense was seemingly illegal, and the ABC broadcast went as far as to say Dort made “a ton of contact there.”
The play that likely got Carlisle T’d up… pic.twitter.com/HYoSu38Zxx
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) June 17, 2025
After Nembhard’s miss, a visibly angry Carlisle was hit with a technical foul as he expressed his disgust to the officials. Most lip readers deciphered Carlisle saying, “that’s a foul,” among other utterances that likely resulted in the technical.
Rick Carlisle works referees long term as much as any coach in the league.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he came into the game looking for a chance to get a technical just to set a tone. #NBAFinals
–@WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/V2iHLOQE6U
— ESPN (@espn) June 17, 2025
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed out that Carlisle’s technical may have been a strategic choice to fire his team up in a hostile environment. The timing of Carlisle’s technical is interesting in that he recently spoke out in support of Game 4 crew chief, Scott Foster.
“Awful, some of the things I’ve seen about the officiating,” Carlisle said in between Games 4 and 5. “Scott Foster in particular — I’ve known Scott Foster for 30 years — he’s a great official … ridiculous scrutiny that’s being thrown out there is terrible. And unfair, and unjust. Stupid.”
Foster is not on the call for Game 5, but Carlisle’s stance does not necessarily mean he’s above feeling anger toward officials. He’s apparently exhausted by narratives — and excessive contact.
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