Rick Carlisle appears to be learning his lessons from the court very quickly.
After losing Game 3 of the first-round of the playoffs in the Western Conference between Dallas and the Houston Rockets, the Mavericks coach criticized the referees and made a particular comment that got him a fine of $25,000, Yahoo Sports reported.
ESPN said that during Game 3, Carlisle and Mavs owner Mark Cuban showed their displeasure over what they deemed as illegal physical play by the Rockets and the fact that game officials were not doing much to limit the physicality.
Carlisle said after losing 130-128 in Game 3, "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. They're a more physical team, but this series has got to be played within the rules."
He continued, "We're scrambling like hell defensively and Devin Harris is going to get the ball, and Dwight Howard throws him into our bench."
"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," Carlisle ranted.
Cuban also let NBA commissioner Adam Silver know about his thoughts after walking away from the court, at the same time glaring at Silver.
The Mavs owner shouted when he returned, "That's exactly what we talked about!"
Game 4 was just as physical, although Dallas managed to win with a score of 121-109. The game ended with 52 personal fouls and five technical fouls called, Bleacher Report wrote.
Carlisle avoids additional fines
While talking to the media after Game 4, Carlisle clarified to a reporter, "Did you ask me about the officiating of the game?"
The reporter answered, "No, no, no."
Carlisle said in a report by USA Today, "I brought something just for that." He proceeded to hold up a piece of tape then put it over his mouth. A number of reporters were chuckling because of his gesture. The coach went on to answer the question.
Although other NBA coaches may have learned how to handle wrong calls more discretely at the expense of Carlisle, the incidents should encourage game officials to keep the game as enjoyable and safe as possible.
The Rockets currently lead the series 3-1. The two teams will play Game 5 on April 29, 2015, at the Toyota Center in Houston. Hopefully, both teams will lessen the physical plays.