OG Anunoby leads with his knee and Pascal Siakam gets the worst of it. / @AwfulAnnouncin
The Indiana Pacers tried to close out the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. While physical play was allowed on both sides of the ball, the Pacers were on the wrong end of two very painful looking plays where the calls did not go their way. Both times TNT's Reggie Miller and Stan Van Gundy agreed with the home fans that the Pacers got hosed.
Both plays happend in the final minutes of the second quarter and both times Pacers defenders ended up doubled over in pain.
First, OG Anunoby took the ball hard to the basket and was met by a vertical Pascal Siakam. Siakam was called for a foul, but took an Anunoby knee to the groin. The Pacers challenged the call hoping the officials would change the call to an offensive foul or maybe even a flagrant. The officials decided Anunoby made a "normal shooting motion," but Miller said he didn't know about that and Van Gundy added, "I disagree with that. Totally."
Karl-Anthony Towns did something very similar a few minutes later and caught Myles Turner in a similarly uncomfortable place. Unfortunately for the Pacers, they did not have any challenges remaining.
"Oh my goodness," said Miller. "That one I think certainly would have been overturned. If that's natural right there we're going to have players leading with their knees all the time."
As they watched another replay Miller asked if it was a natural shooting motion with Van Gundy replying, "No way. No way."
However you feel about the calls, it's definitely painful to watch.