CNN/SI Home Finals Home Eastern Conference Western Conference Other Basketball News Scoreboard Schedule Bracket Team Matchups SI Images Almanac

Crying foul Van Gundy says Pacers getting away with murder Click here for more on this story Posted: Thursday June 03, 1999 10:08 PM   Van Gundy (above) spoke with NBA vice president Rod Thorn about the 40 fouls called against New York in Game 2. AP PURCHASE, N.Y. (AP) -- Still upset over the officiating in Game 2, New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said the referees are not allowing his point guards to play defense against Indiana's Mark Jackson. Van Gundy also charged Rik Smits and Reggie Miller with taking cheap shots at his players and said the Indiana Pacers "flop" and "whine." "Unfortunately, the NBA has come to where the way you try to win in the playoffs is by whining. So they whined about everything," Van Gundy said. "They're a great team, and I know they're trying to take over from Chicago, but they don't have to do it in the whining category." The Knicks were called for 40 fouls in Game 2, including five in the first eight minutes of the game against point guards Charlie Ward and Chris Childs while defending Jackson. "We played the same defense in Game 1 as we did in Game 2. For whatever reason, the game was called totally different," Van Gundy said. Van Gundy said he called NBA vice president Rod Thorn on Wednesday to discuss the officiating. Particularly galling to the Knicks coach were the fouls called when the Pacers ran isolation plays for Jackson on which he used his rear end to back toward the basket. "In the NBA, you have a right as a defender to hold your ground. And in Game 2, that right was taken away from us. The offensive player doesn't have a right to drive his shoulder through your chest when you're holding a legal guarding position. "We're not going to flop like they do, we're going to hold our ground," Van Gundy said. "Either call the offensive foul -- and we're not even asking for that -- or just allow us to hold our ground and play." Van Gundy also made reference to Antonio Davis predicting that it would be the Pacers who would "deliver the cheap shots." "And they did. Smits took Chris Childs' head off on a drive, and two games in a row Reggie [Miller] has tried to forearm shiver Charlie on an away-from-the-basket cut. He's caught him in the throat twice, so we're not the team that's physical. They've got the physical ones."   Related information Stories Injured Ewing wants a championship ring No more missed Ewing shots to vilify Pacers slide by Knicks 88-86, even series Ewing done for playoffs with torn Achilles Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines.