(Reuters) – Indiana Pacers forward Paul George has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of the officiating during Monday’s Game Four in Miami against the Heat, the league said on Tuesday.
George said his team had suffered from “home cooking” while speaking to reporters after the Pacers had been beaten 102-90 to trail 1-3 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.
“I thought we outplayed them,” the 24-year-old, an NBA All-Star for the past two seasons, said after Monday’s game at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“It’s just demoralizing when a game is lopsided, I’m sorry to say but that was the case again. How rare is it that we shoot 50 percent, turn the ball over 14 times, out-rebound a team and lose?
“They (the Heat) made 30 free throws and that put them over the edge. I feel like we are just as aggressive as they are attacking the basket and making plays at the rim. Maybe this was just home cooking.”
Miami, who rode a blistering 14-point third quarter from LeBron James on the way to victory, were given 34 free throws in Game Four, double Indiana’s total.
The Heat will book their place in the NBA Finals for a fourth straight season if they win Game Five on Wednesday in Indiana.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Julian Linden)
