The Indiana Pacers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a closely contested, double-overtime season opener, but it wasn’t just the scoreboard causing a stir. Late in the game, a controversial sequence took place: Pacers forward Obi Toppin managed to steal the ball off an inbound attempt from the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren, but the officials ruled that OKC had managed to call a timeout before the ball was inbounded. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had to walk the tightrope in the post-game conference.

When asked directly if he had received an explanation for the timeout call, Carlisle replied, “ I’m not talking about the refs. If I talk about the refs, I’ll be fined an exorbitant amount of money .” His humorous words highlighted the issues for the Pacers coach: even one of the league’s most

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