Indiana Pacers star forward Paul George blamed the free-throw disparity when citing reasons why his team lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final to the Miami Heat on Monday night.
He even suggested that Miami benefited from a little “home cooking.” His comments earned him a $25,000 fine from the NBA on Tuesday for criticizing the officials.
[tweet https://twitter.com/IraHeatBeat/status/471402265107251200 align=”center”]
The Heat shot twice as many free throws (34-17) as the Pacers in Game 4, but the real reason for that was their aggressiveness on offense. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade drove to the basket whenever possible, and Indiana did a poor job of contesting shots without fouling. The Pacers should’ve taken the same approach, but they settled for too many outside shots.
George and the Pacers need a win Wednesday night in Game 5 to extend their season.
