It’s the Finals. I’ve worked my whole life to be here. I want to be out there to compete… if I can walk, I want to play.”

Conspiracy theories involving Scott Foster are nothing new, but the NBA ref has at least one fan in Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

The Pacers now have their season on the brink. Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, faces his own scrutiny amid his calf injury.

After coming to the defense of Scott Foster following Game 4, Rick Carlisle took issue with the officiating early in Game 5 and was called for a technical after a no-call on Andrew Nembhard layup attempt.

The content on this site is for entertainment purposes only and CBS Sports makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. There is no gambling offered on this site. This site contains commercial content and CBS Sports may be compensated for the links provided on this site.

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle offered an impassioned and somewhat unprompted defense of referee Scott Foster on Sunday, evidently aware of the mountains of online criticism that came after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Charles Barkley joked about the Knicks' coaching search strategy by making a direct reference to the Pacers' head coach Rick Carlisle.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from a title. Led by Jalen Williams' 40 points (14-25 FG, 3-5 3PT, 9-12 FT) in 35 minutes, the Thunder earned a 120-109 win against the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday.