Carlisle had his considerations; Kurt Thomas wasn't in good form today, his free throws were unstable, and it was likely he would miss both or just make one. Even if he made both, the Hawks would still be 1 point behind.
The most crucial point was that he was wary of Roger making the game-tying shot.
Rick Carlisle witnessed Roger's ruthless dismantling of what was once the most promising Indiana Pacers while working as an assistant coach beside Larry Bird.
If there's any superstar in this world who can single-handedly solve all difficulties, it must be Roger.
But the players of the Pistons rejected this request; committing a tactical foul while leading? It seemed like cowardly evasion.
They were confident in stopping the Hawks' attack in the last 11 seconds.
Even team leader Big Ben thought so: "We've got this, Rick."
Of course, the Pistons players didn't just decline this strategy out of confidence.
