Refs Blew 78 Calls in NBA Series?

The refs blew 78 calls so far in the Indiana Pacers - New York Knicks NBA playoff series? In two games? Look, NBA officiating is horrible at times. But 78 bad calls in two games? Yes, according to Pacers coach Rick Carlisle who got tossed after two technicals in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference series at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night.

By the way, the Knicks won the game 130-121 to take a 2-0 lead as the series switches to Indianapolis for Game 3.

The Pacers officially submitted 78 plays to the NBA offices for review that they feel officials called incorrectly. That's a lot. I've never heard of such a complaint of that magnitude in my entire broadcast career. And I've watched a lot of NBA playoff series!

Carlisle said there were 29 such plays they identified as incorrectly called in Game 1, but decided at the time to just move on to Game 2. But after Game 2, when they felt robbed on 49 more plays, they decided to send them all to the NBA for review.

NBA protocol also means the Knicks will see the video clips the Pacers are hot about.

He is insinuating that the NBA may tilt calls in favor of big market teams so the NBA can achieve higher ratings. It's one thing for a talk show host to say that. (By the way, tune into Craig Shemon and Company on ESPN Southwest Florida every weekday from 2-6pm!). But it's another thing for an NBA coach to say it out loud.

There certainly have been bad calls throughout the NBA. To say the refs blew 78 calls might seem extreme. But Carlisle has had enough. It will be interesting to see if officials "improve" for Game 3. That will tip off at 7PM on Friday in Indy.

There's been some activity across the web about where you can get the best fast food chicken nuggets. The problem for those of us in Southwest Florida, is not all of those franchises are here. And the national lists don't include some that we do have. So we needed to create a chicken nuggets list that's specific to Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres - really just all of Southwest Florida.

This list is just nuggets, not tenders. Or fingers. If we did tenders we'd have to include Zaxby's and even the ones at Racetrac, which are actually quite good. And then you get into the ones at Publix which isn't a fast food place. (Ya'll know my thoughts on the Chicken Tender Sub- love it). And then you have to allow Burger King's Chicken Fries, which are waaaaay better then their chicken nuggets. No, we have to stay focused. This is just a chicken nuggets list. Regular or spicy.

Let's face it, if you have to drive a long way to get your nuggets you may make another choice. or more importantly, if you're Door Dashing it, those nuggets won't be as good if they've made a long trip. Am I ranking Wendy's Spicy Nugs higher because the store is right in front of the Publix I shop at? Maybe. And maybe the reason I rarely go to Popeye's is because there's a Chick-Fil-A on the right side of the road on the way there. Do you drive past Chick-Fil-A to get to Popeye's? Sometimes the best fast food chicken nuggets are the ones that are closer.

One last thing before we get to the list. Why aren't fast food chicken nuggets available as dinosaurs? Honestly, Dino Chicken Nuggets really aren't that good, but I buy them anyway because they're fun. Give me Wendy's Dinosaur Spicy Nuggets and I'd make them number one on this list. Didn't Burger King once shape their nuggets as crowns?

We're putting Chick-Fil-A at number one. They are the perfect combination of taste, sauce, and proximity to the radio station. And service -  I'm also really liking the way the Estero store is handling the drive thru. As places like Wendy's are moving towards AI ordering boards, Chick-Fil-A has people standing outside with tablets taking your order. Chick-Fil-A nuggets are the best in Southwest Florida.

Wendy's nuggets come in second. More specifically, their Spicy Nugs. They are really everything you'd want in a chicken nugget. Maybe not quite as good as CFA, but solid. Another thing Wendy's is doing right are those fries. They've changed the fries to keep them crispy as they're being delivered. How often have you had a combo meal delivered from somewhere and the fries have turned to a soggy mess? Wendy's solved that, they stay crispy. Nice job. Front Office Rita has Wendy's at 1, but the rest of us say 2.

Usually at PDQ you think tenders, but their nuggets are really good, too. They're just smaller tenders. And they are fantastic. There are a ton of choices over by FGCU, but I'll pulling up PDQ every time. They make 'em spicy, too.

There's a lot of nostalgia in this choice, but you gotta place McDonald's McNuggets high on the list. Here's my problem, though. They come in 4 sizes - bell, bone, boot, and ball. Why aren't one of those dinosaurs? Seriously. Remember when Rick and Morty did that Szechuan dipping sauce episode? That stuff is fire. 

I know they have other options now, but this ranking is based on their regular nuggets. And those, are just kind of - blah. I do want to try their new Saucy Nuggets. I think they realized they needed to step up their nugget game. 

Let me start off by saying I'm a huge fan of the Popeye's Chicken Sandwich. I'd rank that as my favorite fast food chicken sandwich. But their nuggets. Their nuggets just don't hit. I want to like them. But I don't.

My big issue is that the Chicken Fries are really good. But the nuggets. Well, they aren't. Maybe the Fiery fries are better, I haven't tried those. This person on Twitter (X) seems to like them. Stay away from their regular nuggets, tho, unless you have lots of sauce. Drown those things in BBQ sauce and they'll work.

I can't rank them because I've never had them. And there's an Arby's on Corkscrew Road just down from my house. I guess I'll need to give Arby's a shot. Not the first place I think of when it comes to nuggets, but maybe I can get some Horsey Sauce and Arby's Sauce with that? Maybe?