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April 25 (The Sports Xchange) - Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of officiating after Friday night's Game Three loss to the Houston Rockets. Rod Thorn, the NBA's president of basketball operations, made the announcement Saturday. Carlisle was upset after the Rockets held off the Mavericks 130-128 to take a commanding 3-0 first-round series lead. "Look, referees miss calls, but there's just a lot of physical stuff going on out there that just doesn't look kosher to me," Carlisle said after the game. "They're a more physical team, but this series has got to be played within the rules." Carlisle specifically mentioned a long rebound by Rockets center Dwight Howard on the opening possession of the fourth quarter. On the play, Mavs guard Devin Harris ended up flat on his back by the bench after Howard pushed him off with his right arm. "We're scrambling like hell defensively and Devin Harris is going to get the ball, and Dwight Howard throws him into our bench," said Carlisle, who added he reviewed the play six times on film. "He takes the ball, skips it over the top and (Trevor) Ariza gets a wide-open 3. So instead of us getting the ball and a foul on Howard, it turns into essentially a five- (or) six-point swing. "That stuff's got to stop. The officials got to get that stuff under control, because there's too much physical stuff going on. Howard is throwing people all over the place, and that can't happen in Game Four." The two teams meet again Sunday night. - - - (Editing by Gene Cherry)