Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (at Dallas Mavericks) | March 5, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (at Dallas Mavericks) | March 5, 2024

Well I we we were due to play better and um last couple games have been tough but uh the the team made some very good adjustments for this game and we were able to play faster and more aggressively and move the ball better and um those things helped us very much

And so you know it’s a it’s a it’s a it’s important win for us um against a very very good team guys wi the third third 2 to 18 obviously they were six to 23 from the field I think in that period I think they were two of their first 11

Obviously just how important it is to get you know in a game like this when you got two you can really score to get a defensive stretch like that well I mean the beginning of the game the building was live it was loud in here

And um it’s a great crowd and you know our our goal is to try to keep the crowd out of it and just make it tough you know make it tough on their two stars um you know luk Luca had 39 made it look easy again um you know Kyrie Kyrie got

Going um some and and you know the guy that was giving us problems was was Washington hitting the threes and so we did a little bit better job on him in the second half I think he had one um and you know you know The Gafford lobs

Um no one no one likes to be dunked on but but they were two-point shots and not threes and we just tried to keep keep the pace going so um thought Tyrese had a spectacular game you know his stats aren’t spectacular by his standards but his his floor leadership um and and the

Way he uh he he led the team tonight was was really uh tremendous and important and this is a hard place to win and you know they just you know I know they’re going through a rough stretch right now but but they are they are hard to play

To dig a little bit deeper on Tyrese I’m just you I think you only took four shots in the first half but the way you move the ball I what made yeah I mean we were our team was was making a concerted effort to involve him more um you know

We talked about some adjustments to get him moving around more screening more um and the more he can touch it off movement the better because it’s a little harder to to get into defensive coverage um so you know there were some very very good things and um you know

Got he got you know into into a rhythm shooting the ball you know and made the last shot which was which was great and so you know it this is tough um this has been a a tough period of a month you know going back to you know coming

Coming back from injury having minutes restrictions having other teammates banged up um you know Allstar was it takes a lot out of um takes a lot out of guys and it’s interesting you know as you look as you study what happened at All-Star like LeBron James

Came in for like five hours played the game and got out of there here’s a guy’s been around 20 years and the older the the the the more experienced guys have learned you know the how taxing it can be to go through all that stuff and and

So um I thought Tai was put in a tough spot you know kind of having to host everything but um but he has a hard time saying no to the people of Indianapolis and that’s the thing you love about him but it’s just it’s just another thing

That you you add to the mix and so but that’s that’s in the rearview mirror um tonight was a was a positive step and now we got to get home as quick as we can and and get ready for you know a bunch of tough games coming up you know

Minnesota’s a top team in the west um you know in Orlando has been um very difficult for us all year long bench outscored them 69 to 32 I all five five of your subs you in double figures just especially Ben coming off of illness Ben sheer coming off of illness but Ma and

Dealing with the for sword and coming in and doing what he did just just how impressive was just everything you got from those five guys that second we needed it um the bench was great um you know Obie and Shep are our two best Runners they’re two best Runners and

Ball movers and that’s why they win in the game first uh we needed speed we needed guys getting to the corners and then and then making the right movements and reads from there and both those guys did a great job it allowed us to give

Pascal two rests per half um and I love the way he worked his way into the game uh it it wasn’t happening for him offensively right away but he stayed patient uh in the second half he had high impact and so you know we’re we’re still you know somewhat into discovery

Mode with this team you know cuz we have some new pieces and we have some some new geometry but uh tonight’s a positive step we got to keep studying it and everybody’s got to keep you know giving and keep sacrificing you know for for for the team and uh tonight was a good

Example of how important it is to give one more Aaron obviously gets the primary assignment on Luca I guess if you see it up close you could just see just how difficult it is and how little it’s impossible it’s impossible to guard to guard Luca I mean you know the guy

Gets the guy gets any shot he wants any time he wants and you know what do you have seven assists for dunks or something like that I mean um he’s a great great player who’s rewriting history you know um with what he’s doing and so you know the important thing is

You’ve got a you’ve got to read the game and not look at his stats if you get if you look at his stats you know you can go crazy trying to figure out how to stop him and you got to you know it’s just try you

Got to try to look at what the score of the game is and so but it’s difficult because he just came down and he got the ball in the basket about 10 straight times to start the game you know and just you know wrong-footed shots and setback threes and you like everything

Everything you can dream of you know so um but he’s great Irving’s great you know um but you know our guys try to make it hard on him what s of input did you receive during the game from Tony Romo well Romo and I go backways right

So he’s a he’s a he’s a good friend and and a guy and and a person that I have great respect for so I’m you know gotten know I’ve gotten know him well over the years and um I just think he’s a very very special person he was a great

Player for the Cowboys and he was he was a great player for us when he suited up one night in 2017 wasn’t offering any tips from there was Rick you alluded to your team this is the last one last one um I didn’t even go ahead you talked

About you alluded to it a little bit but when you talk about your team’s ability to keep the crowd out of the game what did you like about their ability to stay composed when the MS make well two nights ago in San Antonio we missed shots and our attention to detail

Defensively was not good enough um tonight our attention to detail was was better and you know the ball was going in for us um we moved it better but when you when you pay attention to the details and and really concentrate on the little things you know the

Basketball gods they they shine down on you a little bit you know so we just got to we got to keep we got to keep going 19 20 games left whatever it is you know they’re all meaningful and we need to get out of here

Rick Carlisle spoke to the media following Tuesday night’s win against the Mavericks.