Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability vs. Boston Celtics (Game 3) | May 25, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability vs. Boston Celtics (Game 3) | May 25, 2024

so proud of our guys and how they competed from start to finish um and uh you know this our thing all year has been just compete level and bring everything you can and and all that and uh and they did um there were a lot of things out there that I disagreed with that you know I think any Indiana fan would disagree with but we’re going to be undeterred we’re going to be back here Monday night looking to extend the series and uh we’re going to come at him even harder you know we have to we have to we don’t have a choice R you’re up eight with about two and a half minutes to go in this game what I just watched the ending so you don’t need to remind me I saw everything that happened everything what to you was the difference in that everything everything that happened yeah any sure I guess just beyond just the last few minutes I mean what uh what do you see just changed for you guys offensively uh between the first half the second you guys obviously were’re hitting a ton of shots in the first what we have guys you know we have a lot of guys stepping up into bigger minutes in Tyrese’s absence and so um you know we slowed down a little bit down the stretch and you know that’s that’s a time of game where where we’re set where the way we’re set up right now we’ve got to keep we’ve got to keep Tempo in the game so you know that’s something that we got to do and and um yeah we missed some shots and there was some plays where they could have gone a different way you know I it’s the best I can say it you know um you know just very disappointed you know just very disappointed but uh but the guys I mean this group the way they’re battling you know and we’re going to we’re going to come at these guys harder on Monday all right and our fans our fans to come out and they get they need to be louder than they’ve ever been and we’ve got to extend this series we got to get back on that plane for game five I mean that’s that’s what we got to do Rick just on that second to last play as Nim hars coming back up the floor just can you take us through your thought process as you’re weighing you know whether call timeout whe whether let them keep going how did you uh see that breakdown well you know with eight eight or nine seconds left and you’re you’re in transition after a miss you know it’s I trust our players to be able to create a better shot than calling timeout and having them set their defense and you know um run run you know our endig game stuff on their video and show their players you know it’s just a it’s more of a play basketball type situation and um and we’ve done well this year trusting our players even before just the game that he had just sort of what did you think about his overall performance tonight courageous our guys our guys played a courageous game you know they did I you know Nim hard was great um Pascal was great uh Turner was great you know McConnell what can you say about him you know um our bench guys fought and so you know we came up a little short tonight but but we will be back on Monday and we will be punching even harder Rick the shot didn’t fall but your your last play the the where they guys lined up like wide receivers and ran down the floor where where did you find that one and how long have you had it and uh just how how did you think it worked tonight I mean we’ve had it for a while you know I mean we want just to hand you hand you our Playbook is what you want it was a good it was a good look it’s a it’s a Play That’s that uh was conceived by Mike Winer who came up with it and you know we’ve we’ve used it a couple times over the last couple years and and gotten gotten looks on it and so you know um same situation happens next game we’ll have something a little bit different and hope we get the same kind of look Rick uh no one in NBA history has come back from down three 0 why in your view is this group equipped to do it we just we got to look at what’s in front of us you know we got the best fans in the NBA here um we got the greatest basketball building on the planet and we got we got another game in front of them um to go after these guys and believe me when I tell you we are going after them PHS obviously especially after you guys performed as well as you did in the first half just I mean how much do this one stay after the kind of performance that you have to put that game in the position where it was um yeah sucks um I thought you know we played played well for a good period of time time um yeah definitely definitely a tough one um especially you know we had a lot of energy the guys came out um know defending well running well um and we just yeah we just didn’t didn’t have in that fourth quarter you know we didn’t have enough Andrew uh Andrew can you take us through just the last possession against Drew what you saw there and and was it just a great player making it a great player or what was your view of it I was trying to get a shot up he got in front of me I lost the ball slip turn yeah um I guess just for either of you obviously was clear is trying to get force in that first half try to get to the paint um just kind of how do you see it go in the second half when they’re able to come back um I thought they yeah we did a good job in the first half second half um not as much um um and and yeah like they they made runs and and weren’t able to just kind of like come back and and and and have that same intensity we had a couple of turnovers um and um yeah like against a team like that you know like no lades safe so we got to we got to play well till the end for either of you uh Rick was just up here and said a couple things but among them was um he said the Pacers are going after them meeing the Celtics in game four was was that the message or the Talk Amongst you guys in the locker room immediately after wait what happened oh Rick said that you guys are going to go after them in game four meaning the Celtics yeah no I think we it’s a it’s a must game must win for us um we got to give everything that we have um obviously um to this point we’ve had an incredible season and and like no nobody wants to see it end so we’re going to fight to the end and um you know I think the guys for us is just let’s get one game you know like we can’t look ahead um whatever is in front of us like don’t matter um we got to focus on on the next game and um give everything that we have to to win that game Pascal you guys were crushing them in the paint what did you see from when they went small that you like that you could take advantage of um I think just just get into the paint you know that’s something that we we can do well um we just got to keep continue to do that hammer that um and you know just keep doing that Dre you’ve obviously been in a position a few times before of having to to play the point and run the show when when Tai has been out just uh you know how have you seen yourself grow in all these and what did you feel about you know what went well tonight obviously had 32 hit some big shots obviously before that last minute what you like about what you were able to do running the offense and getting downhill um I think I think I just wanted to get the get the pace going I think I think we play best when everybody’s touching and we’re all moving and we’re playing kind of our Pacers hoops and I I just wanted to not necessarily force the issue but just let it come to me a little bit you guys were up eish I think with two and a half minutes to go what to you in those final couple minutes was the difference that got them over the home um I thought they got stop you know and on the end you know they they scored Tim Le baskets um you know big shots from them um and and you I thought I thought we play well obviously you know you can you can argue you know calls here call there but at the end of the day um yeah we just didn’t get the job done at the end Drew you and TJ um obviously had big games in the back court tonight how much confidence has he instilled in you what have you learned from him just about how to grow as a point guard learned a lot from TJ just um ever since I got here he’s been super supportive always pushing confidence into me um I’ve learn little things of how how he gets to his spots and how he plays with pace and how he just doesn’t let the people force him into anything he doesn’t want to get into so um I I’ve learned a lot from just observing um and seeing how he gets things done how he goes about himself every day Pascal that was kind of a breakout performance for Drew uh I know not the ending you guys wanted to have but what what have you seen out of him uh in the time you’ve been with him and and what do you see in his future yeah I know proud of his growth like I think just um it’s it’s a tough game when you know our starting point guard is is not is not in the game and um you learned that before the game and and and it takes a lot of just maturity and um growth to be able to step in there and and and play the way that he did tonight it was incredible like uh controlling the pace of the game um getting people to their spots um and you know like I think that’s something that he’s always been able to do and I think that you know every time that he has that opportunity he showed it um and tonight was was another night you know where he just he’s just you know show that yeah like he belongs and and and um he’s a big part of our team and um so yeah like proud of him and and obviously we didn’t win the game but I thought you know he controlled the game so well tonight and uh was a big reason for you know us being in the game Pascal you’ve been playing with um TJ for a couple months now what is it like to play with a guy who’s as desperate as him every night to just do anything to affect the game in a positive way yeah it’s awesome I think we need everything that we can get from TJ is just his space um I say that every day like um just with how much passion he plays the game and how hard he plays the game and um you know he’s he’s one of those guys that you want to have on your team um and and when he plays against you you know he’s he’s annoying so um I think it’s the way he plays a game and and the pace that he brings to our team you know is is something that um we really need and and um yeah like I’m I think I’ve watched him you know before and just being on his team now you know is is is awesome what he does after the first two games miles had kind of talked about how he thought he could do better in the situations where he’s going get a chance to post up against a smaller player just what do you see from him tonight to to maybe help settle you guys and get you guys going to start um I think he did a good job in transition just whoever was on him just getting right to the front of the rim um and creating that that Advantage I think um him putting that pressure on the defense allows everybody to kind of flatten up the floor and it gives more space for everybody on the perimeter and um he did a good job of establishing that early you guys were obviously able to attack the paint a lot shot over I think 65% in the first half just what did you see what did you like about what you got in the first half and what did you see change or what did they do differently in terms of keeping you away from what you want to do in the second half yeah I mean Boston’s a great team offensively and defensively um but you know our Pace especially in transition you know on makes or misses getting it out and attacking the rim um I thought it was really good in the first half and you know we continue to try to do that um in the second half but you know they made adjustments and we got there a little bit but not as much as we we would like but um credit them for you know kind of getting back um and making adjustments in the second half TJ you scored like two and a half minutes ago to put you guys up by eight they still came back at the end there what to you is the difference in that last stretch that got them over you guys um you know they just didn’t go away um you got to credit give credit where credits do um they kept chipping away and um you know just made one more play than we did uh you know we had a obviously a great crowd and um unfortunate we didn’t come out with the men to do this without Tyrese and have a chance late what did that say to you about what this team has done in this playoffs this postseason even all year yeah um just one of those things where it was next guy up and um I think Andrew nard um took his game to another level tonight but he’s been playing at a high level all year and has really really stepped his game up in the postseason um you know we aren’t in that position without him TJ Rick just left here and he was pretty fired up he did not look like a guy who was ready to quit what’s you guys’s mindset heading into the next game it’s the same um obviously this one stings but um there’s no guy in this locker room that’s that’s packed it in um you know we’re going to try to get one here and and extend this series and then go back to Boston and try to make things difficult um but there’s no guy in this locker room that’s going to quit I’ll tell you that much TJ um at the end of the game it looked like you went over to jarus and Obie and said like reading the lips and said like I love you or something like that what made you want to say that in that moment to them and what does this team mean to you um just two incredible human beings um you know what he said is obviously between us but um I got a lot of love for jarus and Obie and I got a lot of love for everyone in this locker room um one of the best locker rooms I’ve ever been in if not the best um you know and it’s a great group great group to be around you describe the feeling that you have when you play talked about it before but when crowd is going crazy you’re hyped up going on a run and like just those moments where maybe it feels like you’re a kid again yeah um our crowd I mean I I I can’t speak for everyone um you know they you feel Invincible sometimes playing in front of them just the energy that they bring and they give us um you know it’s you know it takes our game to another level as players I know I’m I’m speaking for myself personally um just an amazing amazing amazing fan base um that has that has been here through the highs and the lows and um it’s it’s incredible just want to ask you about the uh you guys didn’t make a whole lot of Threes tonight but you know you haven’t seen the film of it but did you like the looks you guys got and think you just missed some or just how did you assess the the shots you guys did take tonight yeah I mean I don’t think we took any bad ones um you know we’ll certainly see that tomorrow on film but um just keep shooting you know if you’re open just shoot the ball and um you know if you do that they’ll fall um you work on it every day and um and that’s what we got to do just the uh mindset you guys had coming into this game without teres you know knowing you all had to R think you said it the other night like it’s a it’s not a one man you know one man to do it just how um you know did you guys have any sort of uh you know meeting or rallying cry to sort of to to Rally without it just how how’ you guys approach that mindset knowing you wouldn’t have your best player tonight um I thought I think we knew there was a chance after game two um and it’s one of those things where you just kind of got to be ready and if he’s going great if not we talked about you know the way we needed to play and get the ball moving you know makes and misses get out and transition do what we do best and um you know I thought we we did that tonight T you’ve obviously been a champion of Drews really since he got here I mean what where where did you see him take it up a notch tonight but also throughout these playoffs he’s made some big shots even Beyond tonight obviously he’s taking on really big defensive assignments what’s I guess what have you seen that you didn’t already see over the last few weeks but also tonight in particular I mean the confidence he plays with is it’s incredible um you see him bringing the ball up the floor he’s getting people involved and when he’s open he’s shooting it and making it at a high level I think mid 40s and um just I mean in the playoffs in the regular season he’s coming up the bench he’s starting at two he’s starting at one um he’s the backup point guard um I mean as a kid at his age you know getting thrown around like that could you know maybe mess with your mental but I mean he’s just been he’s answered the Bell all year I mean his whole career um there’s no bigger fan of his game than me um he’s a really really good player and like I said we would not be in this position without him TJ before the game um Rick car said you play like you haven’t proven anything year nine for you what do you feel like you maybe have proven you know throughout the better part of a decade in the NBA I don’t know um maybe just the energy that bring um on a daily basis um you know it’s one of those things where you know if I’m playing like I don’t have anything to prove I think it would be time for me to to retire um it’s one of those things where it just kind of puts the chip on my shoulder and continue to um you know play extremely hard and do what this team needs for me

Rick Carlisle, Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell speak with the media following the Pacers 114-111 loss to the Celtics in Game 3.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
4:45 – Pascal Siakam & Andrew Nembhard
11:19 – T.J. McConnell