Indiana Pacers NBA Finals Media Availability | June 18, 2025

Indiana Pacers NBA Finals Media Availability | June 18, 2025

there’s some interest in your calf do you uh have any update for us there uh nothing more than you’ve already seen uh I practiced today did what I could um I know coach just told you guys uh what the uh process will be tomorrow for me to play and um yeah we’re just taking it from there are you dealing with the strain uh yeah okay tim here front Tyrese obviously you want to play everybody always wants to play um and it is the finals which only makes you want to play more how smart do you have to be I guess in this situation or are you not even thinking in those terms at this point well I think it depends on who you ask i mean you’re asking me so uh I think I have to be as smart as I as I want to be i have to understand the risks ask the right questions um but I’m a competitor i want to play i’m going to do everything in my power to play and uh that’s just what it is but I mean I think I think the answer to that is depending on who you ask okay follow up here oh sorry can you give us an idea of what the treatment is like is it like as I know as close to 24 hours as you can do like what what do you do for a strain calf what can you do for it um yeah I mean I think just around the clock stuff as much as I can um massage needles hyperbaric uh hwave I mean just a bunch of different things to try to get it to feel as you know as comfortable as you can going into it uh the right tape and stuff you know while while I am performing and um yeah I mean uh I’m sure there’s a bunch of medical professionals who could give you a better better answer but uh just doing everything that I’m told trying to do everything I can next row back hi there uh Gileiam from ESPN Brazil um I would like to ask you about your teammate Andrew Nehammer he’s doing a a very good uh series but he he has like in last quarter few minutes that he turnover he missed shots have you guys talked to him to keep his confidence high and because he’s very important guy for you uh yeah I mean I think through the course of the game we all make mistakes nobody’s really tripping off it uh understand who he is and how big of a part of our group he is and um you know I I think last game came down to many much more things than you know just a couple turnovers or a couple missed shots here and there there’s so many things that we can do better as a group um so you know I think we don’t even need there doesn’t even need to be a conversation about it you know we’re moving on to game six and you know we feel like everybody’s got an opportunity to be better in different areas and you know everybody has to be prepared for that dustin in the center just to just to kind of clarify the timeline on this whole thing i mean you you just generally refer to it as lower leg but I guess was it an ankle after game two and was it a calf after game five i guess were those two completely separate injuries had you been dealing with a calf at all before game five and that that just become I guess when you tripped trying to drive on chat there yeah it sounds about right yeah any other questions all right you got followup Dustin one more sorry Ty uh you’ve talked before about the situations when you know the the staff kind of saves you from yourself basically i mean just how much trust I guess I you obviously have a lot of trust but I mean just what have those conversations been like over time when you’ve dealt with various kinds of injuries and and obviously how much trust have you sort of gained the medical staff and in its opinion and when it comes to situations like this and like again like you said sort of taking care of you make you so make sure you don’t go beyond what you can do yeah i uh I have a lot of trust in our medical staff i have a lot of trust in our organization um to make the right decision i think um you know there’s been many uh situations through the course of my career where they’ve trusted me on my body i mean you’re here more than anybody you know I’m I’m I’m questionable from time to time throughout the course of the season and they trust me to make the right decision on my body when the power is in my hands and um you know I’m going to try my best to uh to do that but I mean you understand I want to be out there and you know that’s the plan michael last question here real quick Tyrese thank you um it goes without saying maybe but if this was regular season would you even think about playing and does it feel like something that would keep you out for a week or two weeks or how does it feel in that context yeah probably i mean yeah pro that would probably be the case uh but we’re now in the regular season so it is what it is tim Reynolds with the AP pascal I I know you guys would rather be up in the series or obviously or get to four already but if you go by the schedule it’s supposed to be 3-2 them right now I guess how how simple does that make things home court is held and all you got to do is win a home game to get to Sunday do you do you do you keep it that simple right now yeah I mean I think that’s that’s all that’s all we can do right um think about the next game great opportunity in front of our fans um I’m sure it’s going to be you know like a huge moment for our fans and this just they they’re going to be super excited and we have a chance at home NBA Finals like it’s a great opportunity and um that’s that’s all it is couple of rows back Jamal Pascal uh TJ McConnell just kind of what kind of a boost just in general this series has he given you guys and obviously given Tyrese’s status how important is he going to be for tomorrow yeah no super important i thought he played well um just being TJ doing doing the things that he does I think offensively like um he’s he’s a another person that you know another ball handler someone that can get us to our spots um push the pace and um and yeah he he played he played great last game and and he’s going to be huge for us you know going forward too michael Pascal Michael Grange from Sportsnet Toronto um in when Tyrese was kind of limited in game five you stepped up had that huge fourth quarter you’ve had some other really big scoring games in this playoff run do you are you prepared do you expect to have more burden on you going into game six um I mean I think the way we play I think it’s it’s never been about one person um so it’s I don’t really look at it that way i think um obviously like Tyrese is a big part of what we do like and and you know whether he plays or not like I think it’s going to be a um a team thing you know like we we have to uh together all step up and um you know the importance of the game you know just we just we just all have to to take a step forward like and and and it’s going to be down the line um so it’s I don’t think any one of us should feel like you know one person is going to have to do it it’s going to be collective Any other questions for Pascal oh thank you oh I appreciate it from from Tyrese yeah he uh he participated in our all our walkthrough stuff so u but it’s it’s a walk through so it’s not there was no real running or moving or anything so um so we’ll see we’ll see how how where we are tomorrow um it’s it’s a topic that’s people want to hear about and know about and there’s going to be a lot of questions about it um but we will not really know for sure until late tomorrow afternoon or early evening front right Tim Rick as you’ve uh kind of watched Jaylen Williams develop from afar over the last few years and then seen him up close obviously in this series what what stands out to you about his game and and the way that he’s evolved over his few years in the league yeah he’s he’s the quintessential modernday wing um he can do everything he he can attack off the dribble he can make plays and pass the ball he shoots the three he shoots mid-range he finishes um he gets and ones um he creates a constant vertical threat on the rim um and you know I I don’t know him personally but um he looks like a great a great person and a great young leader on that team and um he’s a guy that we got to we got to slow down somehow and uh it’s not easy alvaro Rido um Zack Low published a comment from a an anonymous GM saying that this is the hardest playing finals he can remember uh when I looked at um second spectrum data in the 12 years they’ve tracked it the 2025 Pacers in the finals have run the most miles and at the highest speed of any team regular season or postseason in history um is it a product of your scheme the opponent the situation are there limits this is a question I really have are there limits to pace and space limits um based upon what the dimensions of the court that you’re this is a yeah the court the court I don’t believe the court’s going to get bigger anytime soon um this has been a topic for many years you know players are getting bigger they’re getting faster you know how do you create space um you know the the arenas are are pretty much configured a certain way and um it’s just very difficult to try to find an extra 6 in of width on the court on each side or whatever and so um yeah I mean that’s that’s one reason that the three-point shot has been has been so advantageous to the game um it creates more space but as far as the running fast and running far I mean that’s that’s how we play and that’s what we’re supposed to do will all the way in the back in the center hey uh Rick can you just talk about coach Busk and what she’s meant to this team all year long but in particular this historic finals run and and what her ceiling is well I I continue to answer the question the same way she’s one of the best coaches in the world she’s a great teacher she’s a great communicator she has great knowledge and she’s a she’s a someone that’s committed to constantly learning and getting better and so um you know when she was a head coach in the W her her team her teams were elite offensively um you know we’ve we’ve asked her I’ve asked her to take on the role you know a different role here really concentrating on the defense and uh you know it’s been it’s been really to this point an 18month effort to um to get better um to help some guys that you know weren’t great defenders to become better team defenders guys that were good defenders to hopefully become great defenders and um she’s had a she’s had a lot of impact on all that stuff and you know um at some point in time there will be a first female head coach in the NBA i I believe that and I believe that she’s one of the few that could that could be that person we’ll go to Steve mike’s coming up on your right uh Rick can you talk a little bit about the protocols of using a player or not using a player if he’s hurt versus injured is it different in a game like game five when it happens on the fly versus heading into a game is it medical staff the players want to your involvement um does it change yeah it’s all the above it’s all that you know we were all talking constantly during game five and um so yeah and getting the feedback and um but game five’s over it’s time to move on situations where you’ve had to rein a player in against his you know most intense desires to be out there yeah yeah but you know not without not without consultation with the medical staff and you know weighing all the factors um so answer is yes joe in the back Rick a substantial number of us were went to the wrong room uh with with Tyrese we saw him out on the floor today was he able to do anything other than just sort of the set shots that we were that we saw uh we did a 30-m minute walkthrough we did about 25 minutes of film then a 30-minute walkthrough and he was able to do both of those things and then um I know you said immediately after game five that you thought he had done some positive things in the in the second half having watched the film and gone over do you still feel like he was a you know while while injured he was still more of a positive being out there well he he was in there when we got it to two we cut it to two and um and then what happened there was um we we had a good defensive possession we overhelped and gave up a second shot and it turned into a three and then we had an untimely turnover at the other end and uh that turned into a breakaway dunk and then all of a sudden boom it was seven again so yeah it’s this is not related to Tyrese but you know it’s the two things right now that are really um bothersome and challenging for us is the the rebound the reboundings the rebounding the the second shot rebounds and the turnover so we’re we’re going to do our best to address those things but as far as Tyrese you know um he’ll go through the day tomorrow we’re our prep sessions tomorrow late afternoon um and they’ll get together and do some testing and that will determine um whether he plays or not and if he doesn’t play we have a a plan um obviously if if we’re without him last question here on the left second row uh Rick Arya from ESPN Brazil uh would you say that everything that has happened in this series is absolutely normal uh you guys won a road game they won a road game they did their job last game won uh uh a game in Oklahoma and now we’re in game six you have the chance to go with seven i’m asking that because the atmosphere around this series and uh Oklahoma came such a big favorite yeah I mean we’ve been in this position before we were in this position last year in the New York series we were down 3-2 um and we were coming back home and so what we need to do is u buckle down uh stand strong um where we should and I anticipate one of the best crowds in the history of Gamebridge Fieldhouse and um we got to find a way and uh you know the ultimate is to is to get to a game seven that’s the ultimate um privilege it’s the ultimate experience in sports um but we’ve got to take care of home court tomorrow to do that thank you man you know not just TJ you know all our backup guys you know even someone as like Johnny Kurp and play some minutes you know I think everybody’s prepared for the moment and um yeah again like the moment is as big as it’s going to get so I think everybody will be ready miles how are things different if Tyrese isn’t 100% um I mean obviously you know he’s a he’s a head engine on our offense and whatnot he makes a lot of things go but again I’m still very confident in my guys that come in and fill the role gone back to the home run start um I mean even the first couple of games they did the same thing they just did it at a later time so I think that you know they do a good job of um of mixing up their lineups you know you’re not going to see the same lineup you know the same time at the same times you know every game so you know it’s no different than we see the first couple games miles last home game of the season regardless of what happens uh you know you’ve been here 10 years how you expect that environment to be and what does it mean to play on this stage in front of this for an opportunity like this to be season yeah I think it’s I expect it to be the best crowd you know that we’ve had all season and honestly just in my years here just uh with the moment you know what it is you know it’s just a it’s not every day you get to go to you know NBA finals game something you tell your kids about one day you know so you know history is something that’s uh literally going to be in the making you know as you play that game so I expect a great uh great environment and um it’s going to be a lot of fun how are you feeling healthwise i know we had the cold or whatever are you over that or still working through it it doesn’t matter yeah that’s the best way I can put it anything else from us all right oh wait one more question what’s up sorry you guys got to answer please please this is the first time in the series you’ve been uh behind in this playoffs how you guys doing with that uh in this specific moment um I mean you got to play like you’re always behind you know that’s what I like to tell people so even when we were ahead you know we want to have the mentality like we’re behind so So that it doesn’t change miles you might got one for the bench guys just the reserves all season and how they’ve stepped up for this group when they needed to and perhaps might need to again in game six yeah no different than what we you know experiencing all season long you know I expect our guys to you know come in with the attitude that you know it’s do or die and um you know I expect everybody to be ready what has made that group so effective 6 7 8 9 10 down the roster um I think that you know they mir they mirror a lot of things that the starting lineup does but then they do it with a lot more energy at times so they bring a different type of energy and focus to the game and um whether we’re up or down you know they can be we know we can rely on them like we’ve been able to do all season long hey Miles this is the first time you guys are trailing in a series in this like playoffs does that anything change in your mindset ahead of their next game so I’m I’m going tell you something I told last buddy like um you know we started the series off you know with mentality that you know we were trailing or whatnot so with with that our mentality you know it can’t change you know obviously the circumstance have changed but you know your mentality can never change when you took a look at last game what were your biggest takeaways from what you guys finished i mean the most glaring thing was the turnovers you know you can’t have 25 turnovers for 32 points expect to win the game um you know you do a better job obviously controlling the glass and whatnot you know I think we we won the glass but they still had 17 offensive rebounds um and then offensively just you know just more fluidity when I playing the playing the style that got us here as you guys are unbeaten when you go over 110 scoring in this postseason run with or without Tyrese what do you guys need to do a little bit better you just touched on it a little bit on the offensive ending next yeah there’s more touches you know continue to keep the ball moving um you know we we play at a fast pace we continue to play at that pace and um um yeah just be more aggressive man they had 12 more shot attempts than us so you know we have to continue to try to get a clean look every possession remember Rick talking to us about how you guys were told about the incoming potential trophy ceremony for Boston last year in the conference finals when they had three wins has he kind of shared any similar messaging this year about motivating or anything like that yeah but he shouldn’t have to you know I think it’s just the overall uh pride and ego you know that comes with that i mean I think anytime in the playoffs anytime you can play in front of your home crowd um it’s huge but especially when your back’s up against the wall in an elimination game they can this this crowd can really will us to wins and they have done so and we need their very best tomorrow does Tyrese and his injury kind of inspire you guys he’s going to play not 100% healthy how does that inspire you guys to play harder yeah I mean we all we all support him no matter what um there for him and um just like I said the support’s there and um play extra hard for him as well hey TJ uh we’re from Spain and we always talk about your ability to change games um where did you learn that learn that and is that something that you can teach um I don’t know i mean for me I just try to come in and do my job and that’s and that’s basically what it looks like just come in and insert energy where it’s needed and um shoot when I’m open make life difficult on defense for the other team and and give my teammates the ball and that’s what I’ve tried to do my whole career we saw yesterday a very intense Indiana fever basketball game i don’t know how much time you have to actually see what’s going on but how could that even fuel you in a positive way seeing their energy and how they do because we know how close you’re like supporting each other so seeing them giving it all how much this can support you for tomorrow yeah I mean we see all of them come to our games and and we and we appreciate it um I think the support back and forth between both both teams is awesome and we certainly support them to the fullest and we love going to their games and showing support like they do for us so um every time they’re at games we certainly appreciate it um and we try to support them and and go to games as much as we can tj you’re just talking about obviously your role coming in the you know OB Ben performances from the bench in this series how crucial will that be going into game six your guys’ role coming off the bench yeah I’m we just kind of got to inject energy like we always do um you know our starters you know have willed us here and we just kind of got to go in there and like I said inject energy where it’s needed and and do our jobs you talk about doing your job your description could change tomorrow night i guess there’s a possibility that he could start have you talked to Rick about that or are you just prepared for anything yeah I I haven’t talked to him um honestly just I think as a bench player role player um just be prepared for anything do you embrace this challenge it’s one game or it’s over yeah i mean it’s give everything you have and um that’s what all of us are going to do there’s not going to be we’re not going to leave anything to chance or any regret we’re going to give everything we have um we have no other choice tj uh game five had a huge stretch kept the game kept the Pacers alive and then you didn’t return for the fourth quarter then afterwards uh Rick said that you were tired were you tired um honestly I don’t even remember i I trust Rick wholeheartedly with his substitutions um let’s make one thing perfectly clear rick is a Hall of Fame coach he knows what he’s doing and we all have the utmost faith in his rotations his X’s and O’s uh we all love him and that’s the bottom line rick talked last year about the conversation he had with you early in the season about what your role in the rotation was going to be he said that was a very difficult uh conversation to have how did you respond to that um just put by putting my head down and going to work um I think coaches in this league have a tough job you can’t please everybody so sometimes you’re the odd man out and you can put your head down and sulk about it and make excuses or you can put your head down and go to work and um I chose the ladder dj you have a lot of playoff experience what has been the message in the locker room to the younger guys not only for you but let’s say Rick Cario as well as you just mentioned that there’s still more work to do um we’ve been in this position before um so we just you know we can’t flinch we got to we got to be ready for the challenge tomorrow cuz they’re going to come out ready and like I said we just have more work to do tj have you seen that kind of memes the comparison between you the free throw line breathing and then LeBron James the famous photo of him what was your reaction to it uh asinine um I’m pretty sure LeBron when uh they posted that um he won that game I think and it’s LeBron so um really no comparison there to be honest i’m just being real with you the love that you’re getting is amazing you know to see it how does that make you feel yeah I mean it’s awesome but you know like I said there’s really no comparison between one of the greatest players to ever play the game and myself so honestly flattered but um like I said just trying to do my job tj you know sort of a high basketball IQ guy people talk about you as a future coach can you tell me just big picture for your commissioner for a state what would you change about the Nothing um I don’t I don’t know that’s a I think he’s got an incredibly tough job as well i don’t I don’t I don’t know what I would change honestly how do you feel about the the style of play i think it’s exciting to watch especially the style that we play um it’s exciting it’s uptempo um people here certainly love it um so I mean credit to Rick and his staff for you know implementing it here tj after that incredible third quarter what were Were you feeling tired were you feeling um fatigued at all um or did does adrenaline kick in in those situations and and you were ready to go in the fourth no I’m I’m always ready when my numbers called i mean there there was probably a point where I was a little tired but if he was um to go with me I was ready but um that didn’t happen and like I said he’s I have the utmost faith in Rick and and I trust all of his decisions we all do and um I support him fully 100% when Shay and Jaylen are going like they did in game number five how tough is it to I mean it’s just they’re they’re great basketball players honestly um some of the shots that they make you just got to tip your cap to them um but I think we can make things more difficult what is the most important thing you guys have to do to keep the season going i mean I just think we have to leave it all out there leave nothing left to chance and um just play the full 48 and and play to exhaustion for the full 48 how are things different if Tyres is not 100% doesn’t play the minutes that he usually puts it how are things different for you guys in your mind yeah I mean it’s we’re talking about an MBA type type guy um if he’s not 100% so you you miss a lot of his playmaking and um the stuff that he does for us and we all just have to pick up the slack and and help him out maybe maybe I think if we win the game you know it probably be considered the craziest day of my life but it’s it’s just another day how do you prepare to a game like that um in terms of being aggressive being the guy that kind of score points how do you prepare your mind i think it’s the same the same preparation just going out there and and being relentless just having fun and you know trying to help my teammates win the game [Music] fouls um just knowing who’s in front of me knowing personnel and doing anything I can to you know just uh to make it play does that continue yeah for sure i just got to keep the same aggressiveness no no difference sorry and what do you when you think back to your time at the Latin Academy and that how did that help you these moments what stood out to you about that entire experience about the Latin Academy in Mexico say it one more time you went to the Latin Academy and was the star there and had a I talked with her coach about that whole experience what stood stood out to you about what you gained from that experience to now be a lottery pick and be where you are today it’s a great question i think that uh it really it really formed me as a man you know I was super young when I went there to Mexico and I was able to uh learn you know the culture the new language and everything so um pretty pretty allowed me to grow a lot as I I was alone most of my most of my life you know at a young age and just being able to be independent today what was that distance like away from your mom and your sister and brother at first it was hard but you know I kind of got used to it um quick and you know I think that like I said it it kind of helped me you know become the the man I am today ben you’re known as such a high energy and intense player in these home games when the crowd is going and you’re feeling it do you have to do anything to kind of calm yourself down or you kind of just go with the flow and live with it just going out there and uh you know like I said just play hard man just play hard having a lot of fun and uh it was a big game tomorrow so just just staying focused is it cool to see Isaiah out here for sure unable to do stuff all year but I think today was nine months from surgery yeah for sure but that’s it’s crazy you know time you know fly and I think that it’s it’s great to see him you know being you know smiling around and stuff like that you know especially he’s been missing a lot of times you know last year I had a big injury myself on my shoulder and I told him that you know sometimes it kind of it kind of sucks that you know you can’t be a part of what we’re doing but um to always keep your head up you know what does this group obviously stand i think you said there’s like playing hard and skill so for sure I think I’m very very um you know grateful for TJ you know showing me a different aspect of the game you know he just plays with heart every you know even if he’s not making shots he’s going to do everything he can you know just to to have high energy and going out there and just be TJ [Music] yeah oh yeah i just I just feel like you know plays on plays on the bench going to have to be ready um I don’t think my intensity or mindset is going to change a bit you know I’m just going to be out there and be ready and uh you know trying to be myself what have you fallen back on the last two years we were in a tough situation when you haven’t yet been losing streaks but they’ve been tough you’re down three so what what do you guys fall back on i mean you know I think the best thing about us is uh we’ve been in those situations you know i think that um well to me there’s no pressure i know for the rest of the guys there’s no pressure as well so um if you don’t feel that tickle in your belly playing the game tomorrow then don’t show up you know that’s the most important thing and I’m not saying I’m going to drop 40 but I’m saying I’m going to make sure that yeah I I get the rebound and I dive on the floor and and and play as hard as I can has that hit you yet that this will be the last home game of the season and it’s been unbelievably special for sure um great moment great moment to be a part of and you know no matter what like you said it’s going to be the last game at home but I want to make sure that we you know we win the game tomorrow and then make history happen game seven was aggressive aggressive [Music] you know last couple of days been like as you try to rehab and recover given all that’s transpired just get a recovery take it day by day understand um understand the moment understand where we are and understand the opportunity ahead of us what’s the mindset with or with Alex Tyrese how you have to adapt and forget about it uh you know continue to play our game continue to push the pace uh make sure that we are able to pick each other up for you know the things that he does so well for us try and get a little bit more out of everybody else to pick up what do you think was the overriding theme of why the offense and the turnovers continue to pile up what needs corrected there yeah I just think they do a really good job of putting the pressure on in their building you know team’s a little bit different i think the crowd helps out a lot with that um we just got to do a better job of weathering those storms and you know we’ll be better in our building what was the the you kind of talked about that already but what was the emotional reset process after the loss and now coming back home how do you how do you look to like impose your your preferred tempo throughout the game just understanding the moment understanding the situation that we put ourselves in um you know we were in the same situation last year with the teammates so it’s not like it’s unfamiliar territory for us um and just you know it’s something that we get to do you know we get to play game six here and hopefully win tomorrow and then you know you get to play game seven in the NBA final which is you know every kid’s dream remember Rick talking last year when you guys were down through to Boston about trophy ceremony and making that a motivating factor for you guys what has he kind of said or tried to steer you guys to keep you focused and motivated ahead of you know he mentioned it you know he brought it up again of not letting anybody celebrate on our floor we you know let Boston do that last year here and that’s something we’re not going to let happen this year um and you know we’re still going to win the whole thing so it’s just two games we’ll take it game by game day by day let the cards follow now you mentioned Dicks last year how similar to this feeling that you have right now about the importance of 32 32 game six at home uh we’re going to worry about tomorrow first we get tomorrow done and then after that like I said you know you get to play in a game seven the NBA finals but come on man it’s fun with such a a high energy and high stakes game is there anything that you do like personally to like center yourself or stay calm or you just kind of try to stick to your routine as much as possible stick to my routine i say like no matter wins losses big wins big losses as long as you keep your routine the same it helps keep your mental never keeps you too high never keeps you too low it’s been cool to see Isaiah kind of do what he can around the team given he’s been unable to do anything all season yeah I actually talked to him today about um you know his journey and how long it’s been he said it was 9 months today so it’s he’s been working extremely hard and it just I wish I hadn’t seen him back on the tour karen you may have answered this but last home game regardless of what happens in this unbelievable season can you put that in perspective on what this year has been like and with this crowd and what you’ve been able to accomplish it’s been an amazing year trying not to think of it that way though you know still got two games to win um and after the season’s over then I’ll reflect more fans have been great all year i can’t wait to see him practice this this room out one more time we’re going to need him if Tyrese isn’t 100% doesn’t look like he will be a lot of you guys aren’t how do things change if he doesn’t play as much or doesn’t play as effectively as a lot of us hope that he can uh you know different guys got to step up in different ways and cover for each other and you know we understand what he brings to our team it’s very hard to duplicate from anybody else so everybody’s going to have to do a little bit more just to help that point you really shot well during the season and in the playoffs and especially in like game five you had a great shooting night are there any positives you can take from those games that even though you might wish you would have won are there any positives you could take yeah there’s always positives and negatives from every game you know we made shots um I still thought there were things defensively we could have done better but we did a decent job in some ways um but it’s just about you know these guys are you know such a good team we got to play a perfect 48 minutes against these guys and you know we got to figure out a way how to do that tomorrow what’s the top the checklist and trying to keep them from getting in the paint getting so easily to there especially Jaylen Williams like yeah to keep out the paint that’s that’s number one priority for you starts a point of attack with the individuals and then help side yeah well you’ll see one more um you’re down 3-2 obviously but you’re also two wins away from the team does it help you to be optimistic I think looking at it that way is the way you have to look at it understand the moment like you’re two wins from the career championship we’ve been in this situation before all we got to do is just go out there and do it one game at a time one game at a time all right thank you what are the main points you think you guys need to improve to the next um I think we got to stop turning the ball over as much um that’s the main thing I think that will help uh get shots on the rim and allow us to really compete in the game we saw the in the practice uh he made some shots what you can say about future this conditions yeah that’s a question you asked him guys off the bench so many games this season somebody’s been able to step up or multiple guys just what has made the reserve group so effective all this all this part of the season yeah I mean I think we’ve been together the last two or three years and I think the continuity and the togetherness is uh is there i think they all got a real belief in each other and um they play hard they’re together miles talked about how they kind of mirror the starting five also just kind of that continuity of the lineup is seems to have been what’s made it the most effective you guys see that yeah I think continuity with any group allows for guys to feel comfortable out there on both sides of the court and um allow us the best product for sure with the energy that they bring sometimes there’s always a spark from at least one of these guys you can see them come on the daily here you see it in practice you see it on the offense just in general 100% i think we always talk about how deep our team is and uh there’s different guy every day that can bring a little bit more and give us that boost that we need to to get over the hump you know any other questions yeah you’ve been one of the best defenders on this team so OKC will have one team but it’s supposed to be three in the next game they make 14 of them how has it been to kind of change those defensive strategies that a team can do from yeah I mean you got sometimes you got to stick to what you’re doing and um double down on what’s working and and sometimes tough shots are going to be made in the league and you got to tip your head and keep moving forward this opportunity tomorrow to force a game seven you know back against the wall like what’s your mindset going in it’s it’s a challenge but I imagine you guys are embracing that most definitely um it’s exciting challenge you know this is the things that you you get excited about you play for um it’s going to be fun in here um and it’s it’s leave it all out there it’s a do or die it’s you don’t want to regret anything drew has it hit you yet that this will be the last home game it’s been such a special season i know you don’t want to look back on it yet but um this this is it in the fieldhouse for what’s been an incredible year no it’s exciting this is um I know that it’s going to be rocking in here um we love playing in here can’t wait to get out there yeah if you step back for a second think about this team your style of play OKC their style of play does this feel like it’s a transition moment for the game itself like little kids watching at home you know the game has changed as well the model how do you think about these two teams this finals and what it says i mean I think um depth is key at this point you know it allows for fresh guys to be in there and a fresh guy is better than than a guy that’s maybe a better guy that’s that’s a little bit tired you know um you see the versatility on both teams on both sides of the floor allows for different matchups different lineups versatility in the game and how you’re playing it um there’s a lot of different things that can be unpacked with that for sure yeah and uh you’ve obviously been one of the best defensive players these playoffs um going up against Branson now against Shay um who did you learn different from do you have someone in mind who did you watch and study to be the defender that you are today man I think um not really not really somebody I watched i think my pops always taught me at a young age to compete and play on that side of the floor and play it hard you know um I’ve always been the guy that took on the matches ever since I was a young guy um I’ve just learned to get better and and learn different tricks and gadgets and people’s tendencies going into a game like uh the game you guys have tomorrow uh you’ve obviously been a competitor your whole life as you just said uh how do you feel is this like the the ultimate test for a guy like you no doubt i think um the playoffs in general is the ultimate test but the finals in general but u a closeout game do or die things you live for things that make the game fun you know sure for sure more thanks man i have one question so Pacers had had several comebacks throughout the year whether it be regular season playoffs how much does that uh give you confidence being down 3-2 in the series um we we’ve had individual game comebacks yes um haven’t been down in the series yet this year but have last year um I mean we’re just focusing on one game one game at a time you know and um trying to leave it all out there tomorrow drew obviously a lot of times over the course of the last three years you’ve got to pick up games where Tai hasn’t been able to play basically how much does that prepare prepare for a situation this can’t number one number two just how do you see the kind of approach different in terms of taking on this defense as a point guard has to produce to get the ball in the paint yeah no those um those previous experiences definitely helped me get made me comfortable for this this opportunity that that may be presenting itself um in terms of our team we all got to just make up for it as a group you know collective be together um get the ball in the paint play hard last one drew we’ve already been asked this sorry but 110 you guys are over that you’ve won every game in this playoffs with or without Tyrese what do you feel you guys need to do to get your offense a little bit more flowing in this game six say that one more time you guys are undefeated this playoffs so you scored over 110 you haven’t hit that the last couple what do you feel like you need to do to get the offense flowing with or without tie this next get over 110 yeah i mean get the ball in the paint i mean I turn the ball over less to be honest 25 turnovers took 12 less shots than them um that’s a that’s a big swing in the game right there we We need to get the possessions where it’s it’s closer for sure win the possession game the other night and getting through practice today um just focus on on this next game um we just got to go into this next game fearless and and know there’s two games left uh but we got to get this one tomorrow first so what is the most important thing you guys have to do to keep this season alive um just go out there play our type of basketball uh uh bring 110 effort the whole whole whole entire game and um just do what we do best hey Obi you have already played 100 games this season and I’m just tired going one city to another in this NBA finals can you tell the people how is to play a game six after 100 uh games in one season are you tired uh no I’m not tired uh still young so got these young legs on me um but this is our job uh we love to do it and uh wouldn’t want to do anything else tyrese may not be 100% but he’s out there playing does that inspire you guys to try hard especially leading up to tomorrow night yeah uh we got soldiers on this team uh we going to try and play through any type of injuries or anything um Tai’s a soldier he he he’s most likely going to be good we don’t know yet but um we’ll see how that goes tomorrow how do things change though if he’s not the way we normally see him not 100% giving everything he’s got uh next man got to step up um everybody on this team is is more than capable of stepping up and and filling in anybody’s spot so we just got to go in there and be dogs to get this win remy obviously she’s had some cute moments on social media what does it mean for you to share this with her and what’s your kind of relationship with Tyrese and everyone uh yeah u my beautiful girl uh she loves all the players players love her um but it’s it’s amazing to spend this opportunity uh in the finals with her uh she obviously three years old doesn’t really understand what’s going on but kind of starting to click she’s starting to feel the different type of energy in here and uh yeah she’s just bringing everybody low does she know when she’s coming to your game like is that something that she’s looking forward to yeah every every home game she comes to uh so she she makes it to a couple away games uh throughout the year but every home game she going to be at for sure she won’t miss it she won’t let us miss or let her miss it oh this is kind of random but I saw a clip of you a while back doing like sign language do you know ASL or can you explain like that yeah word i So um I did see that clip but uh I was supposed to take a language in in like high school for something like you have to take a language and my language was ASL i didn’t want to take Spanish or it was hard doing that so it was like sign language might be the easiest one and so I just took two years of sign language and I know a couple words here and there has it helped you I guess connect with a couple fans here and there just because yeah uh like you seen that video uh that went viral um uh there was this guy uh I think his name was Harold if I’m wrong my bad but uh like I see him a lot actually uh and and we talk sometimes but um yeah it it definitely helps me connect with guys what does what does TJ inject into this team um a lot of energy uh he goes he goes out there and he gets 110 every single game uh like doing little things getting steals uh being the fastest guy out there getting into the paint he He’s doing He’s doing a lot out there when he’s on the floor and we we definitely feel his energy what’s that bond like between that second unit with with him yeah seemingly kind of Yeah yeah uh yeah like TJ does a great job at at at being the point guard in that second unit um or whenever he’s on the floor uh he draws so much attention uh offensively and defensively um but everybody knows what they got to do when they on the floor with TJ we we expect him to get into the paint we expect him to um uh move the ball like we know what he’s doing when we’re out there on the floor so it makes our job easier when Shane and Jaylen get going in the fourth quarter like they did the other night how tough is that to defend them uh yeah those are two great players um but we got we got great defenders that that’s looking at film watching film every day to get better and uh hopefully they that won’t happen again knowing um that last game wasn’t your best one and you know you can you’re so much more capable of doing how important is that to to have this fire now inside of you to show I can do more and I want to do more to help to to to bring more into the next game yeah um I mean nobody’s perfect you ain’t gonna have a great game every single game but just doing whatever you can uh uh out there on the floor whether it’s hustling getting loose balls rebounds uh little things like you don’t have to score 30 points to have a good game just uh impacting the game uh differently like setting charges or getting steals being the first to the floor 50-50 balls just doing little things like that we try to bring that into every single game so what was it like to see Isaiah out here being participated in ways that he can given like today’s nine months of surgery yeah yeah um yeah it’s been it’s been upsetting not having Isaiah on the team but uh he’s worked extremely hard to to be able to be out be out here with us today um but like I said he been working really hard every single day to to get to where he’s at so can’t wait for him to get back what have these last two two days been like as you guys have tried to kind of probably mentally reset learn from the last game but also move forward yeah it’s just been studying them uh we have two days to to study these guys uh have five games under our belt so we can watch all those films and and see what we what we did uh did wrong but we just got to come into this next game and play our type of basketball be dogs and and do what we do best

Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Rick Carlisle, Myles Turner, T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin spoke with the media after practice on Wednesday.

0:00 – Tyrese Haliburton
4:27 – Pascal Siakam
6:42 – Rick Carlisle
15:25 – Myles Turner
19:28 – T.J. McConnell
26:33 – Bennedict Mathurin
33:09 – Aaron Nesmith
38:01 – Andrew Nembhard
43:57 – Obi Toppin