Adaptability keeps Pacers coach on cutting edge of NBA change

USA Today

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Adaptability keeps Pacers coach on cutting edge of NBA change What makes Indiana coach Rick Carlisle unique is the way he has engaged with modern disruptions in the NBA, the way he has reimagined his philosophies to suit different teams in different eras.
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Pacers and Thunder NBA Finals is better than it's 'small-market' billing
USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the star-studded NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sports Pulse
OKLAHOMA CITY — The reporter called out Rick Carlisle.
His Indiana Pacers had staged yet another improbable come-from-behind victory in the playoffs, this one in an epic Game 1 of the NBA Finals — a series they entered as overwhelming underdogs. In the first few questions, Carlisle matter-of-factly had downplayed the frenetic pace of Indiana erasing a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter against a Thunder team that rarely squanders leads, especially at home.
'I know you're being Cool Hand Luke and all that,' the reporter began, 'but at any point did you stop and say: 'Damn, that was a hell of a comeback?' '
The way Carlisle opened his answer, in essence a shrug, was quite revealing.
'No, no,' Carlisle began. 'Listen: I've been through too much of this, you know, over the years.'
In what is a fascinating NBA Finals matchup of contrasts, Carlisle, 65, is a mainstay, a proven commodity and hoop lifer, a coach with a deep mental archive. But what makes Carlisle unique is the way he has engaged with modern disruptions in the NBA, the way he has reimagined his philosophies to suit different teams playing in different eras.
OPINION: Pacers cannot keep relying on crazy comebacks. They must start quicker, finish stronger.
And now, Carlisle's Pacers will try to pull off another improbable feat Wednesday, June 11, and go up 2-1 on Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
'He's got unbelievable endurance in the league,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Wednesday, June 4. 'What I'd also say is, he's kind of out in front of some trends in the NBA right now. To be somebody that has the experiences that he has, that's very impressive that he's been able to evolve and be a trendsetter even as he's been one of the longest-tenured people in the NBA.'
Carlisle has been a head coach 23 seasons. He was an assistant 11 seasons before that and a player the five years prior, though his first year as an assistant was unique. He began the 1989-90 campaign as a 30-year-old shooting guard for the Nets. However, he played just 4.2 minutes per game across five contests before he switched over to the coaching staff, becoming an assistant to the very players he had just called teammates.
During his four decades in the NBA, Carlisle has played alongside legends like Larry Bird, only to later serve as an assistant under him in his first stint with the Pacers; coached Hall of Famers Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki to a NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks; and is 11th all-time in coaching victories, with 993.
Carlisle always has had a strong aptitude for offense. It helped that he played for the great Boston Celtics coach K.C. Jones and with Bird and Kevin McHale. Their offensive acumen shaped Carlisle's offensive philosophy.
Still, despite that influence, Carlisle has seen offenses evolve. Not only has he adapted over the years, but his offensive vision has put him at the forefront of innovation, including the pace and effort in which his teams play.
Throughout his coaching career, Carlisle was adamant about making offensive calls from the bench, instructing the point guard what play to run. Pacers center Myles Turner recalled a game in 2021-22, which was Carlisle's first season in his second stint with Indiana.
"Rick was a coach that he used to like to call a play every single possession," Turner said. "Even Rick's first year here, we had a game where he did that. He stopped us and called a play every single possession.
"In the dawn of this new NBA, especially in the playoffs, that stuff doesn't work. It's easy to scout. But when you have random movement on offense, guys that are someone like Tyrese (Haliburton) who wants to pass the ball, it makes the game a little bit easier, especially for a guy like myself who thrives with space."
It was with Kidd that Carlisle's philosophy of player empowerment began to take root and he ceded some control.
'What I learned my first year in Dallas was to give J-Kidd the ball and get out of the way, let him run the show, let him run the team,' Carlisle said Thursday, June 5, before Game 1.
With the Pacers, Carlisle has entrusted Haliburton, an All-Star point guard in 2023 and 2024, to dictate the pace and structure of Indiana's offense. Haliburton is able to operate with significant freedom, choosing when to push up the floor off of rebounds and how quickly.
And while the Pacers do have plenty of set plays, they most often rely on flow and feel, allowing players to instinctively move without the ball and play off each other — almost always with Haliburton taking lead.
'It's pretty clear, when you have a player of that kind of magnitude, that kind of presence, that kind of knowledge and vision and depth, you got to let them do what they do,' Carlisle continued.
Throughout the playoffs, regardless of score, the Pacers have played their game, which has allowed them to secure multiple comeback victories, including their thrilling 111-110 victory against the Thunder in Game 1. During a replay challenge with 22.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Carlisle made the decision not to call a timeout following Oklahoma City's possession.
"If we get a stop and get the rebound, we're going to go," he explained to reporters. "Hopefully get the ball in Tyrese's hands and look to make a play."
Carlisle let Haliburton create, which led to the winning shot with 0.3 seconds remaining.
Carlisle's imprint, no matter what happens in the rest of the series, will undoubtedly be palpable. In the 2025 playoffs, the Pacers are No. 2 offensively (117.1 points per 100 possessions), No. 1 in 3-point shooting percentage (40.5%), No. 1 in field goal percentage (49.6%), No. 1 in assists per game (27.8) and No. 3 in pace, which is possessions per 48 minutes.
"The skill aspect is the thing that's the most compelling part of the game, and we're getting to a point now where everybody on the floor, not a 100% of the five men, but all the guys, one through four, can make 3, drive it, make plays," Carlisle said. "And we're getting to a point now where more of the five men can do that than not. It's made the game a lot more difficult to defend, obviously.
"But the skill aspect of it is, to me, always going to be the most compelling part about the beauty of watching the game and the challenge and the beauty of teaching the game."
It's Carlisle's eye for beautiful offense — and his composed assurance to entrust his players — that now has the Pacers three victories from their first NBA title.