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Rick Carlisle explained why he benched Pacers starters early in Game 2 loss vs. Celtics
"We weren't giving up."
Rick Carlisle on why he pulled his starters early: The Pacers opened the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals facing a 13-point deficit. While the prospect of a comeback felt like an uphill battle, particularly on the road in Boston, it was far from a settled scoreline.
So it was with a degree of surprise that Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had bench player Doug McDermott — having not played serious minutes since the start of the playoffs — on the floor to open the fourth. He later replaced several other starters, giving bench players (including McDermott, who played the entire quarter) an extended look.
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Asked after the 126-110 loss about why he pulled his starters comparatively early, Carlisle argued that it was not a white flag.
“To look at some guys that I thought needed a look,” Carlisle explained, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “McDermott went in there and played well. Isaiah Jackson brought a lot of fight to the game. Jalen Smith hasn’t had much of an opportunity to play in the playoffs, so I wanted to see where he was at.
“We weren’t giving up,” Carlisle insisted, “but it was an opportunity to get some energetic fresh guys in there to fight. They did some good things.”
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Indiana managed its single highest point-total of any quarter in the game in the fourth (30), but it was still less than Boston in the same period (33).
One especially conspicuous absence over the final 9:25 of the game was forward Pascal Siakham, who seemed to get whatever he wanted offensively, posting 28 points on the strength of 13 of 17 shooting.
“The guys who had played to that point, Pascal was very tired,” Carlisle said.
Trivia: Rick Carlisle was originally drafted as a player by the Celtics in the third round of the 1984 NBA Draft. Can you name the number one overall pick from that year?
(Answer at the bottom.)
Hint: In the NCAA tournament prior to that year’s draft, Carlisle’s Virginia Cavaliers lost to this player and the Houston Cougars in the Final Four.
Scores and schedules:
The Celtics overcame the Pacers 126-110 to take Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 gets underway in Indiana on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
Tonight, PWHL Boston will be on the road in Minnesota for Game 3 of the Walter Cup Finals at 7 p.m. The series is tied 1-1.
Also tonight, the Red Sox begin a three-game series at home against the Brewers at 7:10 p.m.
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- Pacers facing prospect of having to play without star guard Tyrese Haliburton
- Why Jaylen Brown doesn’t ‘give a [expletive]’ about his All-NBA snub
- Renee Rapp, Ed Sheeran make an appearance at Celtics playoffs game
- Bill Belichick spotted at Celtics’ Game 2 next to Brad Stevens
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Extended highlights: If you missed anything from Game 2, here’s your rewind.
On this day: In 2008, the Celtics defeated the Pistons 94-80 to win Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston took a 2-1 series lead, and notched a first road win of the playoffs.
Daily highlight: Though the Oilers won in the end, Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger made a quality save to deny Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid.
Trivia answer: Hakeem Olajuwon
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