Certainly, Giannis Antetokounmpo was not there and Damian Lillard was slowed by injuries. But this young team of Pacers still did the job to advance to the conference semifinals.
Like Mark Daigneault in Oklahoma City, Rick Carlisle also notes the maturity of his group.
“I felt like the character of our team would allow our players to learn on the fly”, explained the coach to the Indy Star. “To accept the necessary lessons and advice, mentoring, coaching, whatever you want to call it. And that's what happened. »
Pascal Siakam's experience helped a lot, but Rick Carlisle notes that Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Obi Toppin and company approached the playoffs with the awareness of discovering new situations.
“We have to understand – and many of us have never been in this situation – that in a close game, teams are going to play with the energy of desperation, that they are going to play hard.”details Tyrese Haliburton, who admits like his teammates that the intensity in the playoffs is very different. “As players, we felt like we were playing more not to lose than to win. We have to do a better job of being more aggressive, playing harder and controlling what we can control. »
“You have to be able to keep your cool when you are in the lead and play with the same intensity, not to take your foot off the gas”
The atmosphere, the intensity, the management of advances against teams who are playing their season… These young Pacers discovered a lot of new patterns in this first series against the Bucks.
“Playing ahead is very difficult in this league”confirms Myles Turner. “I think a 20-point lead is nothing in this league. Players can return at any time. You have to be able to keep your composure when you are in the lead and play with the same intensity, not letting up. Pascal talks about it all the time. It's about being professional. When you are in the lead, you have to finish the job.”
Because in the conference semi-final, it is Tom Thibodeau's warriors who advance against them…
“In the two games we lost in this series, they (the Bucks) imposed their rhythm. In the matches that we won, we were the ones who set our pace… We know the recipe. We understand it. We executed it the right way” concludes Tyrese Haliburton in particular.
