Rick Carlisle did not want the NBA media to remind him of what occurred during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. Fans will be aware that both of these teams matched up with the hopes of making it to the NBA Finals and winning a championship.
The Celtics did as planned and managed to defend homecourt to take a 2-0 lead in this series. Since Tyrese Haliburton sustained an injury and did not play in Game 3, many expected the Celtics to crush the Pacers despite playing on the road and winning the Game.
Although the Celtics did end up winning, this game did not go as many fans would have expected. With that being said, let us take a closer look at what the Pacers head coach had to same after his team lost Game 3.The Indiana Pacers had an 18-point lead on the Celtics midway through Game 3
Despite not having Tyrese Haliburton on the court, the Pacers made a cumulative team effort in order to defeat the Celtics in Game 3. Midway through the 3rd quarter of this game, the Pacers had an 18-point lead and had positioned themselves to win even without their point guard and best player.
The Celtics made an incredible comeback in the second half of the game. However, the Pacers kept up with them and even had an 8-point lead with less than 3 minutes left in Game 3. At this point, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Jrue Holiday elevated their play by knocking down timely shots and playing elite defense to help their team get this win in the final stretch.
After the game had concluded, Rick Carlisle was interviewed. Before he heard a question that detailed the mistakes the Pacers made, Carlisle cut off the media member, “I just watched the ending so you don’t need to remind me. I saw everything that happened. Everything. Everything that happened.”
Reporter: “Rick, you were up 8 with about two and a half minutes to go…”
Rick Carlisle: “I just watched the ending so you don’t need to remind me. I saw everything that happened. Everything.” 😳
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 26, 2024
Upon noticing that the Pacers coach was struggling to acknowledge what had just happened, fans claimed that he was salty due to the fact that his team lost a very winnable game. While there were several players on the Celtics who can take credit for this victory, it was Jrue Holiday who made the most important play to help his team win.
Jrue Holiday executed a tough steal to help the Boston Celtics defeat the Pacers
As the Celtics cut into the lead that the Pacers built, they still struggled to stop the Pacers from scoring on the other end of the court. With 8 seconds left in the game, the Pacers had possession of the ball and a chance to win with a timely shot. Andrew Nembhard drove the ball up the floor but was guarded intensely by Jrue Holiday.
Nembhard tried to crossover and get past Jrue. However, the veteran NBA star knocked away the ball with a quick swipe and instantly caused a turnover. This forced the Pacers to foul Holiday and effectively put the game out of reach. Upon witnessing this possession, one can certainly understand why Rick Carlisle did not want to discuss the final moments of this game during the postgame interview.