Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Atlanta Hawks) | January 5, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Atlanta Hawks) | January 5, 2024

I like the way we played um we brought an element of physicality to the game that needed to be there and we managed to avoid a lot of fouls so that helped our defense uh the assist number is tremendous obviously NBA and ABA franchise record is really strong and it

Just speaks to the unselfishness of the team so that’s something to celebrate um but in this league celebration times are short um so we’ll have to get in our beds tonight and uh rest up and get ready for for Boston tomorrow so they didn’t have a very

Tough night with their game at home so um you know we’ll have to get rested up and see who’s available miles was talking about just how much fun this environment can be with the ball movement being this way with everybody being so committed and on the same page

I mean can can you see that every day with this team even in practice days even in off days just the connectivity they have even beyond the floor well talked many times about how special they they are as a group of guys in the locker room um and I think I mentioned

Last game that you know the kind of sacrifices that our guys are having to make right now with minutes shots everything else to keep energy in the game to use our depth um you know it’s not easy but for us to win at a level that we aspire to um it’s

Got to be a true team situation so um hey whatever whatever it’s been five six in a row whatever it is um it’s great you know momentum is something you want to keep if you can um but got the best team in basketball coming in here tomorrow and so it it’ll

Be a challenge you see anything about the way the the Hawks were defending that allowed 50 assists to be the case you know it felt like you guys had really well-timed cuts for example with a lot of space to run into like was it something about the way they were

Playing that made that easy for you guys well L Lloyd did a good job of preparing our guys for some of the looks that we would see and you know we executed well and they just they had an off night you know that happens and so so um you know we’re

Not going to get too giddy about anything um this will certainly piss them off for the next time we play them in a week and a half or whenever it is um but that’s what makes the world go around in the NBA you know um the the es

And flows the emotional highs and lows um the anger you know and and balanced with the joy and so um right now we got to get to midnight tonight and then get to tomorrow morning and you know get to our prep tomorrow and and and get ready for really the the

Greatest test in basketball right now over half of Tyrese’s assists were to Miles and a lot of those came from that him being the safety valve and those blitzes how have you seen their connection develop this season and really since the whole time they’ve been together wellow they had a great year

Last year um and I don’t know if it’s still the case I would guess that it probably maybe that they’re the number one assist finish Connection in the entire league they were at least they were in the last couple three weeks so um having a big guy that can that can

Roll and pop is is a weapon and uh Tai just has a great feel for utilizing it and you know miles has really learned um when it’s appropriate to do one or the other want to go back to you know you mentioned your defense as well I mean

Just what stood out to you especially in that first quarter the way you guys uh set the tone with the physicality what did you like about how you guys ran around and defended and I didn’t like our start you know we gave up a three to

Murray and then we gave up a three to Johnson and six nothing and we just they weren’t feeling us at all and I was very close to calling a timeout and then I just said you know let’s you know let’s see if we can play through this and and

Adjust you know and then the guys did and so um after that 60 start in the first minute you know we were headed for giving up like 900 points or something you know um but we got the wheels back on the wagon and Tai did a good job of

Steadying the ship our defense improved you know we we put got some bodies on them and and we were fortunate they they had some they had some misses you know we were able to capitalize it’s you know Trey you held him to four of 18 do you see that is

There anything that really start out to you in terms of how well you guys defended him did you see a lot of shots he usually makes that he didn’t yeah he he had an off night missed missed a quite a quite a number of shots that you

Expect him to make so look he’s a great player he’ll be ready whatever date it is whenever we go there um and we have great respect for him you know he’s one of he’s one of the hardest players in all of basketball to Gard make no mistake you know his his his speed

Quickness skill craftiness feel I mean it’s it’s up there with the very very best what’s impression about what Bruce has done in the last two since getting back I mean it just obviously it’s eight of nine tonight I think and and you know had that match up

For at least a little while just went stood out to you about what he was able to do on both ends well you know he’s gotten himself healthy again and there was a period of I don’t know six or eight games where he really he really wasn’t feeling 100%

He wanted to play through it he said he was okay but and then it finally got to a point where you know Josh had to step in and say you know we’re pulling the plug on this until we get you right and part of part of the equation was the

Right amount of rest and work and you know he missed four or five games whatever it was um and he’s come back fresh and he’s come back you know Juiced up and and he feels good and it’s it’s very evident uh how’s Aaron what’s the

What do you know about him at this point I know it was a sprain anything that you know don’t know um don’t know anything hope it’s not serious uh how cool is it to see James Johnson dunk what’s that how cool is it to see James Johnson dunk you’ll see more

That’s cool to see um sharing the ball got a lot of different guys contributing um when you play basketball like that it’s just infectious everybody wants to be a part of it it looks fun it’s a it’s uh fun for the guys that are out there appealing to people watching

And um that’s all you can really ask for it’s a great team win course guys have to make shots to get that you explained that on your individual record last week but was it tell about the Hawks the way they were defending like what made it so

Easy for your cuts and your timing in the ball movement to just kind of slice them up and get to points uh early they came out in a blitz and they were blitzing me pretty high up the floor um and I was just trusting my big getting

Off the ball early and then miles kind of work in that mid-range area he hit a couple jumpers got to run for some layups made some good extra passes um and then we kind of Switched him out of that Blitz and made them go to something

Else and I thought we just did a good job of making them adjust and and adjusting to their adjustments and doing a good job that way and getting stops being able to play in transition we play in transition a lot because of uh how many stops we again so it was good for

Us and of your 18 assists tonight were too miles and some of it was that blitzing stuff you just explained but how have you felt your connection to chemistry with him grow this season and even since you got here two years ago yeah I mean when I first got here it was

I think some people were worried CU like oh miles doesn’t really roll uh but you know obviously he’s playing with another big and now with him being kind of like the lone big on the floor a lot of times and us being able to grow chemistry it’s

Been really good for for both of us um he’s been a it’s been a great partnership we one of the best I feel like one of the best pick World Duos in the league and uh it’s interesting because if teams are want to put two on

The ball I can trust him get off the ball and trust him to take that mid-range jumper and he’s doing and he’s been really good at getting better at being patient and letting offense flow uh after he catches and taking his time so um it’s been a really good

Partnership and some way we can keep growing on the thumbs down during layups instead of dunks was that someone’s idea is that just something that happens because TJ does it to someone else during the game where do that Comfort up for you guys on the bench uh that’s just

I mean it’s not exciting we don’t like to see layups if we can dunk it we want to dunk so uh yeah I want to TJ should have dunked that I he could have dunked that I I I promise yall he could have he’s just he’s

Old uh I wanted to go back to what you said about miles what’s been just the um how have you guys adjusted since you’ve been having more blitzes I guess what have you guys kind of had to do to to just sort of tweak and make things work

As far as that pick and Rule is concerned when so much more frequently you’re getting two guys in the ball just having conversation um you know between me him coaching staff all together and our our team just um obviously it was an adjustment period after inseason tournament everybody’s starting to Blitz

Now um so we’re just learning how to beat how to beat that and that’s a part of the growth of of us two as players and as as us of us as a group and uh yeah it’s interesting to see what teams keep doing the coverages keep changing

From Team to team and um that’s part of the great part about basketball it’s kind of like a a chess match to a sense of of figuring out how to you know adjust to what other teams are doing so it’s been really good for us you mentioned the defense obviously you guys

Really set a tone in the first uh I think they were seven to 25 and this one of your best you know I think defensive periods what did you what did you like out there basically what do you feel like you guys did well particularly what

Do you feel like you guys did well uh on Trey because he obviously had a pretty rough night uh we just did a really good job uh we did a good job showing hands um frustrating them defensively and rebounding uh Clinton is obviously one of the best rebounders in the league

Um a lot on on the on the on the glass and I thought we did a good job boxing out gang rebounding and getting out and running and I thought I think we’ve done it I feel like we’ve done a really good job these last you know obviously in the

Six game winning streak but over like the last seven eight games we’ve really made that a priority for us that that takes up a lot of time in our shoot arounds and we understand that you know the way we play we’re going to be able

To score a lot of points and uh we just got to focus on the defensive end that’s going to be what changes this season for us and and what allows us to you know hopefully playing some competitive basketball after the regular season how do you feel like that new lineup is

Changing things at this point obviously we spent a week talking about it but I mean what where um just how do you think it’s sort of growing together and what what are the advantages that you’re seeing as you play more and more games with it I think jaylen’s just done a

Really good job of kind of being that second big when miles is up on the ball and Jaylen gets to catch the roller you know he’s they’re run into another big and obviously Aaron and Bruce two of our better point of attack guys and um I think that just our attention detail as

A group has been better in in our shoot rounds and uh some coach obviously got on us about you know right right before Christmas there um you know he just got on us about being better in shooter rounds being more attentive and just locking in better you know not having

Side conversations not you know whatever the case may be shooting or dribbling while the coach is talking or whatever those are little things but they’re real like the attention to detail can really change your season that’s what I think separates the really good teams in this

League and and and the decent teams as a attention to detail I feel like we’ve been been a lot better there and how cool was the James dunk just to see him get up and do that to good to see uh just I I think good for him but good for

His kids to see too they talking a lot trash so uh good for them to see for see to see him do that Ty You’ve Won six straight and now you got Boston coming in tomorrow for two in a row how much are you looking forward to to that next

Test that next match up oh it’s going to be a lot of fun obviously the last time we played here it was a lot of emotion a lot of energy in this building and they’re the best team in the NBA so you know that’s the exciting part about it

See where we stack up against them we play them three times this month which is crazy but that’s exciting for us and I mean tomorrow will be an exciting day for Indianapolis and Indiana sports fans Us in the Colts playing um around the same time so uh we know our fans have

Have been awesome assume that tomorrow will be a sellout like the last few games have been and looking forward to that energy in the building and just having a lot of fun out there um man honestly just just for starters man just being here as long as I have like this is like

This the epitome of just like what fun basketball is honestly I mean I think you can just there different energy around the group man like guys are happy to come to work I mean when even when we have off days like every the entire team’s in getting they working and

Whatnot like we’ve created you know such an environment here that makes it easy to have a night like this to have 50 assist and have it feel like it’s normal you know what I mean so it’s a big credit like to Rick you know obviously the staff you know since he’s been here

He’s really changed the culture of what the Patriot basketball is supposed to be and then obviously you know tyres coming here leading the charge as well but um yeah man it’s it’s actually it’s fun to come into work it’s fun to have nights like these and you know like I said have

This feel like a normal night how much would you say that that culture the feeling this team has the togetherness leads to performances and styles like that where the ball’s moving and every shot is seemingly assistance yeah no everybody just trust their work everybody just um you know like I said

When you show you put the work in when that ball comes to you you have no hesitation it’s like this this shot’s going up what not and um you know we’re not always going to shoot the ball as well as we did tonight you know it’s the

Hope but um you know I think we we’re creating something special here like in gamebridge at home especially you makes it fun for fans to come out and see our brand the basketball you know it’s never boring assist were to you tonight on those blitzes where you were just

Popping right to him I mean was that in the game plan early did you see that space was going to be there what led to that connection appear um man just being aggressive I mean I go back to like early in my careers I made career off of

That right there just mid-range picking pops and so not something I do as much I used to do but I think I had a turnover I I was about to shoot it and I tried to pass it and everybody was like yo what like why are you trying to pass like you

Hit this shot all the time and what not so just best I know I’m capable of doing it but hearing from my teammates here my guys I’m like yo no go score like you know it’s just like all right makes it easy six wins in a row might speak for

Itself in terms of you guys’ level compared to the rest of your season but do you feel like this is the best you guys have played all year and if so how much better do you feel like you were playing than any other time this year

Um you know we we’ve done a great job offensively you know for most of the season but I’m just really proud of how we’re progressing defensively I think you know with think that first quarter he held him to 24 then second quarter hel him to 30 you know the hope is the

Whole team’s up to 25 but the way we’re flying around like the way we’re communicating now and like covering for each other it’s come a long way since you know you know a couple months ago when we were like last in the league and whatnot I’m not I don’t know where we

Stack now but and I think I was saying earlier like if we can just get to average you know we’ll start to be you know that team that we think we can be and you know we’re we’re headed in the right direction what’s I guess just sticking along that what’s making the

New lineup work um you know playing with more size and and how do you think it was effective in particular tonight well you to start with you said it size I mean it helps us on the glass and it kind of helps us when we had to play you

Know bigger forwards and our you know bigger um bigger guards and whatnot and um you know you have our hardest playing guys out there you know it’s not a knock on anybody else in the roster but I think just like guys who show up consistently and play with that edge and

Whatnot you know they they’ve brought like a certain tenacity to our first group and um you know I think um you know we got something good right now but I think the beauty of our lineup is we can make adjustments you know whenever whenever we need to and um I think

Everybody’s very professional understanding you know what it takes to you know win these games and how you have to be able to shift around like that what what do you think you guys did collectively well on Trey uh you know obviously some of that just point of

Attack stuff but it seemed like you guys were able to you know rotate pretty well make sure he didn’t get anything easy what stood out to you about the way you guys defend yeah no I think he made it made it a little bit harder on it

Tonight I mean I think that he plays his best basketball when he plays with space and I think we did a good job of taking away some of that space tonight you know he’s still going to he’s going hit some threes here and there he’s going to get

To his floater I mean he’s a you know he’s a good player but um I think the things that we’ve been doing to lead up to this like our prep even just the way we’re like prepping I think there more attention to detail and this the stuff

That we’re doing with certain players so you know I think it’s a collective effort you know these wins these past six wins uh pretty much like I said like I said before we just all were locked in you know I mean these past couple couple weeks and couple games we’ve been truly

Locking in in our shooting rounds or to our Scouts and stuff like that and you can feel the energy and the intensity of everybody and the desire to want to be better on defense and that’s just something that we taking our pride in you guys have had some eye popping

Offensive numbers this year the 50 assists is a franchise record it’s tied for the most since 1990 what does it say about how the offense is moving the ball and how everything’s flowing right now uh truly that we just unselfish team I mean obviously we got a really young

Team and you know with young teams they can either take the ball and you know shoot everything but we got like a a real connection with each other just wanted to pass each other want to see everybody succeed and I feel as though that’s that’s the best part of our

Offense is everybody just willing to give up the ball a night where you score 150 but the defense also stands out for strong stretches of play there what to you has stood out over these last nine games or so where the defense has been significantly improved uh I think it’s

Just that PR of taking that one-onone match or better you know I mean obviously this uh everybody in the NBA is talented but everybody can score the ball but but it really takes true care character encourage the lock in on defense and I feel as though that’s

Something that we want to obviously to if we want to be in there for the long run we got to truly lock in on defense cuz obviously we can score with anybody but at the end of the day you got to be able to guard as well when you look at

Boston it was a fantastic night Year back in early December but one of the top teams in the NBA what’s the challenge going to be against the Celtics I mean it’s pretty much everything I mean obviously they got tremendous players throughout their team and uh like I said we just got to

Continue to lock in on defense and execute to the coaches game plan I just think it’s one of those games where just have one of those games in the NBA no discredits of the Hawks I just feel like how ball was moving everything just came like it was everything came easy you know

Tonight and uh course as games that that happens you know so hats off to the guys you know Tyrese is like the had the snake on that Shan the ball and uh TJ you know backing him up too and uh you know God just playing off them and I’m

Mak an extra hockey pass hockey assist whatever you want to call it but uh I’m glad to be a part of that man it’s something special you know where’s the record by the way tonight no what’s the record the whole league yeah I believe 53 uh just guys’s doing their job you

Know and know just you know St with tyres you know spreading spread he’s he scores a lot but he’s a pass first point guard you know uh and that’s what he he trick go down the line you know he’s uh he shares that type of love you know he

Has that affection on us and uh we give up a good shot to get a great shot you know and uh it’s hard to say because uh we all there playing but uh we try to get the best shot we can get available and uh sometimes feed don’t get that

Fast but I think that he affect us in so much many so many ways that uh it was rubed down on us they obviously did a lot of Blitz and is that did it even add I guess to that you guys obviously have to know you’re going to have to move

Around a lot know he’s going to have to you know get the ball out of his hands early that kind of create a lot of movement I mean when when you when you have some much many attention like that you know uh I think that you you have so

Much weap weapons on the floor like M like miles you have Boost you have Aaron you have OB you have me you have Ben you know it’s kind of hard to freaking choose your poison you know anybody have a good night so just trying to figure it

Out guess the other part of it I mean you guys obviously defended really well I mean the start especially did we you know statistically you did uh what did you just I mean what do you like about just the way that you guys have progressed on that end uh over the last

Couple weeks where I feel like you guys it seems like you had made real progress there I I I think our shooter rounds has being being uh more key to key to our success us being more locked in shooting on and Rick being more attention and

Detail oriented you know uh we know we we I feel like we trickle some games down off from uh from the Hornets Portland Toronto those type of games I feel like shown being more D detail AR and uh making emphas the garden and uh taking care of the

Problems that HT us early in the season the thumbs Downs After layups instead of dunks did someone specific start that where did that who TJ yeah yeah y because TJ never dunks all the time and like we know he can dunk but when in that moment we feel

Like he should like turn it over but TJ with a classic response that and like and it’s more funny I think that he’s one of the guys that whenever he decided to Dun the ball everybody would go crazy and I think that’s what we always

Waiting for but uh you know it’s t he’s for the thumbs down when he feel and goes way you think I’m going to try to get on shacked in the full year buddy you got your I believe your 18003 of your career how cool is it to just

Think that you’ve gone this far to even think back to your first three of your career ah it’s a blessing just coming from where I came from Bahamas Amar Rock Bahamas and uh just being a part of this league you know every every every national anthem I thank God for allowing

Me to be on this big stage to know to Showcase my talent and I represent my country represent myself and uh thank God for this allow me to be here and uh I never take this for granted so uh I’m just happy to get 8800 uh opening get

2,000 but it takes one step at times and um I’m really bumed with the ones I really miss well I mean let’s just tell it how it is like Aaron’s what 65 I’m 61 come on they all said you should I like I said I’m not setting

Myself up to be on shacked in a full I’m just not doing it 50 assists as a team tonight that’s a franchise record of what what goes into to something like that people call ball movement contagious was it something with the Hawks defense like what do you feel like

Was the for that um I think it was you know just making the right play um we saw um what they were doing defensively and you know we didn’t settle for shots we made good reads and um we’re just really finding the open man and we did

That at a really high level tonight you up a lot of points on Cuts All Season the HKS I think worst in the league is that timing R for you guys because you always people call your offense random like is it feel things how do you guys

Break down a defense in that way yeah I mean they’re so uh worried about Tai and keeping him from getting downhill that you know he was getting the ball to Miles and they had to rotate the next Guy and um and you know everyone was just making the

Right read it’s one of those things when someone steps up the defense breaks down and um you know make a cut from there and it’s all about reads and we did a good job of reading the defense tonight you’ve talked a lot about just the defensive Improvement lately obviously

That that first quarter in particular I think they were like seven of 26 or something on those lines or maybe something worse than that just what did you guys like just about how you started I know the first couple you gave up a couple buckets but after that you really

Locked them down were just like about the presence you guys brought there yeah it was really good um just making teams work um you know I think I’ve said this a lot this year um you know you can give us every play that they’re going to a

Run and you know the ansers to the test but if we don’t have a mindset where we want to come out and make things difficult and play really hard in that end and press up on screens and and get over them and fight and just fight on

That end what does it matter um it’s a mindset at the end of the day night where you have as a team like can you feel a first second like wow we we’re moving it really well like we have a ton of could you tell at any point um I

Don’t I don’t know I’m I’m so locked in to you know just trying to make sure the second unit does their job and um but I mean you could feel you know we had some really good possessions moving the ball and um the offense was flowing so from that point

Yes especially against a team that you give up 152 to earlier this season like was this a benchmark for defensive growth in any way did you feel like you did a lot differently lineup changes what all goes into that Sixpoint growth I mean I think I feel like you can’t

Really pinpoint on one thing it’s just effort you know in my opinion defense is all about effort and um you know I was just telling him it’s like you could have the answers to the test but if you don’t want to play hard in that end it’s not going to matter um

And this group has really accepted the challenge of just being better and playing harder on that side of the ball we’ve obviously talked a lot about the the recent lineup change and what it does for that first unit and how that changes what do you think it does for

You know the second unit like we use the term second unit there’s been so much turnover within that group uh what do you like about how you know this second five that you guys brought out tonight um how it fits especially as a defensive group yeah I don’t think our identity

Will ever change the second unit really no matter who’s in there and who’s not um me Drew um buddy Obie sticks Isaiah um shef who am ioving out Aon jarus Jordan James um all these guys and you know now Bruce is in there we just run

You know we get stops and we create energy and um like I said the the second unit’s job when they’re when you go in there is to increase the lead if if we have one and bring us back if we’re down James dunk what was your reaction to

Seeing him get up for one of those uh I know he’s on the older side but he’s still got it he’s he’s he’s a good player and um in his short time here this year he’s been he’s been phenomenal I’m really glad he’s back um for one

He’s great guy um but I’m not the oldest guy on the team anymore so that also helps me did you get him a bottle of lne what was it I haven’t got him a bottle of wine so you owe them I do owe I ow

Rick Carlisle, Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Jalen Smith, Buddy Hield and T.J. McConnell speak with the media following the Pacers win over the Hawks on Friday night.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
7:00 – Tyrese Haliburton
12:58 – Myles Turner
16:55 – Jalen Smith
18:29 – Buddy Hield
22:07 – T.J. McConnell