Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (at Toronto Raptors) | February 14, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (at Toronto Raptors) | February 14, 2024

Pascal SE yakum night baby he was great down the stretch um it was great seeing the love that they have for him here what he meant to this city and this franchise and so now we’re the fortunate ones that get to have him with us

Um he’s at the stage of his career where the beginning of the game things weren’t flowing particularly great but one of the things that he’s learned over the years is to stay patient disciplined and look for openings and look for situations to take advantage of and and

He and Tyrese did a great job in the fourth quarter of of of manufacturing some situations for Pascal to make the hockey assist um get to the rim make a play made a couple of really difficult shots that were big shots in the fourth quarter and just uh just really happy for him

Um and you know Tyrese play played played his usual High Lev game but I thought you know Ben Shepard tonight particularly in the fourth quarter was a was a Difference Maker um shot making defense um the stop on the last play you know were were enormous plays and so um

It’s going to be a good All-Star break guess to start with Ben just the devil a little bit deeper into that I mean just the entirety of that play obviously coming it coming down to a situation they they can getting two en ti What impress you about just how he

Was able to stand up and keep RJ from getting an easy one there well Ben Shepard is a is a rookie that plays like a veteran he puts his body in the right situations keeps his hands out of it he uses his length wisely um and he’s a very good system

Player and what a system player means is that if you have an open shot knock it in um and if you’re not if not you make the simple play to the next player offens L and you know defensively you know he he was he was really good all

Night you know he’s just he he provides energy he rebounds the ball um and he puts his body in the right places you obviously had to ask a lot from a bunch of guys you know with as many as you were missing obviously Isaiah starts

Gets you uh you know 15 and 11 OB obviously have do some big things dou durman and Ben just how important were just some of those guys on a night when you’re missing some players to get so many so many guys step up in the situation yeah we had three of our

Top you know seven guys out um you know sticks and and uh and mathine you know are you know easily in our top seven and Miles Turners are starting center you know so um you know without two centers and you got purle out there who who’s a

Really high level system player and does the Dirty Work he made the three throws at the end you know he passes the ball he knows how to score um Isaiah did a great job got tired a little bit one time I needed to get him

Out sooner that was on me um and when we needed to play small you know uh OB did a great job at the small ball five um he had to play a lot of minutes tonight thought I thought mcder played well McConnell played well I mean we needed

Everybody and there were times in this game where it would would would be easy to you know just shake your head and just say this is too hard you know you miss a couple easy shots and you got a couple of calls you don’t agree with but

The guys just hung in found a way to do it so you know everybody’s pretty happy at this moment in terms of hanging in obvious they get 46 in the paint in the first half they ended up with 84 um but it seemed like say again I think they

They started with 46 in the first half ended up with 84 in the pain but it seemed yeah it’s 127 to 125 that’s the only stat I’m looking at right now asking about the def it’s all the same to you I’m asking how if you felt like the defense stepped up especially after

You were having well so how many we give up in the second half who can do a quick calculation there yeah at halftime I talked to the team about the fact that we needed a 50 to 55 Point Half somehow we had defense in front of us we need to be more

Physical we need to communicate better and so what we give up 52 uh 52 so you know that that was a number that was accurate and you know guys took the challenge and uh you know a lot of gu a lot of guys had to do a lot of

Little things to put us in position and there was another time I think in the early fourth we got down 10 again you know and so it just it was a matter of hanging in and just keep chipping away at the rockon at this point his injuries injury um nothing uh nothing for

Sure um which leg is it yeah right right leg uh right leg leg um lower extremity uh possible ankle you know we got to get some pictures taken tomorrow to confirm um it looked very scary um he’s in good spirits he did walk off the court um with with some

Help so hopefully it’s not a long-term thing so we’ll just have to hope for the best that was bad I slipped man cuz I I saw I saw it coming too I was trying to get the steal that’s the problem but because I I like I knew what

It was going to do and I just wanted to get the steal um and I also had foul so I just I don’t know if it was if it was a regular game I think I could have had that one but that’s a good spin though I

Give him that what was tonight like for you starting from the beginning and and just yeah oh man oh again like I I tried to like you know just just kind of stay focused on the game and not think about anything um as much as I could but it just hard you

Know just coming in there seeing so many familiar faces um and and to me just like reflecting on everything like from where I come from man like just to be here in a place like this I came here as a as a young kid um didn’t

Know what to expect I like I remember going to the store they didn’t have my jersey in there um like I like it just it was just you know like nobody really knew what to expect from me um and for me to come in here and like after 8

Years like just to see the reception like people being so genuinely just happy for me like I think for me that was was the most important thing just like I got so many messages from people just like just genuine love like and and to me that means everything um to see

That whole section with my jerseys like yeah like that almost got me right there cuz cuz it’s just like I can really never dreamed of that you know like and and to have that man means a lot uh so I appreciate everyone just just for everything um it definitely means a lot

Like you know I’m humbled and and I couldn’t I couldn’t really like imagine that that that that kind of um reception so um yeah thank you thanks to everyone did it was it hard to reconcile those emotions and then play basketball the first half like I’ve seen you play

That wasn’t your best first half right oh thanks for reminding me bro you always do a good job at that right um but like I think yeah like it’s hard it is hard to to just go into the game after all that it’s a lot of emotions

Like you you you want to say that you’re going to be okay and and and you know like I’m I’m trying to focus I have all these little things I’m trying to just just be be be locked in but it is hard it’s tough like this this is a place

That means a lot to me and and to be back here after you know like again I was known that you know like this is a place I wanted to be so like I I I think for me coming back it it was just it was

Yeah it was hard it hard but um but also I was just happy happy also to be there obviously with the reception and and and we had go play a game you know like at the end of the day and and um I’m just happy for the guys too on my team like

They’ve been so supportive like the whole time and um I’ve gotting text from coaches like even before the game like we with you we love you like um and I couldn’t really ask for more like just um and I think that’s kind of like what helped me through everything just to um

From both sides just just receiving so much love and um and and and Shout Out shout out to Pacers man everyone from from coach to to you know like the whole team I’m sure you’ve matched up with Scot milon times in practice what would it like to do with the lights on the

Real game yeah no it was cool um I think obviously we know how talented he is um and and and again like I’m I’m I’m super proud of him um got that Allstar like like you know like just I think is is the beginning for him um and to be out

There match up against him and and and you know I know he’s going to compete he knows I’m going to compete and um yeah it was great it was weird but but but it was good and and we we’ve played practice multiple time so um I think we

Know each other’s games a little bit but um but yeah I thought he had a good game um and and it’s always good to to be able to go out there with friends and and match up and play basketball be competitive so yeah it was good you send

A message or anything about the allar not huh did you send him a message or anything about the allar oh yeah no I told him congrats I told him congrats today I mean yeah like I’m I’m I’m really proud of him SC we know you’re a gracious guy appreciative of everything

That you got from the fans the Raptors tonight but did it feel good to get a win like was it did it mean a little extra yeah for sure I mean like you don’t want to like you don’t want to come in here and lose you know like

That’s that was the that was the thing in my mind like and when everyone was just telling me like oh man like I’m so so happy to see you like in my head was just like I got to get a win like I can’t lose I can’t lose this game so um

So yeah definitely feels good to get that win what’s it like to play with a player like Tyrese and how much of an adjustment period has there been to kind of get on the same page with a with a great point guard like yeah no I mean

It’s it’s I want to say it’s easy but also hard at the same time just because like the way he plays the game like he’s so effortlessly like just like a great passer and and knows how to put people in positions and um and I think that

Like just himself just kind of like learning also about about what I can do also on the floor and like how that can Co correlate but like just the fact that he’s just like a such a dynamic point guard like he can pass he can shoot like

Just that alone like it just matches with who I am as a player um and and he’s been so good that just like just like talking to me and we we try to figure things out and um he he you want to see like where he wants to give me

The ball and like different things like that so it’s just it’s just good to be with a with a guy like that and and he cares about winning like um like I’ve been around the league a while you know like and and he’s one of those guys like

You know like it’s all about you know getting the win and and that’s rare and special you know in a young player so um I’m I’m I’m happy to be on this team and and and I want us to continue to learn I think obviously he’s he’s coming back

From injury and trying to figure everything out um and and he’s a special player so I’m I’m just I’m just glad that we’re in the same team and um and we can we can continue to grow together and and and again the more we out there

On the floor like the more we we we kind of understand like each other and and and we’ll be able to you know I think I think do some great things together you obviously down a bunch of guys today with Ben miles and being out in here and

Getting H how impressed were you with what some of the other guys who had to step up did Isaiah in particular but also Ben yeah yeah no I mean IP those guys like uh even Oscar got got some minutes in there you know he played well

Um Isaiah you know big he was big tonight just just playing hard hard and and rebounding dunking um guarding and and also Ben like I mean like I I I just I just like his energy like the way he plays the game and he’s just such a good

Kid like I think you just want to have like see him succeed um and and to see him on that last play play defense the way he did you know getting that the last stop like yeah that was that was that was impressive and um those guys

Are ready like they they work every day and and they get they get the opportunity and they go and and and take it super important um especially Going On All-Star break to uh lead off on the win um especially coming off of Lost Lake Charlotte um it’s definitely good

We all came together and got the job done even though it was tough today but um it was a good game so obviously a lot of you guys had to play more minutes than you us you know Doug had to play a lot he got a lot from Isaiah just what

Did it take from a lot of you guys Ste in situations where you were missing some guys you play yeah we found out this morning that two players weren’t playing and um then on we just stepped up um next man mentality like TJ says all the time but uh yeah we just came

Together and uh played te basketball so what better got better defensively all the way around after the first half obviously they got 46 in the pain they a lot of L and D how were you guys able to step up and Le SL transition um they were great in transition in the first

Half and we had to shut that down um I think we did it definitely better job in the second half and um that lead that led to offense and um just like good things so definitely takeing stand in the second half yeah I mean he had big minutes big

Minutes for us um he chipped in offensively defensively um and that’s just who he is I think that you know it’s obvious that we have a lot of faith in him you know the minutes he’s been getting um and so when guys go out we

Just have a deep bench that can be ready at all times and thought he contributed in many different ways today so I’m proud of him you guys obviously we’re missing a lot of pieces to start with you know lose another one during the game and ER and just what impressed

About the way these guys just hung in uh in a bunch of different ways yeah I thought we just dug in and uh did enough to win the game got stops when we needed to made shots when we needed to um you know especially coming off such a disappointing loss against Charlotte we

Just want to go on All-Star break you know feeling good um that’s a good win for us going into the break and now everybody hopefully can reset mentally and uh be ready to go when you get back close the season right woke up better especially in the second half

Defensively after you guys gave up 46 in the paint first down well you know that’s a team that is you know really good in the in the you know in the full court transition but when you give him half court it’s a little different so we

Were doing an awful job of of getting back uh loading to their their drivers you know RJ quick uh Scotty we did an awful job you know they just kind of playing Bully ball and when they were missing they were just grabbing every rebound so we had to dig in uh take good

Shots offensively and hurry up and get back and be able to load the ball make them play more in the half court you obviously personally hit some shots early to kind of keep keep yourself in I mean just what kind of helped you get a rhythm helped you get started and just

How important it was it just to get a couple shots in there early to keep that thing from getting really sideways yeah just trying to make some shots right now uh it’s been on a Struggle Bus a little bit lately so uh just trying to do what

I can to help us win games and uh you know and we won tonight so you know everything everything’s good going into the break just on that last part just getting into a break with wi especially after Monday how important was it just to get something what level of I don’t

Know if it’s or what’s thetion coming out of there and being like you got one I think I think that’s just positive for everybody leaving on a good note seeing where we can get better um and understand that you know we got to go in the second half of the season the right

Way approach it mentally the right way uh it’s going to be a ride you know we’re on the road a lot in March and uh there’s not the records six seven and eight aren aren’t that big of a difference you know so um you know we

Got to be locked in the second half the season be ready to compete and you know hope to make a playoff push here

Rick Carlisle, Pascal Siakam, Ben Sheppard and Tyrese Haliburton speak with the media following the Pacers win over the Raptors on Wednesday night.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
5:43 – Pascal Siakam
12:38 – Ben Sheppard
13:38 – Tyrese Haliburton