Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (at Orlando Magic) | March 10, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (at Orlando Magic) | March 10, 2024

Resilient effort by our team didn’t start off very well everybody hung in um TJ McConnell gave us a great lift when he came in the game because we were struggling to score um he got to the rim a few times and it really boosted our energy and and

From there we just we just hung in I thought Isaiah Jackson’s put back the end of the first half was huge um we got it to three-point three-point deficit and then uh you know had one of our better third quarters of the year which we needed r 97 allowed as the views do

You guys conceded in a game this year what said out to you about your defense and what you guys before well you know there just was a a level of determination that we needed to have and even in the first quarter when we were struggling to score you know we

Held him to 24 points and so you know that’s a number you can work with even if you’re having trouble getting the ball in the basket so um you know everyone was was committed to uh sitting down and and trying to keep these guys off the rim out of the

Pain as much as possible and then I think our rebounding picked up in the second half they had a lot of offensive rebounds first half not not not nearly as many in the second half so that was that was a big key as well turn to you

Talked about your offens at start you turned to Obie and TJ right then and you mentioned TJ already but what did you think of what Obie did and why did you turn to those guys earlier than normal in that first quarter um I don’t know that it’s earlier than

Well see it’s it’s it’s it’s early for TJ but look the these are all playoff games you know you need your best competitors in the game as early as possible and you know as much as I like as you know it’s important to watch everyone’s minutes that they don’t go crazy I mean

TJ only played 11 minutes the other night against Minnesota and um we needed him tonight and um actually was truthfully it was hard getting him out of the game you know he was playing so well so um I’m a big believer in in in involving

The bench early you know um and and we we need we needed everyone tonight big part of what I’m sure went right for you guys in the third was the fast break points that you had 12 in that quarter sets defense ring and offense what did you like overall about

Just how the offense work better how do you what do you think you guys figured out over the course of time after uh that top first quarter well we figured out that if we get stops we can run and uh we’re a very good running team and

That’s well documented um what we needed tonight was a a much higher level of determination that we had in the previous two games against these guys and um look we’re a different team now um much different team last time we played these guys was well before any of

Our major lineup changes and so on and so forth but um look we’re banged up they’re banged up you know it’s that time of year and so uh we just needed a high level of of determination coach what was it about that first quarter where the team was struggling offensively was it something

That the magic were doing or was it mostly self-inflicted we had some good looks but they’re always they’re always physical they’re always going to defend well they’re they’re you know they’re consistently a top five or 10 defensive team um you know game to game week to week month

To month and so you know you’ve just got to you’ve got to get ready for that kind of of of contact and um and collisions and all that kind of stuff so um it’s hard it’s a hard game to referee I thought the referees um did a very good job in the

End you know it’s just the both teams were were upset about certain things that were going on but um you know in in the end I thought they they did a they did a really good job with it because you know there’s a lot there’s a lot on

The line and all these games you know a lot of a lot of emotions a lot of meaning a lot of you know stuff in the standing so it’s uh you know they’re all big how sticks obviously he was don’t know well what did the injury report say illness questionable yeah

Yeah he he just he just didn’t feel well like right before the game and then was out but you know Isaiah was ready did a lot of good things and so um look this is the theme of the Season really is pretty much next B up you know and so um

Isa was there and then you know when we needed to go with smaller lineups um you know Pascal and Obie at 45 was something that that worked out for us tonight so those were those were a lot of good positive things what do you like about

Those those units with both TJ and tyes together I like that they’ve been very good you know and um you know it just it just speaks to the kind of player that both of those guys are but both of them have to adjust significantly to play with one another

Because when they’re when they’re on the floor as the point guard they’re both used to having the ball all the you know not all the time but the majority of the time so you know it’s there’s a give and take there but there’s just an understanding that you

Know our team needs what every single player brings to our team and so you know we we’ve got to find a way to bring out each other’s strengths from top to bottom what’s going to look different for the bench without benedict for the rest of the season you guys did well

Without him tonight but what do you think is going to be key there yeah we going we going to miss Ben um obviously uh it was tough hearing that that he was out for the season but um but we we we definitely have a a really

Good bench um our dep speak for itself everybody on our team is capable of coming into the game and changing the game and uh it’s just next man up mentality but we going to miss that how important was the spark you guys got from TJ when you were got two points

When he comes in the game going TJ TJ does his job very well uh he understands what he brings to the game uh uh for us and he he just goes in there and has fun um runs the floor very well and just does his job yeah how Scout was Apollo jump

Shooter guys are going under all the screens trying to sh yeah I don’t think we was going under any screens but uh we definitely switching uh switching like a one through five type of type of Defense but um yeah like I said both Jenny Jenny and

Jen did a great job job scouting these guys and uh it helped us tremendously in this game and that’s why we got the win as a defensive anchor you know 97 allows to low us you guys had all season what stood out to about what you guys said on

The end of the quarter um I think the second half we just um flipped the switch we locked in the third quarter was obviously the uh The Big Break for us I think everybody started to get right and um you know we just kind of fed off each other’s energy what do you

Think guys well just making their guys work I think it’s like 5 for 14 or something like that Wagner had to work for his just how important was it for to you know keep each of their big guys from have a time scor well yeah they’re

One of the better teams that get into the paint and finish at The Rim so we try to make an emphasis we get there you know some we try to make emphasis to try to you know cut that down some you know they’re a physical team and um you know

They they tried to assert themselves but I think I said we uh we did a good job of taking on the challenge and you know getting things done you said try not to standings watch this season but did you know how important this one could be

With them given how close it is every game from here on out is a playoff game man I mean they’re all important I’m not think that you can try to look at the standings and try to get help but if you win games you know you know you have all

The help you need right there know you take care of business obviously a big piece of what went right in the third quarter was turning defense into offense and you guys had 12 points on the break in there got a lot down in transition but what else do you think you guys did

Well to just fix things offensively you have some strugles in the first quarter um I think we just fixed our mindset I think we settled a little bit too much in that first quarter um you know we started get downhill saying start to get out in transition I think TJ really came

In and gave us some new life and let the charge there so that was big Obie had a big game as well and um you know you can go down the line but you those guys particular no really got us F you obviously mentioned DJ and obviously he

Does stuff like that all the time you know Del was just so good at today um you know he’s going to get to his shot he’s really good at he’s very deceptive know what he does around the rim and um you know I think that he’s a

One of the better players in this leag that doesn’t give as much credit as he deserves so I think he did a great job just like I said taking on the tal leading the charge he’s very today you know he’s typically typically pretty vocal but he’s very vocal with intent

Today and you can see the intensity and just like a flip switch for him I think like I said he really got guys going how do you mean intent what do you think you got across um just the importance of the game you know what I mean like I said we

Started off you know um you know BS in the first quarter a bit and um when he got in there you obviously you know he did his thing when he was on the bench he was getting guys up he was sending guys these games mad a playoff game this

Is the playoff game right here and you know it was you know that style of play where it’s very half you know and it’s very slow it’s methodical you’re under 100 points I mean that’s just how playoffs are what’s key to you about adjus for the rest of the season and

What’s going to be important it’s a big loss um I mean there’s no secret there I mean he was very very intcal to what we were doing this year I think he was just starting to find the stride too and um you know 16 17 points a game you can’t

Just you know make up for it like that but you got to make up for with our depth you know we got to find a way just to um pick up and lapers that he you know provided for this team and um at the same time it’s opportunity for guys

Opportunity for guys like jar to step in and get some big minutes you Doug when he gets healthy he’ll be coming back and have an impact for as well so um it’s definitely uh it’s tough for him the team is one thing but I think more so individually for him you know young

Player who finally starting to find his stride a little bit someone who plays through everything you know what I mean I Think It’s just tough for him to sit back and watch so just as a unit as a team we got to be the for him the most

Important stes he made this year one of the biggest areas of growth you saw his way of reading game you know he’s a very offensive minded player but we asked him to defend at a high level this year I think there was times where

He did that I think his vision got a lot better um he started getting guys more involved and start open up office for himself he’s making big shots I mean same things he was doing last year but just with more experience you know I mean I think that you know the future

The sky are so high for him very you checked in the first I think these guys have two points I me what were you’re just thinking just in terms of what you got to do to just get the energy started and find something going offensively yeah I mean I feel like our

Job you know I tell you guys all the time it’s like the second group is there to just insert energy and um especially when we need it um so you know we kind of came together as a group and said we needed some energy and just go out there

And change the pace of the game and get us going wa I think I thought he had when you and Obie came out that looked like a nice M where you kind of gave him whatever your handshake is but you two specifically the connection that

You guys kind of had off the bench yeah I mean he’s just he’s easy to play with um the guy gets out and runs better than anyone I’ve ever seen and it creates so much energy and disadvantages for the other team that um you know it’s like I

Said it’s just easy to play with his ability to run the floor and you know the first guy back you know especially that Cole Anthony play he had to Cole Anthony had to pick him up and ob’s what six seven inches taller than him so I

Just throw it up and he goes and makes my life a lot easier so it’s an easy connection to have cuz he can go get the ball up by the rim or you know his cutting and his ability to run and shoot the ball it’s it’s a great player he

Obviously only scored 97 you guys made all their Stars work Pao Browns and everybody what did you like defensively start to finish obviously they kept you in there guys making shots yeah I mean just making it as difficult as possible I feel like first two times we played

Them they just got whatever they want and the score showed that I mean they beat the out of us um both times wasn’t close so it was a concered effort you know from the coaches and us to lock in and just make things as difficult as possible and try

To be physical I think mes was saying he said you were vocal with intent today I mean I imagine you usually are but I mean it seemed like he was you were really making a point to get across the people just how important the day was I

Mean what what was what was kind of the message that you were trying to get across and how did you try to do that I mean I feel like where we are right now in this season they’re all really important um so just taking it one game

At a time and being locked in for the full 48 I mean that’s just the message that I’m trying to send across and that’s the message we all are sending to each other just to be locked in for the for the entirety of the game and because

You know at this point in the season all of them are really important especially for where we’re trying to go what do you think you guys figured out in the Third how much of it was just defense into offense and you know what what else do you think feel like you figured out

Offensively Beyond just running because you had run yeah I mean I feel like when we lock in defensively that leads us to the thing that we’re most elite at is the transition and we were locked in on that end and caught some Steals and we

Were able to get out and run and it open the game for us in the third what to you is important about with no benedict for the rest of the season keeping the second unit scoring at about that same level um I mean obviously we’re going to

Miss him a lot and you know wish him a speedy recovery um but it’s a it’s a group effort thing you know when a guy like that who can really score the ball at an elite level goes down um everyone has to kind of Step Up like going into a game like this you you think about the standings at all you try to ignore it like how do you think about that in the context of a race like this yeah I think that uh where we are right now and how close the race is and

How impactful every your game is I think that you have to approach games just kind of one game at a time I mean obviously understanding standings and stuff like that but feel like we were kind of hyperfocused on that a couple weeks ago and uh we just got understand

We got take it one game at a time one day at a time so obviously it’s a team that has our tiebreaker team that’ll be right there with us till the end um and I think more importantly a team that’s beat us twice at home so you know we

Need to return the favor and just play harder than them today and uh feel like we did that 97 allow the lowest you guys have had this year what’s it out to what you guys did Def a lot of different guys contributed I thought miles was amazing

Protecting the rim um you know I thought he he did a great job of coming down helping rebound um but also you know blocking shots in the backside uh the way they play is so Rim oriented so we just made a big focus on uh protecting

The rims you know having a tight paint kind of spraying out just keeping guys in front I thought we did a good job you guys obviously figured it out offensively in the third quarter but just what how much of that was just the fact you were able to get running

Because you were getting a lot of stops was there anything else you guys feel like you figured out offensively uh in the period just beyond being able to run I think the biggest thing was just uh playing Pacers basketball like I think the style of the first half because they

Had the lead we let them dictate the pace and when we were able to get stops and get a lead in the third quarter we then dictated the pace and uh when we’re dictating the pace of a basketball game we’re really hard to play against and uh

There’s not many teams out there that want to play our style of basketball getting up and down that fast so I thought we did a good job of getting stopped getting out and run in TJ and Obi play and getting that pace going early uh our bench has just been amazing

All year um so those two guys are a big part of that obviously losing Ben is huge um you know and hope hope hoping for you know a good recovery for him and that he’ll get back good for us next year but I think that our bench has just

Done a really good job of bringing energy and uh when when stuff got bad there early in the game Another Bad start we still got to figure that out but uh I thought TJ OB did a great job of bringing energy you guys you and TJ spent more minutes together on the floor

You know recently what do you what do you like about that combination what has to to work to make it work obviously you’re you’re spending more time off the ball regardless of who you’re with yeah um but what makes that click you know as far as two guys that are used to having

The ball on yeah I think um for the biggest adjustment is just playing off the ball more obviously I’m a guy who plays on the ball so much but with TJ on the floor uh we like him to handle it you know when when I’m in the game cuz I

Think that allows me to move off the ball uh kind of set a lot of go screens and uh become you know I think use my shooting ability obviously I haven’t shot it well but use that to kind of have defenses focus on that to give him

Space to drive so um I think it’s something that he we been he’s been he’s been pushing for all year so now that we’re kind of now that we’re kind of now they were kind of you know forced to do it with some with uh numbers and stuff uh I feel

Like it’s been good behind the back pass there about nine that just show the connection you’re deing with Pascal you can trust him I should have laid it up honestly if I knew he wasn’t going to make it I should have just laid it up but uh yeah it’s just ever growing uh

Connection there we don’t have a lot of time but we’re still figuring out you see a lot more one four pick and roll between us figuring out how to attack that with uh the way defenses are guarding us and stuff so uh I feel like we’re doing a good job

Rick Carlisle, Obi Toppin, Myles Turner, T.J. McConnell and Tyrese Haliburton speak to media following the Pacers 111-97 win over the Magic on Sunday night.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
5:47 – Obi Toppin
7:04 – Myles Turner
10:50 – T.J. McConnell
14:02 – Tyrese Haliburton