Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Brooklyn Nets) | March 16, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Brooklyn Nets) | March 16, 2024

Well it’s an emphasis in every game and there have been some game some recent games where we didn’t do a good job of getting in the paint we didn’t paay the price you know so um it was an emphasis Lloyd mayed an emphasis before the game in the prep and then of course

We wanted to keep them out of the paint you know they’re just an attacking team so um you know we did a great job in the second half you know holding holding those guys to 43 points is is an accomplishment um and I think it’s it it just shows what we’re capable

Of defensively and nights when we’re not shooting the ball from three well like tonight where we shoot 20% you know you got to have a 43o half to be able to to to finish the game off and so you know that’s the world we’re living in and uh

We’re we’re going to break out one of these nights and make everything we look at but you know in the meantime our our defense has got to be consistent and our our team stepped up tonight our top players stepped up tonight defensively and made a big difference as you guys you just talked

About your Rim defense and Miles you know of course he’s back there all the time but did you like or what did what was the key adjustment to kind of getting the team defense at The Rim to the level you wanted because I felt like in the second half it was even better

Yeah but you know don’t don’t make it about Rim protection Rim protection means you’re getting beat on the perimeter and we don’t want to do that and it takes it takes a special group to sit down and avoid those situations you know so um miles is great at what he

Does you know so is so is Jaylen so is Isaiah and you know those guys are are good at are very good insurance back there but the mindset can’t can’t be just to funnel things to them because it just doesn’t it just doesn’t work you

Know we’ve got to we’ve got to do a great job at the point of attack try to avoid fouls and then we’re making it hard you know on the other team guess to keep going with on that I mean who impressed you I guess at the point of

Attack I know Aaron obviously started on maau Bridges and he ends up with seven points just wi those guys you know look they got they got difficult guys I mean shuder scores on everybody he’s shooting 48% from three in the year um Bridges is a great player um Thomas is their

Leading scorer you know and so you know they just they’re an attacking team cam Johnson can shoot from 40 feet you know they got a lot a lot of problems you got to deal with Watford was driving it in there um and so it’s just you know we

We’ve got to we’ve got to play with a with a certain attitude about it and uh you know look Monday going to be another big challenge Cleveland going in here coming in here they they got beat tonight in Houston you know we beat them a couple times and so you know we we

That’s going to be a big challenge too but we’ve we’ve got to find a way to take it obviously like when when getting the ball of the rim is an emphasis when getting points in the paint is an emphasis I just how good is it to have a

Guy like Pascal you can throw it in there and he can just make a play and pascow was great tonight he was great on offense um he needed to slow down a little bit at halftime into the second half but he played a he played a great

Overall game and defensively he had his best game wasn’t even close the the play where he blitzed the pick and roll on the sideline and made the loose ball play turn the game so proud of him um and this is what you know this is what

The top players have to do these guys have to set the tone and make you know get your get your hands dirty loose ball plays that don’t show up in the stat sheets you know I mean it’s it’s it’s a different it’s a different kind of world

But um he did a great job tonight Tai held his own doing his job and and and you know from there everybody fell in line um but that’s that’s what that’s what it’s going to take what you like from Aaron on both ends I mean it seemed

Like he obviously attacked you know off the bounds as well and like I said defensively I mean he yeah he wasn’t allowing himself to be screened he was so physical and you know offensively he ran he made key threes um he found openings he got a couple and1s um a lot

Of big plays and look he’s he you know him and him and nard and and Shep are the three guys that are going to give you run through run through the wall defense and run through through the wall defensive consistency and um you know we

We need we need everybody to to move in the direction of what those guys do uh just the last one I want to ask on about Chef because he was obviously made a bunch of plays for you guys just running down the floor and not running guys I

Mean just you talked about him being one of your best Runners and how important of a weapon is that becoming for him just that he’s you know just getting going in transition and getting out in front of everybody yeah look he he brings an energy and a level of

Speed to the game at both ends that is really important to us um and I just love the way he steps into his shots you know and and look you’re you’re it’s it’s men not machines you’re not going to make every shot but but he steps in

With the same kind of conviction on each shot the same process on each shot and so you know that’s all you can ask of a young player and so we need to keep him to keep doing what he’s doing and um you know the the the those three guys I

Mentioned you know set a great example for guys you know um the rest of the guys on our team and so you know it was grit and guts that got the got the got the game one tonight anything less it wouldn’t have happened uh I mean we put

Emphasis into that like pregame was to get to the paint U we looked at our last previous games haven’t been shooting the ball so well um but we’re one of the top paint teams in in the league so we just had to make sure we just continue to be

Us was that like a reaffirmation of hey we’re not shooting well we need to get in there more is it a constant thing from the coaching staff like why do you think that was pointed out to you guys before this one uh I would say it’s more

Of a constant thing Jenny has said paint to Great before I think on some broadcast like what does that mean to you and how this team kind of hums on offense uh just get to the paint and great things will happen I mean like uh you know there’s numbers behind it

Besides like whenever we get into the paint we tend to score more and if we don’t get to the paint we don’t score more so only 42 in the paint for them what did you think of you guys’ defense tonight and why do you think you did so

Well keep them out of there we did a great job effort Wise from the jump I thought we played hard played uh with Focus for for 48 minutes and uh we’ve been doing a good job recently and we just need to continue to build on that

Moving forward I think um on that note I think Rick said that you just you refused to allow yourself to be screened tonight I mean just what were you kind of looking forward just to kind of avoid their stuff and stick with your guy obviously I think you were assigned to

Mcau First and he ended up M end up with seven points on one of eight I mean just what do you feel like you personally did well defensively what were you trying to do just to make sure they weren’t you know getting you hold up hold up in

Screen um you know make sure he doesn’t get easy look you know um especially early make sure that his his shots are tough and that way you know later in the game he can’t find the Rhythm um and you know it’s a team effort and I thought we

Did a good job guarding everybody today what uh just how important is Pascal been for you guys especially in a night where you know you have to get it in the paint the fact that you can throw it into him and he’s going to be able to

Make a play just out yeah I mean is he’s a phenomenal player to have phenomenal person to have on our team um anytime you know we you have a slow slow offense or slow offense and we need help get into the basket or getting the

Bucket you know you can just throw it up to him and he’s going to make something great happen What uh you know you talked before about how much easier he’s made your life as far as being able to pick guys up and transition I mean how how

Important was he tonight that you guys were both able to you know kind of coordinate and just you know get in the way of their guys yeah like I said like if I’m getting back or if I’m pressing up um you know and my man takes down the

Core I know Pascal can get him and he can guard him and I don’t have to worry about you know being out of place or Switched Off in position so it just makes my life easier Drew Drew’s life easier um you know having another guy who could really take the load

Defensively just to get back to the paint discussion is there a point where you guys could see that you could get there whenever you wanted to basically like obviously you knew it was an emphasis beforehand I imagine when the shots aren’t falling you’re thinking you’ve got to go but is there a point

Where you’re like we can do this whenever we want uh yeah and I think that’s the attitude we need to have more um you know we can do this whatever we want um and if we stick to that mindset you know we’re going to continue to be hard to

Guard what ways have you seen Ben Shepard grow this season as a Defender Ben is Ben has always been a good Defender he’s always had really good feet he plays with his hands out doesn’t foul much gets a couple rookie calls but uh I mean Shepard’s Shepard’s going to

Be a big time defender in this league and a big time player in my opinion yeah I’m a fan yeah it’s very important um obviously we know like you know I think the um when they want talks about the team he like you know play fast and all

That stuff like I think as much as we can like we we have guys that can get to the paint so we just got to continue to try to do that um um you know coach put a lot of emphasis on that um and and yeah like I think we have the Personnel

So just just continue to do that uh we hard to guard when you continue to move uh continuously and and just get to the rim I it helps you with your other shots too even the ones not the paint when you are getting downhill as much as you guys

Like to I mean I think like just uh statistically like when you you know you get to the pain and and even the threes are like easier you know so I think that should always be the focus and um and and you know obviously like it’s like

You going to make shots you’re going to miss shots like that’s that’s just basketball in general so um but as long as we do the right things and and and um we get the shots that we want you know we live with the results on the flip

Side you guys didn’t allow very many points in the paint what kind of emphasis has there been on defense since you got here and where does tonight rank on kind of some um I think yeah I think for for me it’s like you know for like

Every team that I’ve been on that was good like you know defense was was was was a big thing so I think like um that’s that’s been the focus and and and um like the coach has been doing a good job of just you know put emphasis on

That and I think us as players just taking accountability and and and again it’s not going to be perfect there’s going to be nice work it’s going to be a little but I think once we we have the the focus and and you know the attention

To um wanting to guard better and just not thinking that okay like other team can score we can go score on the other side too like that the focus should be you know to stop as much as we can and and and run and and again that makes our

Offense even easier um so um we just got to take pride in it and and um and again like I said it’s it’s it’s it’s it’s hard it’s hard it’s hard to play defense in this league because obviously like we know how the game is is been you know

Called or like it’s just so many great offensive players so we just got to um just stay together um it’s a team thing and and and continue to put the effort in uh just standing with defense I think uh Rick said he thought this was your

Best defensive game by a long shot uh do you agree I guess and if so what do you feel like you did better tonight than I mean I I try to go out there every day you know do my best um and again like I said there’s going to be some days where

It’s going to look you know a certain way but um I think the effort is there and and I thought you know like today you know our energy was a little low you know I thought like just trying to go out there you know bring some some some

Just Energy and and and and I think for me like I just feel like I’m an energy Giver like so I got to I got to I got to you know kind of like hold myself accountable to to that like sometimes you know like I could be out there just

You know not not really bringing the energy that I’m supposed to bring so um and I think like just as a leader just understanding that like whatever you do like you know people pick it up you know and if you you want you want accept it

Or not like it’s just a reality of it you know and I feel like every time I have that energy and effort like um you know our team just kind of kind of responds you’ve talked before about just about just knowing that you can get whatever situation you you’re in you can

Get a good shot I guess me when when it’s a game like this when you guys got to get the ball into the paint how much do you feel like that plays into your strengths I guess that’s exactly what we want to be you know I think for me as a

Player like again and I feel like I can I can always get to that to that pained area like you know whenever I want to so um just I think like all the guys just the effort of just like looking there and you know and and trying to make sure

That we make we make those plays um you know the mismatches and all that like so I think we just we going to continue to get better at that you know and I think that sometimes you know we play so fast that you know like it’s just we get the

Open shot that we we we we get you know in the offense but sometimes just put an emphasis on wanting to get to the paint and and again like that’s what I’m here for so um yeah how are you seeing that Synergy improve I mean do you think obviously

Today it seemed like it was there suddenly when you realized you had to get in the paint the threes weren’t going down seemed like everybody noticed right well he’s going to get us a shot you you feel like that’s yeah no I think everyone’s getting better at it um and

And like I said like we learning each other like and and I think that you know like the more we out there the more we play like I think the more the guys we understand like you know like again like what I’m good at and the things that I

Can do well um and and you know the better we’re going to get as a team so I think that we all learning like and I think even from the coaching side like everyone is learning um and you know it’s easy to be like oh man it’s been 25

Games and it feels like you know like but now like it takes a lot it takes a lot more to you know continue to learn about each other our Tendencies and um and I think that we’re just going to continue better and and we got to peek

Out the right time and I think that’s that’s the focus that we got to have like all these games are hard continue to work hard but just know that you know like April May and June like that’s we want to play our best B then so like

That we got to continue to do that do you think I mean obviously you’ve you’ve been there before you’ve been to a champion you’ve won a championship and do do you feel like as you guys get deeper into this there’s going to be a better understanding that that you’re

Going to have to play that way yeah no for sure I think I think it it will be um and and that’s that that’s that’s should be you know like the way we should be thinking about it and and it’s a learning experience and and and we got

To get better coach talked uh before the game about how he wants to stagger you and Tyrese a little bit so you guys are always there on the floor what have you liked about playing with that second unit is there more of an emphasis that

You feel like you need to be more of a score with that second unit maybe than with the first unit right yeah no for sure gu because I think obviously like you know obviously we know TJ like you know the pace and everything um I think

It works well with me also like just just making sure that he has another option out there that that he can go to whenever um and and you know I love playing with those guys like we play hard you know bring the energy um like just everyone just like it’s like I like

That type of units and and for me like I think as long as we out there on the floor keeping me and Tai out there like all times like I think it’s good for our team so um just so we just got to continue to do that being cons

Consistent with it and you know hopefully it keeps working you know it’s in the first half I think we gave up what 50 points 52 points um it’s pretty good um but you know we wer we weren’t shooting it well and you know um you know it’s that’s why the score was so

Close so the second half we really locked in on the defensive end and um took it to another level and um broke the game open I’m not sure there is a more signature moment for you than not just an inbound steel but on an atto and

It kind of felt like the moment that maybe broke the back can you take us through that play um just trying to do what I do um you know see a moment of opportunity and go get a steel and get us a bucket and get the crowd into it as

You look at what you guys have been able to do defensively this past week really this month as a whole um what’s that growth meant and what does the continued growth mean to this group it’s helped a lot um one assist DJ like I said it’s helped a

Lot um and uh you know just the growth on defense you know I think we started the year pretty poorly on that end and um the continued growth um for us to lock in it it shows a lot of maturity and you know there’s room for improvement obviously but um the fact

That we’re you know getting better on that end um it’s showing how would you evaluate where this team is here you’re now less than a month Less in the regular season and this is when you want to start to be ramping up appears appears as if you guys are yeah I mean I

Think we’ve dropped some games that we certainly should have won and that’s disappointing but um you know we have to kind of take it to another level here and um because every game is important and um you know where we’re trying to go it’s we just have to take it day by day

TJ did a great job uh getting downhill making them and finishing over them um we I thought we just did a good job of playing random basketball and getting downhill as the whole team is kind of slump from Deep since the break what kind of import can that add when you

Reaffirm and re re re look at getting to the room as much as you guys can yeah I think early in the year we just relied so much on the three that if we didn’t shoot well we would lose those games um I think we’ve done a good job I mean

Like you said we’ve been struggling since after Allstar really and we just done good job locking in defensively uh to be able in the games where not Mak it shot still still come out like we shot the ball off I shot the ball off still one by a pretty wide margin uh just

Because we were able to get stops and uh get to the rim what just when you can throw the ball into a guy like him Pascal and he can make plays like that just how important is that for you guys especially when if when other things aren’t working on the outside shot isn’t

Going down to have that weapon yeah you know I just trust him a lot as a scorer but also as a playmaker uh creating advantages for himself and others and um he just has a really good job of getting other guys the ball and uh as well as

You know doing what he does as well you know he’s one of best players in the world for a reason so uh you know just utilizing that what impress about the way just you guys defended Pascal but also Aaron and a lot of these guys you

Know to 42 in the paint yeah out I saw we did a good job digging in uh making them shoot tough twos um and finishing possessions with rebounds thought everybody chipped in uh whole starting five bench was really good some we did a good job of being locked in being

Engaged we had like a tough practice yesterday so uh you know I think kudos to our staff as well for just our attention to detail coming into tonight what when into your recent teammate gift experience what oh the wine oh yeah yeah yeah setting the guys up um just you

Know showing love they they’ve done a lot for me this season so anytime I can show some love I will

Rick Carlisle, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, T.J. McConnell and Tyrese Haliburton speak to media following the Pacers 121-100 win against the Nets on Saturday night.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
5:50 – Aaron Nesmith
8:58 – Pascal Siakam
14:35 – T.J. McConnell
16:22 – Tyrese Haliburton