Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (at Los Angeles Lakers) | March 24, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (at Los Angeles Lakers) | March 24, 2024

Well I thought I thought our guys really battled in this game um there were just certain things that were impossible to overcome um a 27 free throw differential is one and a 17 foul differential as the other and I’ll leave it at that all right well I want to start with

This pasal we talked a lot about he was great yep he’s great you know any time we were struggling to create shots he he was he was great he he created something got to the paint kicked it out got it in the basket got an n one so he was he was

Tremendous what uh I think um I want to ask about Aaron because he obviously took that shot from from reddish and seemed like he up on that for a while did he come out of that okay physically and obviously seemed like he put Prett solid job I’m concerned I’m concerned

But we won’t know till tomorrow um MC another guy that got going today and how nice is that to see him make some shots how important can he be you know going forward to have like that cre gravity it helps it helps our our Pace game and our spacing game and obviously

Our three-point game and you know Doug is also a very good playmaker and you know he battles on the boards and and within the system you know he knows his job and he works hard at it what um obviously not going to get into what

You you started on but I mean just I want to get more about how this team just kept fighting back situation down stting well you know there’s some there’s sometimes you know when you have difficult challenges um it’s easy to drop your head and just say hey it’s not our night

But our guys don’t do that you know they they second unit battled their butts off in the second half um that last four five minute stretch you know the first unit came back in there and and they were defiant about you know hanging in the game and then you know at a certain

Point it’s you got to play absolutely perfectly and that was going to be very very very difficult but the level of fight is something that you know we can we can we can continue to build on um yeah I mean just just easy easy points just um being

Aggressive um continue to attacking the pain um that’s when you know we’re our best when we attack the pain um yeah I just try to do that you talked a lot about you know this team figuring out what you can do and understanding that you can get that buet down there this

Feel like the best no I mean obviously you can look at the shots like oh you took that many shot but you know but I think like just the way the game was going you know like um it just felt natural um and I think that again like

We it’s got to it’s going to continue to feel like that and and for me like you know it’s say it’s about scoring you know like I I can you know I can playmake I can do a lot of things so um you know I just want you know us to

Continue the natural flow of the game and but also understand that like you know like what I’m able to do out there I guess at what point and how did you figure out that was going to be there um you know just again we was we was was

Down obviously you know some calls out there you know questionable stuff but we just trying to get back into the game I think you know for me it was just like yeah like just trying to get back into the game um trying to attack the pain as

Much as I can um and yeah like when to me I just felt like again every time down the floor I can always do that if it’s not open I can always make the right play you know what just what impress about the way this team fought

Back overall yeah um obviously I thought you know like you know we fought hard like I think I think everyone played hard um it’s tough you know like couple of calls here and there you know like the game you know get away from us a

Little bit we down like 17 you we got to call back you know um but there’s no there’s no quit on our team know so we got guys that um they want to fight out there and and um you know it’s always good to have that and we we’re going to

Need that you know as we continue to get into the end of the season and into the playoffs so um it’s going to be important you just the points that you’re able to get when you you know you’re able to be physical and you know get Buckets in there how much you think

Is sort of energizes this group sort of yeah I think it’s needed I think it’s needed like on both sides like whenever you know I’m out there you know guarding um blocking shots doing whatever rebounding like that always help our team so um I got to try to do that more

And and and and I think you know like like I said it feels like I’ve been here for a while but um it’s a learning experience we’re going to learn we’re going to continue to get better um and and I think we’re going to get better

For sure you said had to pick up uh you know LeBron after you know Aaron got his fouls and also after you got what were you just trying to do in that assignment you feel like he did well oh yeah make it make it hard on him um obviously we

Know you know who is so um just trying to make it hard you know without fouling um and and you know just stay connected on defense as a group I thought we did a good job I thought we did a good job uh the game obviously got away in the third

Quarter uh I thought we did a good job fighting back to get into it uh I mean they shot a lot of free throws you know and uh it’s tough to you know when they when they’re shooting that many free throws they control the pace you know

Like we like to play up and down like we did in the first quarter um but when the you know game’s being stopped a lot a lot of free throws being shot uh this is I mean that’s really been the story The both games we’ve played that they’ve

Dictated the pace because there’s just been so many free throw shots so uh you know we just got to do a better job of uh you know not fouling playing through that and uh you know doing what we can I guess how hard are they particularly of

Of all teams to guard when that’s how it’s going when it’s Anthony Davis and it’s LeBron James uh uh yeah I mean those are two of the best players ever touch a basketball you know so obviously those two guys getting downhill like they’re tough coverage for anybody um yeah I think he

Shot what 43 free throws today in the first game I think was 35 so I mean you tell me what you’re supposed to do when a team shoots that many free throws I don’t really know um but we’re just you know trying to figure it out I mean

Obviously there’s a lot of things we could do better I could play a lot better rough night for me um you know but I thought I thought I think we could do a better job of um you know just trying to play you know playing playing through that when that’s happening you

Know obviously the games have the way they’ve been officiated the last couple weeks has been a lot more you can get away with a lot more and uh that’s how it started and uh it’s not how the game continued on so um you know we got to play through whatever whatever’s thr us

Pasc obviously goes up for 36 you got to be 19 and that third to get you guys back in just first how important was he and you know how is this another example of how he’s changed what you guys can do yeah he’s been really big for us um you

Know just being able to score facilitate just adds a new element to our team that I think these guys haven’t seen before and other teams haven’t seen that haven’t played us with him yet um just uh he did a really good job today of you know keeping defenses honest getting

Downhill uh getting to the rim I thought it was a lot of contact at the rim for him uh but didn’t I I don’t know how many free throws he shot but felt like he should have shot a lot more so uh he’s doing a good job getting downhill and being him

Go ahead I was going to say Pascal’s always been a special player in Toronto but why is the fing so well and why he can he be so consistent I think he just fits the way we play um you know I think that we’ve done a good job of not

Changing the way we play to the way that he’s accustomed to playing you know what I mean like he’s more of like you know post guy ISO guy like we didn’t have that that element before and we’ve done a good job of implementing that into

What we already do at playing at such a high Pace um so I think it’s it the match is really has fit really well and uh it’s just you know everg growing that you know we just keep changing things and and and then how can we maximize

That yeah Rick said before the game that as a coaching sta they’ve also made some tweaks on how everything’s featured what’s jumped out to you with what that has entail yeah I think just you know when the game slows down he just adds a complete different element to the game

Uh you know if I’m not I don’t have it going or um you know we like the match up there better we can go to him and uh he can make plays you you talked about your own performance earlier I mean what just didn’t take a whole lot of shots

What you know how much was that them would they it was was it a lot of the same stuff they did in Vegas or was is it something different in terms of how they no I mean Kudos they’re good team they got good Defenders I thought dwy

Was good reddish was good again uh but I feel like it was more on me than anything just not making shots um that happens over the course of season obviously we’ve been in a struggle so uh it’s it’s nothing new uh we great thing is we play tomorrow so yeah how big was

To good Doug going I mean how important is that for you guys just to just to add that elements and has got to play a lot good to see his shots go in I think that that’s a you know kind of a a side of

Relief for him cuz he works so hard and he is such a great shooter and uh you know it’s good to see some shots go in for him and you know I I feeling that’s going to continue for him yeah I mean I’m all right I’ll be all right okay all

Right Fair what was I mean just you know obviously LeBron’s obviously a difficult to sign you feel like you did well uh for the most part seemed like you obviously you know kept him from getting going for a long time there what you feel like you were able to to do well in

That match uh I mean be physical with him get underneath him you know uh try to mix up what he sees coming out pick a Rolls whether it’s going over going under um you know with the help of a shot blocker like miles like it makes his read at The Rim

More difficult so just kind of not giving him the same thing making sure that he thinks the game you know right uh what um just let’s say for this just the way you guys came back in this one and you know I think Rick obviously mentioned that was there was a lot to

Overcome this I won’t make you talk about that what you know what was it like for this group to just fight through a w press you about how you guys hand yeah I mean resilience of this group um you know shows how we can you

Know we can go on these great runs um we just got to put them together earli and not put ourselves in that kind of deficit so what uh pas says 36 obviously seemed like you guys were able to really just feed him all night for buckets I

Mean what’s what impress you about him tonight in particular how do you think he’s kind of changed what you guys can do as an offense and how how do you think he’s kind of changed the geometry of this team I’ve said for like whenever our offense gets stagnant he’s a guy

That we can just throw the ball to you know every R it’s the elbow of the post and kind of he can you know break things loose and get the ball going get the break the seal off the basket a little bit so he’s huge yeah what how big was

It to get some some trust in dur obiously Doug been H hasn’t had a lot of time to really play with this team is how helpful to be if you can get him going like that I mean that’s just Doug being Doug you said like if we have a

Guy like Doug he’s one of the best three-point Shooters who’s you know touched the basketball like it’s nothing but helpful for our team yeah yeah you know with shooting there’s going to be some weird Pockets every once in a while I wasn’t shooting great but I knew every

Time I shoot the ball it’s got a chance of going in so just got to keep that belief and uh just keep firing away um these guys are so unselfish and they’re finding me well tonight um and you know they’ll fall what’s like just to find your Rhythm after the injury just

Working your way back in that yeah it’s tough you know the wind is definitely still not quite there you know it’s uh kind of got to play through that um get the legs back but obviously tonight was a step in the right direction and I just

Got to continue to to trust my body and keep working through this process of getting fully back what um you guys obviously had to come back from a l how to deal with a lot tonight uh what was just what impress about the fight of this yeah I mean we’re we’re resilient

You know we know we always have a chance to win obviously uh got kind of wild down there down the stretch I made a mistake there the last play but uh you know we don’t want to put oursel in that position to begin with um we got to play

Better defense I I don’t know how many they scored 150 on us tonight so we just got to do a better job defensively and uh we know we have an elite offense we can score on anyone just wouldn’t brush about just Pascal think had 19 the

Third yeah I mean he’s a bucket getter he’s uh I mean he’s when you give it to him the ball he’s got a high chance of scoring so just got to continue to find him uh play off of him be able to space the floor for him and uh you know he’ll

Go to work

Rick Carlisle, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith and Doug McDermott speak to media following the loss against the Lakers on Friday night.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
2:30 – Pascal Siakam
4:56 – Tyrese Haliburton
8:44 – Aaron Nesmith
10:33 – Doug McDermott