Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Milwaukee Bucks) | January 3, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Milwaukee Bucks) | January 3, 2024

Overall a very good effort you know the second quarter was not a good quarter for us but um the third was was tremendous and then you the fourth we were able to do what we had to do to get get through it so um proud of the guys great crowd

Um crowd finally got going in the third quarter when we played at a level to get them going which was great to see and and um that was probably the key to the game scored 47 in the third and Tyrese just talked about him personally adjusting in

The second half what did you see as the keys to kind of turning your fortunes from the SEC first half to the second half and getting going well the first couple possessions of the um third quarter were big you know Aaron got the steal we we scored and then Aaron got

The steal I think we scored got a stop Aon got the steal and then you know then the building um came came alive and and from there we we just we lifted our level of intensity and uh it was made a huge difference in the game it’s seven guys between 10 and

16 points today I mean was it was it something about the way they were defending you that allowed the ball to move so well why do you think it was such a good spread out effort from your team well we’ve had eight guys averaging double figures all year

So you know it’s that’s really how we’re built um we have you know we have great people that are really starting to understand the sacrifices personal sacrifices that need to be made to have a successful team you know um for instance tonight you know buddy buddy only played 13

Minutes um but he was real fishing he was plus one when he’s on the floor and um and he was pulling for his teammates the whole time so you know this is there are there are certain things about NBA season that are very challenging um when it comes

To minutes and rolls and all all those kinds of things but um the quality of people in our locker room makes a big difference for us the Bucks obviously won a championship very recently and are a great team but they really were tough for this franchise for the last four or

Five years and then this year to go 4- one against does that say something about the growth of this team to you what do you feel like you guys did so much better against them then in years past well you know between you know my first year here and

My second year here the team improved um added more pieces got a clear Direction between year two and this year you know we we’ve uh We’ve improved some more uh with experience and adding Bruce and adding Obie um and so we’re just really working at raising

Our level um you can’t St skip steps you know so much of being a successful team are the sacrifices that I just talked about and we just all got to be aware and we’ve all got to be empathetic to how difficult some of those things can

Be but um with the ultimate goal of being a playoff team um they’re essential to Our Success OB this particular experience is unique at this point obviously you play these guys five times didn’t it’s not a thing that happened before you know feels like we should play them again on

Friday right I meanes is there just kind of to that point I mean there it it certainly doesn’t exactly mimic uh you know a playoff but there’s some similarities to all that I mean what do you feel like um you’ve learned about these guys that or you feel like you

Guys have learned about yourselves that’s applicable um and important going forward I guess just having had kind of the punch and counter punch of of the series in a relatively packed period yeah it’s there’s never in the history of this League’s never been a series like this one because there was no

Inseason tournament thrown in the middle of it um in a in a neutral venue with stage lighting you know it just is so different out there um but Milwaukee’s a great a great team you know we’ve you know we we had some good fortune um in the games you know

They’re hard games they’re all hard games um and we’re just looking to get better you know we’re just we’re just looking to get better and we’re trying to stay in the present in the moment um and really support each other so that’s where it’s at no you guys did some of

This on Monday but it seemed like the three-man wall kind of technique you guys had against Janis was really effective he only takes 13 shots Ian how did you um I don’t think the word has come up with it I imagine that someone else has done it before but uh what did

You like about that strategy and how do you feel like you guys were just good at implementing it you just got to make make it as hard as possible on great players you know I mean first three games a guy averaged 51.6 points you know um and

So you know we we were we’d set ourselves up for most improved at that point really defensively on him you know and and look you just there’s no other way you can’t ow him to play one-on-one and and you can’t you can’t give him space he’s you know he’s he’s one of the

Greatest players in the history of the game also you know Dame has kind of struggled against you guys I think six of eight he struggled T he played well tonight so look he’s another he’s another big problem and you know um you know he’s he’s a great player

Middleton’s a great player I mean Middleton got going too and and luckily he’s on looks like a bit of a minute’s restriction you know otherwise who knows how many points he would score and he scores he scores in crowds on double teams on fadeaways on wrong footed shots

I mean you know the guys are walking basket you know walking and one and a walking three in your face you know he’s he’s he’s ridiculous so um you know we did a lot of things collectively to to win the game tonight and that’s that’s just we are just want

To go back to one thing you mentioned about the about all the guys having to you know change rules and and move around and everything I guess we talk a lot about the depth in the bench but is there also something I guess impressive about the fact that there’s not been

Necessarily a unit is you frequently talk about a second unit but there’s been so much kind of moving in and out that guys have had to adjust to playing with different groups you know with with different groups of guys you know how impressive is that and what’s made these

Guys good at it well it’s like I said it’s the the quality of the people in the lock locer room is exceptional um and you know with Drew getting healthier by the day you know when he becomes healthy you know we’re going to have some some real tough

Decisions and the players the players know this is coming as a staff we just are going to need to communicate as well as we possibly can um and I talked to the guys today at our prep you know at 3:50 this after afternoon out on the floor before we

Started and just explained that you know there’s going to be some lineup fluidity um there just is and um as much as I’d like to settle in to something Comfort comfortable for everyone um being comfortable is not good for us right now you know we got to stay edgy about

Everything we got to stay edgy with Atlanta coming in here you know so um it’s uh there are many challenges but you know being able to meet those challenges is what’s fulfilling in this business um from the coaching side but but but even even the player side you

Know when guys that you know haven’t tasted the playoffs before realize the kinds of things that it takes it’s uh they’re they’re special um they’re special sacrifices and uh so we got to keep talking about it truthfully and keep everybody as ready as possible I know you had a lot of praise

For Obie on Saturday he had another strong night tonight just the way he’s responded to to coming off the bench does that speak to just kind of what you’re talking about the sacrifices the way this team is embraced that this year yeah I it’s it’s hard to put into words how

Impressed I am with Obi toppen as a as a man as a young man um he just is all about the team he loves to play the game he loves to share the ball he loves being a part of something bigger than him um you know when he came here there

Were certain things assumed you know um looked like he was probably going to be the starter he was for a while and then we shifted course a little bit but you know he’s he’s raised his level um um since becoming a bench a bench player and is probably playing equal if not

More minutes off the bench so um that kind of character and commitment to the group is is what it’s going to take and we obviously need high level play from him he’s he’s a very special player you know offensively you know for a guy 610

611 it’s guys like him that that run can handle that pass that see things that can shoot that can finish Above the Rim you know tip the ball crash I mean he’s um he’s very very special and uh and our guy he’s very he’s very beloved in the locker

Room um it’s good um I mean we just stuck to our game plan um we did what we supposed to do we got physical um we could have played a better defense and I um I could have chilled on the turnovers um but we executed what we uh what we

Wanted to do um so it was cool I four them things bad first game back yep Tyrese what were you seeing in the second half if anything changed or did you adjust to something that you know most of your points were there a lot of your assister that let you get going uh

I think just damn it’s close back that up just starting to make some shots um I feel like I can get a lot of Threes that I like against these guys um because they switch up their defense and stuff and they just started falling the second

Half we just we didn’t shoot it we haven’t shot it well against these guys really any game that we’ve played them this year shot 40% today but feel still feel like you know my six misses I feel like a lot of them were good looks so um

Just just make finally making some shots against them but I think guys did a good job of getting stops playing transition more and that that that benefited us and um you know just being ready for for what’s in front of us Bruce just since you’re new to Indiana this one has to be

For Tyrese but for years this franchise could not take down the Bucks I mean they won 10 in a row against the Pacers from 2018 to 2022 what does it say about the growth of this team that you guys have had so much success against them this

Season um I think we’re just you know I think getting up for these games I think as a young group when you play good teams you’re you’re you want to be as prepared for them as you can but I think part of the maturation of this group is

Being able to you know continue that um competitiveness and being up for games that aren’t against the Bucks you know when you’re playing teams that you know you’re favorite in or expected to win you know you got to show up at the same time so I think for us as a group we

Just got to continue to treat every game the same way and uh be ready to go Bruce I think Rick said that your knee was bugging you a little bit before your actual absence started when did you start feeling things there and was his absence just uh it was before three

Weeks before I sat out so um before the inseason tournament uh I was having problems but I was just playing through it um then it got to a point where I kind of couldn’t bend my knee without pain um so we got it looked at um and I

Just needed rest um this offseason I got right to it um I took like two weeks off um and got right to it to two a days so wasn’t the the smartest idea on my my end um but I’m fine now third quarter obviously when you

Guys put this thing away 47 points I think 1.65 per possession uh just what what all came together what would you just feel like clicked offensively I was just say we did a good job of digging down getting stops when needed you know um did a good job showing our hands not fing

You this is a team that you know Dame and jannis shoot a lot of free throws on a nightly basis they’re you know tough cover so I mean they still got 13 and 10 and it felt like we we did a good job tonight you know so you just keep

Showing our hands making them finish over us gang rebounding I thought we did a great job on the glass um and that allows us to run and like we’ve talked about when we’re allowed when we play in transition we’re a really tough team to beat and um I thought we did that

Tonight probably better than we have against these guys probably all year what I mean you mentioned you know getting out of run obviously you guys get guys were able to get a bunch of Steal sort of above the three-point line and turn those into kind of e easy

Breaks when there’s not uh anyone else out there what did you what’s working for you guys out there as far as I guess maybe you know hedging on ball screens having active hands what do you think is uh what do you think you guys have done

Better to the lead to getting more of those I think just switching some things up I thought our bigs did a really good job of pushing their catches out and um Isaiah had a couple big deals of you know jumping out and we give our bigs we’re giving our bigs some more freedom

To you know kind of come up with the calls in the flow of the game and everybody’s got to listen and be attentive so I I think our bigs did a really good job and um a lot of their actions are high ball screens or handoffs above the free throw line and

Usually in the middle of the floor so I thought we did a really good job of showing our hands and you know getting our hands on basketballs and getting on running Giannis only takes 13 shots obviously you guys were working in some of that kind of three-man wall stuff

Going on at the free throw line I mean how effective do you think that was um what uh I guess led to you guys kind of bringing that in and and you know what do you think it did overall to kind of slow yeah I think I think it was really

Effective I mean before the last game in Milwaukee was averaging crazy numbers against us so we’re just trying to get the ball out of his hands and have other people and make plays um and it worked you know talked about winning four out of five against these guys what

Do you think the overall value has been is packing these games in early you know where you’ve had a lot of kind of uh you know game and then adjustment sort of situations I mean it’s it obviously doesn’t mimic a playoff series because it’s certainly more spread out than that

Is but what do you think the value has been for you guys of getting a bunch of these games against these guys early and doing a lot of kind of punching and counter punching here um I think it’s been good it’s been interesting I’ve never played a team this many times this

Early I mean was this the fifth time we’ played them I don’t think you ever play you don’t think you can play it’s only the tournament it’s been interesting uh to see a team this many times and I think we’ve handled it the right way um obviously there was you

Know the game in Milwaukee that got a little chippy and thought we responded the right way a lot of things said from from both sides and we we we came out and we’re prepared for that and we’ve handled it the right way but you know I think the good the good part about

Playing you know we played the Bucks five times already we got the Celtics three more times those are you know two of the best teams in our conference so uh just seeing where we stack up against those guys early has been interesting and uh just want to keep approaching

These games the right way and our crowd has has been awesome um they’ve been amazing it’s been cool to play you know these really good teams this early in the year cuz our fans are coming out and we’re just you know trying to you know make Pacers basketball fun and and uh

Interesting for the fans to be here how how much just over these last five games do you feel like you guys have kind of reasserted yourselves I mean obviously when you go from what you did in you know getting into the tournament you have that slump afterwards I mean just

How to what degree do you feel like you guys have just got right over the last week week and a half I think we’ve just learned and responded the right way I think that I mean I’m not using it as an excuse or anything but when you’re

Playing you know I’ve never played in such competitive basketball they this guy played in the finals last year but like you know to have that that bump in the middle of the year is such a High where you’re playing in front of so many fans and then you know you go and you’re

On the road and it just felt like we’re on the road forever and guys were not again not an excuse to help but guys retired you know what I mean so it’s been good to have these home stands had Christmas you know be around your family

More just to get our legs back under us and get back going and it’s uh it’s pretty cool that as soon as we you know hit the 500 Mark we figured out okay this is how we want to respond cuz nobody wants to be 500 or close you know

So we just want to keep widening that Gap from being 500 and keep pulling away but as long as we just come in here keep hand doing things the right way defending the right way um I don’t think we have any complaints right now it seems like the whole team is rolling on

Offense uh no matter who’s in the game they’re contributing what do that what kind of confidence does that give you um just to trust no matter who’s on the court at all times for you guys I think that that’s the best part about our team

We keep harping on the depth we have you know talked about that really since you know uh preseason or or or training camp and I think that guys just keep coming in playing confident and understanding like it can be anybody’s night at any time you know TJ had a couple dmps and

He’s really affected these games since he’s you know been in the lineup and you know stuff happens guys backs me and Andrew both uh you know things happen but I think that’s the great part about having such a young group is guys have to be prepared you know same with Isaiah

When jayen was playing backup five Isaiah was getting dmps as well and he’s come back and he’s been really good for us in his minute so we just got a lot of guys who can need to be prepared at any time for for what’s in front of them and

Uh keep responding the right way because we got a really deep team that can affect games in any way but of course our confidence is high when we’re winning you know what I mean when when we’re winning of course confidence is high but we got to be able to maintain

That when things get tough and um we got a really tough month coming up so got to be able to respond the right way I don’t think we we don’t weren’t playing with enough attitude I think we kind of came into halftime and kind of expressed that

In a sense like you know he was a kind of we weren’t playing our style of play you know I think we were getting enough stops could to get out and run but then once we uh saw a couple shots go down kind of spark the up one not we able to

Get going the exclamation point on tonight might have been the behind the back pass from Tyrese to three can you take us through that moment and what it was like to kind of finish the game off if you will yeah Tyrese is being Tyrese

Man I just find find my spots and um you know just trust him withing the ball in the best possible positions and was a perfect spot he add us flare to it as he does and able to walk off the win this is a championship caliber opponent an

Area where you guys are striving to get to to beat them four times this year what does that say to you oh it’s difficult to to beat team four times you know let alone you know one or two I think that um it speaks a lot to the

Coaching staff I mean they made adjustments over the course of the past couple of games and um uh they did a great job of just get us prepared with our game plan and obviously you know us players will not been executing but I think it was a whole collaborative you

Know organizational effort you know getting that done on paper January might be the toughest schedule since you’ve been here you’re off to a good start you’re 2 and0 uh in the New Year what’s at a high level right now and What needs to stay at a high level oh obviously you

Know we made some big Tri defensively I think that you know we start the season off like you know bottom bottom of the league I think we might be you know at least over the past couple weeks might be middle of the league as far as like

Our percentages and our you know ranking and what not go but um just continuing to to you know play that side of the floor uh pretty much everybody was just locked in you know we bought into the scouting reports uh we had great shoot rounds you know leading up to the game

And everybody was focused everybody was making sure that they was executing what the coaches had for us and um I mean it took a whole village to to stop team you know what I’m saying so I mean at the end of the day we all played the way we

Should have and we just did what we were supposed to do you were on a team that played the buck in the finals but this Pacers team really struggled with Milwaukee for years until this season what do you feel like it says about the growth of this team or the path you guys

Are on that you finally have found success against a really good franchise I show there’s a lot of maturity you know I mean obviously as a group of young guys you know everybody thinks oh I mean obviously what I pass historics we not really the best defensive team

But I mean everybody’s just taking strides you know I mean you got a lot of great vets like TJ and Miles leading the way for us and making sure that everybody’s locked in and executing at a high ability but I think you guys had nine guys with like with nine points

Or more some some on those lines just what just what do you think worses from a balance standpoint I me this is obviously part of you know who you guys are in general but we’ll click them just the amount of ball movement the amount of balance tonight I think it’s just

It’s just speaks to unselfishness of the team that we have I mean obviously with a lot of young guys you think everybody’s going to gun for theirs everybody’s going to try try to get up as many shots as they can just to make their no I don’t make to make their

Standpoint but I mean at the end of the day you got great ball facilit on our team with in our guards and they find everybody and I mean obviously you get the ball up you got a no plan with this team you’re going to get it back at some

Point what um obviously nobody’s played you know five regular seasons against one team before probably reason it’s because of the tournament and whatnot what do you what do you make of just and obviously certainly doing in a really packed uh you know scenario how do you

Think you guys handled that and the fact that you beat him four out of five and what do you feel like you can take from the experience of having this much experience against one team this early in the season uh I think it means a lot

You know I mean to beat a team NBA team more than twice is is a tough task you know especially during a regular season but I mean some way we gutted it out you know I mean the n Season tournament added a couple games to it but I mean at the end

Of the day it was just all about the want to win and the uh the hunger that we all had to compete guys had that defensive focused practice right before the Hornets game and then change your lineup like 5 days later and now you’re

On a 5 G winning streak what all do you feel like those things or more has gone into your recent success since dropping to 500 uh like I said it’s just the Buy in from everybody you know I mean obviously being one of the worst defensive teams is not not good

Especially as young guys I mean we’re young we’re energetic we want to be one of the top defensive teams and top offensive teams and for that I mean obviously like I said just took that buy in and took that stand and that Pride to take your one-on-one matchup what has

The adjustment been like actually asked this already but to go back to Fourth you know go back to one spacing offensively but also the defensive matchups uh and kind of the difference that the different kind of guys you’re guarding as opposed to the five what’s

It been like to get back used to that what’s required from you you think done well um I mean pretty much you know obviously with the expectation of being able to switch one through five as the four and I mean I was playing at the whole training camp I was playing at the

Four I didn’t really touch five at all during training camp but I mean at the end of the day it’s just all about instincts you know I mean being able to take like I said take that one-onone match up and making sure that you’re locked in defensively and obviously with

The spacing on the other end I mean that’s just that just opens up a lot more CU obviously I’m shooting a little bit well better than last year so I mean it just just opens up for a lot more opportunity for our team so you you

Played a lot of for in Camp oh yeah I was pretty much for whole training camp I was you were heading toward just sort of focusing on yeah I mean pretty much in training camp it was the lineups was me and Isaiah you know and sometimes I

Switch with Miles and sometimes I switch with DT you know so I mean it was I didn’t really play much five I played some but it wasn’t really much so you were keeping it there like even though you were Pro you had a sense that you

Were probably going to play a lot of back on five I mean I didn’t know what I was play at the point it was just like I said it’s just all about being ready you know I mean obviously I was playing Five the whole season I know where I’m

Starting at the forest I mean like you just got to be prepared and that’s what come becomes what comes with being a professional you know making sure that you’re ready for anything at any time he of course I think these are games I sort

Of live for uh I mean I sort of I mean just taking the in man it’s I mean it’s dope playing in front of a large crowd like this uh so I mean and bring gives me energy uh and also uh gives the crowd energy and stuff too so being 41 against

That team I mean you guys are 40% of their losses this year what does that say about the growth you guys are on and have been on the Seas I think it shows a lot uh especially on the defensive and I think uh that’s something that we sort

Of uh sort of lock locked in on uh you can tell with the the lineup changes and stuff and that sort of helped uh just on the defensive end cuz we know we can score uh but I mean it’s locking on the defense and I I think we did that every

Time we played uh his team uh uh we sort of locked in on defense and I mean that sort of helped this one again five times in five days against one opponent did that how much did that add to it like you were you more looking forward to

These did it feel more playoff what was it all like yeah it was I was sort of like these the games are sort of mark on my calendar uh just sort of being locked in locked in for uh we like we know guys going to come in uh trying to push us

Around and be tripping and stuff but I think uh us coming in with that same mindset uh I think uh short have showed a lot uh showed a lot about our team and uh what we could bring to the table as far as toughness and stuff so I guess to

Stick on that point I mean how much do you think you learn you learned about yourself since the last you know since the one in Milwaukee that got a little rough you know particularly rough at the end particularly weird at the end the fact that you guys came back and won

These two um and weren’t kind of intimidated at all by that what do you think feel like you guys kind of proved and learn about yourselves in these last in these last two games I think uh I mean that we can play defense uh I think that’s the main thing that’s I mean

That’s what everybody been saying about us and I think those these last couple of games sort of showed that that we can lock in play defense uh because that’s what everybody was saying we couldn’t do we just score offense and bunch of stuff like that but uh I think that showed a

Lot like you know just our toughness on defense what uh you guys obviously ran some of that three-man wall stuff to be honest I mean what first off what did you think about it when you know the coach you know suggested it and how do

You think it worked what do you think it did to kind of at least slow him down he started like 28 11 I think that first game uh it sort of showed like if we do that it’s going to mess him up cuz I mean it sort of you could tell it sort

Of messed him up like he thought he was going to come down and this but that wall really helped uh and it sort of helped us on defense uh it forced other guys to be involved in stuff and make tough shots uh and um we did the same

Thing tonight uh I mean we know he’s him Dam Leonard uh Middleton like they’re Elite scorers so I mean they’re going to come out and get their points but we sort of keep them under a certain amount of points then I mean we win so I think

That’s what we did to to3 shots I’m saying is that kind of what you were going for yeah for sure I mean um him getting to the rim getting in on uh I mean that’s big uh for them but uh I think we stopped there tonight and I

Mean we had on the L with bud did he look at you did he say something where that I said something to him uh I said uh guys were on the bench telling me that I was like in his ears in it but like I I told him I was just throw it

Off the glass uh he threw it and I went to go get it so uh next time it happen I’m probably going to bring something better out it was just a it was just in a moment just quick quick uh tip in but uh next time come probably windmill or

Some some how you recognize it like at half you see yeah I seen it uh cuz once I seen me and him was like wide open I’m just like throw after the glass buddy throw it after the glass he was about to go dunk it he like sort of loaded it up

I’m like okay he about to throw it to go get it

Rick Carlisle, Bruce Brown, Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson speak with the media following the Pacers win over the Bucks on Wednesday night.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
10:14 – Bruce Brown & Tyrese Haliburton
18:16 – Myles Turner
19:44 – Jalen Smith
23:44 – Isaiah Jackson