Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Chicago Bulls) | March 13, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Chicago Bulls) | March 13, 2024

What a game um so many ups and downs and uh we were one rebound away and then they got a chance at the end and throws and hit a shot and then you know then we’re back then we’re in overtime so um disappointing um you know it’s a gut punch uh

Unfortunately this is all part of meaningful games you know when you make minor mistakes at the wrong times you know it can really it can really bite you and there were a lot of them and you know myself included so um once again we got to we got to learn from it and

Uh and get ready for Saturday with so many moments big plays in the final five minutes in overtime I’m curious what you thought of your team’s execution in the last stretch of this game well a lot of a lot of things were very positive um you know miles getting

Open for those two threes that got us a three-point lead that you know those were huge plays and those were plays playing off of our best players so um and then you know um you know talked about the you know the the foul foul to give situ or

The uh you know you know fouling up three situation and um you know that’s that’s one of the dangers is that if you can’t rebound um it can bite you so uh dzan hit a great shot and uh in overtime we just didn’t do enough positive things when miles came in late

He hit th he hit those big threes but guys couldn’t get quite enough stops even when you were doubling to Rose and defensively late did you think it was just the Bulls executing well was it something specifically about your defense that you couldn’t get the stops

In no to what do you think kind of TI the scales well we had to commit two to him on on a lot of those plays when we didn’t he was scoring we getting fouled and so you know players like that put you in a bind pretty simple and you know it

Becomes make or miss on threes you know um you know they hit a couple of HCI late clock threes but those you know NBA players make those kinds of shots pretty routinely and so you’ve got to be ready to get the ball and go back and attack and so uh you know dis

Disappointing result but there were a lot of things that we did that were courageous I thought our second unit you know really played at a high level you know they you know we didn’t have a great start they got us the lead in the second quarter I think yeah and then um

You know we were we were down going into the into the fourth and then they got us a lead there and and it was just you know it was a it was a it was a roller coaster but that’s why you have a team you know sometimes The Starters play

Great the bench struggles you know when when everybody plays great it’s awesome you know everybody’s happy but uh the world we’re living in right now is is a you know world of you know microscopic detail and uh came up a little short to stick a little bit on the

Second unit first off what um you talked about jarus beforehand you obviously got a bunch of minutes tonight just what you like about what he did offensively and you also he had the D Rosen assignment for a little bit there just what’ you like about what he did on on both ends

Yeah I thought he played I thought he played well you know um played well last night and uh tonight there were more minutes and um I thought he earned the minutes in the second half and then the minutes later in the game in overtime um look he’s he’s going to be a tremendous

Player for us I mean what other questions you have about him if you’re doing a jar story I’m happy to give you what whatever you want that’s a much but that’s I just want yeah I mean you know it’s this is uh you know everybody’s at the grown-ups table

Right now you know it’s it’s uh and that’s that’s a lot of what this is about um and this is this is why back Tob backs are challenging and uh so you know I think we have one more I guess it’s out in the LA the the back

Toback there so um just go to got to keep working every day getting better on on you mentioned the rebound before and did you know U I’m not sure what kind of angle you had on it or if what he said or anything like that did he have a

Chance to put two hands on it or did he just get a hand on it and try to get it out of there what was the you know I I I haven’t talked to him about it I don’t I don’t think we should focus on One play I don’t think we should focus

On one player here I mean you know we we win and lose as a team and uh even when the ball was knocked out of bounds we we had a CH one a chance to get one more stop and and we’re unable to do it and you know there were there were mistakes

Made there too so um hey we got to we got to keep being positive we got to keep got to keep learning you know tomorrow’s a much needed day off um you know Friday’s an important prep day and you know Brooklyn is a dangerous team

Coming in here and um so we got to be ready miles so many moments and Swings in the final you know five minutes of Regulation and an overtime of this game what do you think of you guys as as a team’s General execution and kind of

That stretch of the game um man our defense just wasn’t good enough I think we just you know obviously D rozen H some big shots and you know a special player but as a whole I don’t think we were there just just that last part you know these are these are tough nights

And back Tob backs but this time of the year there no excuses you know what I mean he’s got to find a way to get it done you know we gave ourselves a fighting chance and um came up short you’re trapping a guy like D rozan and

The Bulls are still scoring like did you sense it was Defensive breakdowns by you guys was that just them executing against those traps why couldn’t you guys get enough stops yeah I mean it’s a combination of both obviously they executed well but I think that we um you

Know we uh shot ourselves in the foot a couple times as well so um like I said overall it’s just a a tough end to the night you know it could have been a good you know stretch but you know what it is being up three with just a few seconds

Left I mean does this does this one hurt more than a regular game to you in any way uh I’m sure yeah go ahead uh want to ask about the shots you may just put yourself in the position I mean just what kind of opened up for you

Uh on those opportunities basically you guys had a tough night knocking them down all night just what it mean for you to kind of get see a couple go down to put you guys s in that position I mean Tai obviously made some good plays you

Know I just you know our high pick and pop pick and roll is is uh it’s been a good combination for us all year and you know I had some big shots but you know like I said just wasn’t enough like you said I mean um you know what makes D

Rozen as tough a cover as he is especially in that type of situation when a guy is that good at making tough twos is he kind of the one guy you really don’t want to see in those spots yeah this stage in his career is probably not a defensive coverage he

Hasn’t seen you know what I mean I think he’s just very patient um shot making is obviously big in his mid-range and um you know he had a he had a big night what just how important was the second unit for you guys tonight obviously after you’re coming back off up back

Toback when you were on the road last night had a big win last night I mean just how important were those guys and keeping you guys in and put putting you guys in a position I played really well you know I thought especially in that um second quarter third quarter they played

Really well and uh you know gave us a chance um but you know um you know some nothing nothing different than they’ve done all all season Jaylen such a roller coaster of a game late I’m curious what you thought of your team’s execution kind of the last five minutes this game and in

Overtime um I mean I think we I think we actually right I mean de Rosen he’s demand Rosen you know he’s mid-range killer you know future Hall of Famer you got to get props and props to do sometimes you you know sometimes you know they say uh great defense but

Better offense and he just hit the shot I mean you can’t blame no single person on it I mean he just a great player and hit a shot I mean I feel as though that like we all did with the coaches wanted us to do we we knew what was coming he

Just hit the shot what what did you know when he’s rolling like that and you guys even start doubling him but it’s still allowing in the B of like what else do you feel like you guys even could have done defensively if anything or is it just a case of him just hitting

Everything like that uh it was just a case of getting the ball out his hands you know I mean like I said great players are going to find ways to win games and that’s what he did he got the he got off the ball and got right back

Onto it and knowing that after the team gets out of a double team it’s going to be tough to come right back into a double team after the ball’s been kicked out so I was like he he feasted on that and uh he just made plays out of

It obviously second unit you guys were you know way big on the plus minus tonight I me what how important was it for you guys coming off a back to back especially when you were on the road last night for for you guys to bring a

Spark and how do you guys feel like you did um as far as that was concerned um I feel though we did we did our job you know I mean obviously as a second unit there’s no time to warm up coming into the game you got to come into the game

Right immediately and I feel though that everybody played their part you know what I mean we hit shots we got stops um we I think we got a lead at one point you know I mean just keeping that energy up and keeping everybody into the game you know obviously when the second unit

Comes in and you see them doing great that gives even more of an energy boost for the first unit to come in and do great and I feel as though that that’s something that we capitalize on today I mean obviously we came off a back toback

But there’s no excuse we know these last couple games we got to dig down and win them if we want to get to where we want to get to like you said there’s no I mean no excuse or anything like that but but how is the second night different I

Mean basically when you when you you know obviously especially when you’re coming off travel there’s going to be some fatigue there I mean what’s what what changes for you guys get what you know how is I guess maybe the burden different for the second unit to keep

Those guys up when you know that you know a lot of them played 35 minutes last night I mean yeah it’s tough you know I mean like you said the traveling coming I think we had like a two-hour flight last night uh plus a time difference you know it’s

Like it’s going to be tough but at the end of the day this is what we signed up for you know we big boys we professionals uh we play in the NBA you going to have back Tob backs you got to be able to play the first game like you

Played the second game I mean obviously for the first un is tougher for them because they start and finish games you know obviously WC I think we didn’t really get a big lead on him so it was tough for them for the coach like take

Him out and have him sit so they had to come out and do it all over again and start all over again today so I mean but like I said I felt as though that we did everything that the coaches wanted us to do tonight it just came down to a great

Player hitting a great shot ball bounces a different way and we’re talking about your third straight when when you look back at all of it how do you evaluate tonight um I feel like it was a heartfall night especially coming off back Tob back but I feel like we came in

With no excuses came ready to play but I mean like you said against the ball just d fall away tonight R carile saying in the press conference a moment ago there are a lot of positives on a night like tonight it can be tough to take those

Away when you lose but are you able to hold on to some of what went well here this evening um yeah for sure just our willingness on defense um we had a good couple defensive quarters so just continue to like on that side of the ball and just let offense take care of

Himself you’re regularly starting to get minutes regularly getting into the rotation you hit a couple of significant threes tonight what is the regular playing time doing for you and when you’re able to deliver in these moments what does it for your confidence um I mean the confidence really just comes

From the work that you put in every single day so just always coming into the gym being ready to work being able to get better than that being able to Showcase that on the NBA floor um and it’s also big just be able to just gain the coach’s trust and just knowing that

He trust me in those position to take those shots and knock them down on the other side of the floor can you feel yourself growing when at times you’re switched on to demard De roosen yeah yeah for sure um and even if that’s my starting man up like I’m perfectly fine

With that um I feel that’s what I’m here to do I’m here to um defend and defend their other team’s best players and just do what I can to make it tough for them this is the final long home stand of the regular season here two games still

Coming up on it do you view this as an opportunity as you get about a month of the Season left after tonight yeah most definitely um just being able to can on this final month just finish finish with a strong strong finish jar obviously got

A lot more uh minut tonight you were in some interesting situations you were Garden brosen for a while just kind of just total read of your performance tonight um I feel like I play well offensively and defensively um I feel like I could have rebounded a little bit

Better but in terms of My overall game I feel like was a solid night what uh just how much of a just um responsibility you feel like the second unit had tonight especially coming off a back toback to to give you guys some spark I think I

You know a bunch of you guys were were at least plus 10 and plus minus just how important was that for you guys to step up tonight oh I feel like it was big especially like you said the second n of a back to back um starters with a little

Heavier leg so us just our Ben you just being ready to go in make it impact and just defend and do whatever kind of go to the lead Brook talked about when you come in being a little more physical recently what kind of messaging is he had to Vi

About where your impact needs to do and do you feel like you’ve kind of lived up to what you made it to do um I feel like I’m still still working towards that obviously um early into rotation that I’m starting to get into just always having a defensive mentality first like

You’re saying being physical fighting over screens rebounding then just kind of let offense take care of itself where do you feel like you stand know earlier in the season you talked about your gambles on the defensive Bend do you feel like you’ve cut back on that well

What kind of progress do you think of yeah most definitely if I was guarding dear in the earlier season I probably would have fouled out honestly so honestly just being around the game and just studying different players and knowing um the tendency different players and when to gamble when not to

Gamble is definitely major especially in crunch time and when possessions matter what do you think of the roller coaster that was the last you know five minutes of this game in the overtime it was unexpected crazy but I mean that’s part of the NBA Big Time Players made Big

Time shots so I mean anything that happen you always just got got to stay ready and just bring whatever you can to the game just what was that cover like for you in the minutes that you did have D Ro in him just what was it like to

Keep in front of you know that he’s always got that mid-range thing in the back of his pocket what’s you know what’s he just like to deal with and knowing what he he’s capable of um I feel like I almost try to try to give him space cuz he’s good with

Contact and drawing fouls so just playing a little bit back but also being an Arms Reach to contest a shot is is big but sometimes you just have to with tough tools so I mean when he knocks those down you just P him back and just keep rolling you ever defended anybody

Like that before I mean I guarded KD a little bit in Phoenix but that’s that’s a whole different kind of yeah kind of guy but it’s like similar shot making just not the same kind of you could play good defense and sometimes better offense good defense so

I feel like just those situation can’t dwell on it just got to move on just get the ball up quick keep it running

Rick Carlisle, Myles Turner, Jalen Smith and Jarace Walker speak to media following the Pacers loss to the Bulls on Wednesday.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
5:42 – Myles Turner
7:49 – Jalen Smith
10:43 – Jarace Walker