Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Los Angeles Lakers) | March 29, 2024

Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability (vs. Los Angeles Lakers) | March 29, 2024

Terry’s 90 is the fewest you guys have allowed in a game this season what stood out to you about what you guys were able to do defensively especially against a team that scored 150 on you six days ago I just thought we did a good job locking

In um understanding that we just played them like a week ago and uh schematically they you know I thought we just did a good job of locking into what they did uh doing a good job of you know with ad and Lebron in the post it’s you

Know it’s difficult but I think that you know double A and miles did a good job fighting those guys and I thought we did a good job of you know we were in double um you know doubling from time to time and then just did a good job of rotating

And finishing possessions with rebounds so that helped 150 Sunday for them the End season tournament finals was there anything more to like really wanting to put it to them tonight for you guys uh I mean I I mean I I mean I think that they I mean obviously they just beat us like

A week ago and obviously that inseason tournament game is a big game and uh but I don’t I think that there’s always going to be juice when you play the Lakers you know what I mean there’s going to be they they travel well the

Fans are you know they go crazy for so I think it’s a big game no matter what TJ scoring is really up since the All-Star break tonight big late first early second stretch where he was really filling it up how have you seen him kind of evolve as a scorer this season and

How important can that be for you guys on a night to night basis yeah I think just being really Ultra aggressive and um I think he has playing with a lot of confidence really trusting his jumper right now I I wouldn’t say that he’s ever trusted his jumper as an NBA player

So I think that that’s really changing things for him and uh you guys see and you know him he just plays with a lot of confidence and I think that that really helps just what does this say for just how far you guys have come defensively I

Mean we spent all all the beginning of the Season talking about how the defense wasn’t good enough for you guys to hold these guys to 90 after you gave up on 150 on Sunday just was it sa for how how the progress that you guys have made on

That end well pump the brakes we still got a lot more lot more basketball to play but uh I thought we I think that um it was pretty obvious like early in the year that our mindset from a player’s perspective was we were just going to outscore people um I think that around

Christmas when we’re around like 500 there we had to make a decision to to defend you know and understand that um you know the better that we are defensively um our offense kind of flows off that and um just be able I think that helps us win games when shots

Aren’t falling you know and I think that early in the year we really struggled to figure out how to do that and I think that we’ve just done a good job you know I think we’ve been better defensively which has really helped us um and our

Offense will you know get back to to to being where it is we just you know grow in Rhythm and stuff with you know new guys and and personnel and stuff so just figuring the offensive side out right now but defensively I think we’re just

Doing a good job if we just lock in on a game- to game basis uh our offense will come uh you mentioned dou a I guess you obviously trusted him for a long time to take on these assignments but how did you see him progress in the three

Matchups in terms of dealing with LeBron he played 39 minutes T night was only called for one foul and he used to have an issue with that when it came to defending some of these guys certainly not easy to do without fouling uh where did you how have you seen the progress

For him on these individual matchups yeah I think that Aaron is gr to be one of the better defenders in our league um you know he can guard multiple positions like one through four um I mean we played Philly earlier in the year and he had to guard Joel for a little stretch

So uh I mean he’s just doing uh a great job and just he is the I think like the big one of the biggest examples in our league of just knowing your role and and excelling in that and and while continuing to to to grow his game at the

Same time you know I think that the more he’s playing the more his confidence is growing and uh what he does defensively and he’s just a special special guy and I’m glad that he’s he’ll be here long term you were talking the other night about wanting to get to 42 what’s it

Mean to to know you have a winning season yes I forgot about it yes first winning season in the NBA yes uh yeah no it’s uh it’s been a a long like four years so I’m excited that we finally clinched a i’ I’ve clinched a winning season so hopefully there’s a

Lot more to come Tyrese that’s okay Rick Rick talked about how dang go ahead Rick Rick talked about how every game right now for you guys is a playoff game how close is this team to actually being in playoff mode or how long have you been in playoff mode yeah

I think just taking it on a game- to game basis is the biggest thing for us um you know I think when you get caught up in standings and how far the playoffs are matchups all that stuff then you lose what’s in front of you you know and

I think you we’ve seen it examples of that throughout you know the course of our season just worrying about the wrong thing so um I think for us it’s just taking it on a game- to game basis understanding that every game is very meaningful moving forward um and just

How can we keep growing until you know we get to the playoffs I mean everybody knows you know where we want to be come playoff time so uh we just got to keep taking it on a game to game basis and taking care of business Rick and 90

Allow is the fewest you guys have had this season would you like about what your team did defensively in this game very determined defensive effort um top to bottom really started with our best players started with Tyrese Pascal and Miles um those guys LED their way I thought Tyrese had a really really

Strong game defensively and you know we were real tied together as a team um on the road trip when we struggled you know we we took some shortcuts and we did some things that you know short circuit our Collective success so tonight we we adjusted and did some really good things and um

Really happy for for our guys you know it’s hard it’s hard holding this team to 90 after you know giving up 150 five six days ago whatever it was to that end what did you guys change of things specific was it just more effort in this

Game you were you know wanted more of that in Chicago what do you think led to such a dramatic change from six days ago against the same team few adjustments and a much greater Edge much greater you know competitive compete level um determin ation you know level of guts

All that kind of stuff grit I mean you know these are all playoff games I mean they’re they’re fighting you know for for you know for their position in the standings we are um you know so this is you know this is Big Time stuff asked you about McConnell

Scoring before the Bulls game but today in the first half you had a couple important buckets in that late first quarter early second stretch how does he kind of been changing games for you especially with the way he’s been playing offense of late you know TJ’s TJ’s just a terrific player I mean

He’s aggressive um you dare him to do something he’s going to he’s going to do it um he keeps pressure on the rim he passes the ball he defends you know he he he does does a lot of the physical things that a lot of small guards

Smaller guards don’t like to do you know he he takes hit hits on screens he draws offensive fouls and you know he’s just he’s just super super valuable Aaron played 39 minutes almost entirely on the braa was called for one foul um what’s just that say about just

The progress he’s made in taking on those assignments obviously last year he had to spend a lot of time figuring out how the whistle was going to go the amount of contact he was allowed to use I mean just what does it say for just his total performance on on him what he

Was able to do there what a what a loaded question huh I’m not trying to get in trouble I’m asking about Aaron I like that that’s the thing he had to get used to last year look Aaron’s Aaron’s the best we got you know at at the wing position he

And Drew you know are the two are two best press up guys and you know physical individual Defenders and we have other guys that are good too but you know he Aaron carries the flag when it comes to guarding guys like LeBron James I mean

That body type you know we got we got again nobody else you know um so he’s it just it speaks to his maturity it speaks to how he’s adjusted his game to you know fit the way the game is being officiated now and uh you

Know he was you know he he puts his body in there he shows his hands and he makes it tough and he and he and he just keeps coming he he gave you know tough efforts all three games you know that he guarded him but how did you see him get better

In that match up what what kind of lessons you think he learned from from Vegas from Sunday how did you see him kind of apply things that he learned about taking on that matchup from we did we did a lot of things better as a team tonight that helped a lot of the

Individual matchups you know so um you know it’s just any success we have is going to be about us and what we do together um you know we’re we have a talented team but we don’t have the kind of talent to win on Talent alone we

We’ve got to be gritty we’ve got to be um together and we’ve got to have a strong Collective will and and tonight was probably the strongest um Collective effort we’ve had all year you know if you look at 90 points given up I think that is is pretty good proof and now you

Know now this week we’ve got to we’ve got to sustain you know we’ve got uh we’ve got seven more to go and they all mean plenty what the one team aspect of the defense I mean five of 29 from three there were what do you guys think you

Did particularly well defend you know defending the three-point line and keeping them from getting clean looks we just we play with more pres and you know they they felt us tonight our crowd was great um you know you play in your home floor it’s going to be different than

Playing you know out at their place or in Vegas where where the you know four fifs of the people in the stands are Laker fans you know so this the first home game we’ve had had with these guys and um yeah we weren’t perfect by any

Stretch but you know when they when they made runs you know on the flagrant foul where you know they get they get free throws in in the ball back we get that stop we score and we just you know we H we held up to the tests and um it’s it’s

It’s you know it’s a great effort it’s a great result um now we got to rest up and get ready for the next onec 90 is the fewest this team has allowed in a single game all season what stood out to you about what you guys did

On the defensive end of the four compared to your normal games um no I think I think I mean I think overall we’ve been like a lot better obviously it was that game um against the Lakers uh over there um and you know I think we

Just kind of like took it kind of personal you know it felt like you know they felt like the game was easy that game was pretty easy for them offensively so um we just had like a better focus um in terms of just like

The things that we want to do and how we want to do them um and we just did it like um um was just so much more communication and and we were in sync in terms of just like rotation um making it hard on them to just have easy layups

You know I know the game before they had so many points in the paint like you know that was our Focus um and the guys responded you know just just compared to the 150 that we had in in in La kind of progress have you felt this team make on

The defensive end just since you got here two months ago yeah no I think we we we getting better I think obviously like coming in I knew that was an area that as a team we had to get better on um and and and I think that’s been our

Focus um we know how talented we can get you know like offensively and and and when we play the way we play but I think we all understand that what’s going to make us special is a defensive end um and and and everyone’s buying into that

Um and you know coaches put a lot of emphasis on it and and we work on it and there’s a lot of film sessions there a lot you know like just correcting the things that we’re not doing well and and and I think like I said the guys are

Responding and and we we all have have our heads in in in the right place in terms of just wanting to execute it there going to be some nights where it’s not going to look great but I think as long as we minimize those nights like

We’ll be all right what has TJ becoming a little bit of a jump shooter these last couple weeks meant for this team and what was it like playing against him for years in the East I mean pretty annoying um but but yeah I think having

Him on that team like just to see like how um easy it is out it looks like for him um you know it just gets his spot U he’s one of those guys I mean like I don’t know tall it is but I think when when you talk about people getting to

The spots it’s always like you know bigger guys and you know like the wings and things like that but you know as you know he he knows where to get to on on the floor and he gets to that every single time and the results is almost

100% every time so um and he plays with so much pace and energy and that’s that’s that’s always needed and and you know obviously glad that he’s on my team now I just to stick with him what like is there a secret to what he does like

What what makes that work you know again he’s always running in there guys that are way taller and he finds yeah I mean I don’t know I wish I I wish I knew you know I know he can’t score out on me though but um but no I think he’s just

Like he’s just so great like I said on getting to a spot and and I I’m sure you know I seen him you know like before games during practice times like he works on that you know so it’s like I think once he gets to that it just feels

Automatic like to me like that’s all I think about when I when he shoots it I just Auto like it’s just going in it feels like every time even when it misses um so yeah credit to him like I think he puts the work in into that and

And and like I said I’ve seen him a couple of times do that and and he just he’s just great at that obviously when you’re dealing with LeBron it’s always a team assignment on some level but I mean Aaron was the guy that Drew him primarily and and that’s he’s he’s had

Him all three uh games they played against them this year me just what’s what impressed you about what he did he played 39 minutes and he only had one foul um you know just what impressed you about just I saw that I was like oh my God I never seen like the minutes

Anywhere in this in this team you I was used to seeing Dam minutes with the Raptors every night for me so like seeing that was kind of like oh man that’s crazy but I mean he’s just so strong like you know at his size and um

Able to like hold his own against you know one of the best player ever like and and I think LeBron is strong and and and eron got that strength too um and he plays so hard and and and I think obviously you want to say you know it’s

A team thing but he’s the one primarily on him and and making it hard on him every single possession um and yeah clud was to him man like that’s that’s a tough assignment you know to to have as a player and and he took it you know and and every time you

Know LeBron was out there he was out there and he was he was guarding him the whole way um so yeah shout out to him like that’s that’s super impressive what uh obviously you you were able get going offensively tonight I mean what um H how

Do games like this that are a little bit slowed down uh when you know when possessions are kind of at a at a premium like how do you feel like that sort sometimes fits what you want to do yeah that you’re no like I said I think

For me um either way we want to play like I think I’m able to do that like if we want to play fast I’m able to do that and if you want to slow it down like I’m able to do that as well so um I think

Just like um again for me just continue to pick my spots and and I think the more we get into these games like the more you know like it’s going to be like kind of like ask of me to you know make some of those plays and and it’s not

Always about scoring and I think that obviously Tai is so great at like you know setting up everyone that you know I think for me like just for him to know that there’s someone else out there that can do the same like obviously probably

Not as great as he he he does it um but um I’m I’m able to do that and and in different ways and um and it’s going to be hard for the defense you know so if he does it and I do it as well hi pascar

Yeah I didn’t have chance to talk to you before the game so sorry for not to ask you about the game I’m I’m working on the story about you yeah I want to ask about him um you know when he came to the Raptors camp at

The first time I think not so many people knew about him how do he make his presence to the team yeah um youo is a great guy like I think he worked so hard um great energy about him and and he’s just one of those players that you want

To have on your team and and um always good energy just and and plays so hard and and I think that’s that’s what kind of impressed you know everyone you know just knowing KN that he’s not scared to go for for you know he’s going to jump

On everything he’s going to try to grab rebound he can shoot the ball well um and and like I said he’s just like a good person to have around a good player um and and and he took advantage of opportunity uh back in in Toronto and

And you know I was happy for him and after that you know he he was able to get opportunities and to go play on other teams and um but yeah he’s he’s he’s a very good player and and we definitely had good memories like in

Toronto with him how how do you see him as a person as a person yeah he’s great UD is funny he’s he’s he’s he’s always happy he’s always you know like looking looking to um just just be there for for for everyone and um he was he was a

Great teammate um when I was with him and and yeah and I think you know we always good friends even now guys didn’t put it to chance didn’t leave this one up into the last couple minutes how were you able in that stretch to put the game

Away yeah we talked um throughout the year about playing with the lead and being mature so I think we did a good job of just keeping that pace up um and and just keeping that foot on the foot on the gas on both sides of the floor

Aaron n Smith had the primary role on LeBron James but it was you some and it was really a group effort he goes for 16 that’s about as good as you can do on a guy like him your thoughts on the team effort what you were able to do what

Aaron was able to do oh defense yeah um I think we did a good job of just being aggressive being physical setting the tone they had 150 last game against us only 90 this time so clearly a big difference on that side for us in terms of focus attention to detail and hard

Play were you motivated after allowing 150 like does that creep into the subconscious as you play this one five days later most definitely most definitely that’s kind of embarrassing honestly and um we got a group of competitive dudes so when we see something like that it’s a nice

Challenge for us um and we got them back in a couple days another nugget that was a really good one just 18 free throws for them after giving up 43 what did you think about just the ability to defend without fouling yeah I think we were

Just a little more focused when came to that having our hands off they got a bunch of players that try to draw fouls um so it’s just being being being precise with our hands you’ve seen how tight the sandings are right now seven games to go how do you feel like this

Group is rounding into playoff form here I think we’re coming together well I think we are competing at a high level playing for each other having fun with it um I’m excited about what we can do that’s Andrew neard we’ll toss it back to you

JJ just stuck to the game plan uh you know have you locked in a player you know he challenges you um so you know I just I just did a good job tonight what the we talked about this before but how did you learn from each assignment with

Him you know this is the third time you guard him this year basically just how to deal with him on on Sunday what did you learn from each what did you learn from each of those what do you think you applied I mean I think you held him to I

Think 10 shots it’s just keeping him out of his rhythm basically what do you think you did well there sometimes you you got to be aggressive going under meet him sometimes you got to let them come down it’s just like mixing up the cover is not letting him them see the

Same thing every single time um you know just continue to make him think think the game as he comes off pick and rolls or back way down you know give him different looks as much as possible Right how do you think the the double teams and the fires and everything else

Worked there as well I mean give him different look sometimes he doesn’t know the doubles coming sometimes it does sometimes it doesn’t sometimes I’m you know might reach and make him back up a little bit make him fight over pick roll go over go under you know just make his

Life as difficult as possible Team level 90 loud is lowest you guys have had this season when did you feel like oh we’re having a good night on that end of the floor during the game was there any moment where you could tell uh actually I didn’t you know I was

Pretty locked in the whole time I didn’t realize we came out of the game I looked up when it was 88 with like two minutes left so you know like you said we did a good job tonight defensively what’s the out about what you guys did in this one

Compared to even six days ago when they scored 150 against you guys uh I think we didn’t really change that much we just executed what we needed to what does this game say about how far you guys have come as a defense I mean just fix volumes you know like if we would

Have you can always like if would could have should have but like if we would have have that you know in season Tournament game back you know I think we all wish we would um you know as you could see tonight like we could easily

Beat this team we just needed to go out and do it so it’s the biggest thing just Edge I guess that’s thing going to be the thing The Rook always says Edge effort coming out with the right intensity from the jump for 40 minutes

Tyrese Haliburton, Rick Carlisle, Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith speak to media following the win against the Lakers on Friday night.

0:00 – Tyrese Haliburton
4:51 – Rick Carlisle
10:24 – Pascal Siakam
17:17 – Andrew Nembhard
18:53 – Aaron Nesmith