INDIANAPOLIS — Last night, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle became the 14th coach in NBA history to reach the 900 win mark as his team took down the San Antonio Spurs. It took him 1,696 games to reach the total.
In many ways, it was the perfect setting for Carlisle to achieve a milestone. His team scored 86 points in the first half, tying a franchise record, and 152 in the whole game. That, too, tied Indiana's best-ever mark. He earned the 900th victory over Gregg Popovich's Spurs, a coach that Carlsile has battled often. Popovich is the winningest head coach in NBA history, and he shared a division with Carlisle for over a decade.
"He's been doing it for so long and doing it so well," Popovich said of Carlisle before the game. "Hope he keeps winning for a long period of time."
San Antonio's leader praised Carlisle's ability to get a lot out of his players, which was fitting before a record-setting night. Both head coaches are legends of the game who simply love the job.
Carlisle won a title with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 and was the NBA's Coach Of The Year in 2002. His resume, even before win number 900, was already impressive. It just keeps getting better.
His ability to lead a team makes him the right man for the Pacers head coaching job. That's why the franchise rewarded him with a contract extension a few weeks ago, a move that was praised by his players and others around the league.
"Ever since we hired Rick and have gotten a plan, the franchise has gone in a really good direction," veteran guard T.J. McConnell said.
They dominated the Spurs wire-to-wire, and Carlisle pushed all the right buttons. Whatever lineup Indiana had on the court thrived, and even their deep bench groups crushed San Antonio. It was a great night for the blue and gold.
During his on-floor interview just after the win, Pacers forward Obi Toppin congratulated Carlisle on the achievement and said he needed to race back into the locker room to celebrate and dump water on his coach. He made it back in time.
"I wouldn't call it pouring, it just came from every direction," Carlisle said of the drenching after the game. "You can tell my hair's a little out of place right?" he joked. Center Jalen Smith said that Carlisle knew it was coming and entered the locker room with his hands up, but the team was ready with water from all angles.
They wanted to celebrate their leader on a special day. Carlisle has played a major role in helping turn the franchise around over the past two years, and the win on Monday helped the team climb back over .500. They are heading in a positive direction.
"900 wins is ridiculous. Congrats to him," forward Obi Toppin, who has only been coached by Carlisle for seven games, said during his press conference after the game. "He's a great coach. Great offensively, defensively. Off court, on court. He's just an amazing coach all around."
Players like Toppin are the ones that Carlisle has historically been great for. One of his best skills as a head coach is setting players up to succeed, so guys who were miscast on old teams often find success under Carlisle. In Indiana, that has happened for Aaron Nesmith, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Smith, Jordan Nwora, and Toppin in the last few seasons.
Those players combined for 72 points against San Antonio. Carlisle made all the right calls, and his player development record with Indiana was on display. That led to a fitting, and dominating, 900th win.
"Just want to keep growing with him. He teaches us a lot every day," Haliburton said of Carlisle. They have an honest relationship, and Haliburton believes that Carlisle really understands the game.
He certainly did on Monday. Carlisle is now 900-796 all time, and he's just 45 wins away from 11th place all time. If the Pacers get to 40 wins this season, he will pass Dick Motta and climb to 13th.
He's going to be in the Hall Of Fame one day, and last night was another special night for the player-turned-coach. Rick Carlisle has 900 wins and doesn't appear to be slowing down.
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