NBA Insider Makes Controversial Pick for 'Real' Finals MVP if Pacers Win

Siakam was named the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP over Haliburton in a surprising 5-4 media vote, though Haliburton is the club's lead ball handler and top offensive decision maker.

During Friday's episode of the early-morning ESPN show "Get Up," pundit Alan Hahn propositioned an intriguing selection for the Pacers' MVP, should Indiana go on to win its first-ever NBA championship this year: head coach Rick Carlisle.

Carlisle, 65, has notched 40 playoff game victories as an underdog, according to an ESPN graphic. That tally represents the most such successes in that context across the last 35 years.

"I think... if the Pacers win the championship, whoever is named Finals MVP, should hand the trophy to Rick Carlisle because he right now, is the real MVP," Hahn said. "He has done it throughout the playoffs with the adjustments that he's made from series to series, and also the way he has used his rotation, it's not just heavy on his starters or reliant so much on a star player."

Finals MVP awards, of course, are given to players, not coaches. Only once in league history has the victorious player not been on the winning side, when Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West earned the honor playing in the 1969 NBA Finals — which L.A. lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games.

Carlisle has cumulatively enjoyed eight seasons at the helm in Indiana, including this current tenure (which tipped off in 2021-22) and his initial run from 2003-07.  Between his stints with the Pacers, Detroit Pistons, and Dallas Mavericks, he has posted an enviable 993-860 overall regular season record and an 85-84 playoff record (and counting). Carlisle led the Mavericks to the 2011 championship, and is now in his second NBA for another franchise.

"We have had a hard time buying in for some reason, because the NBA is all about stars. But the real star of this team is their head coach," Hahn raved. "He's been phenomenal. He even made the Thunder change the way they play and change their lineup, to match up with [his Pacers]."