Indiana Pacers HC Rick Carlisle Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Pacers HC Rick Carlisle reveals a new motivational tactic

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 5/26/24

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is leaning into a new disrespect narrative ahead of his team’s do-or-die Game 4.

Carlisle told the media Sunday that his team is motivated by the NBA’s advanced plans to stage a trophy presentation Monday if the Boston Celtics sweep the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers coach thinks the prospect of that should be enough to “make our players’ blood boil.”

Rick Carlisle on what is motivating his team to win Game 4 tomorrow:

“When you’re the head coach of an NBA team you tend to get information on things, and one thing I just heard in the last few minutes is that the league is making logistical plans for a trophy presentation on… pic.twitter.com/3TnnVK82NM

— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) May 26, 2024

Carlisle has been around long enough to know that this is standard operating procedure. The NBA is not planning a trophy presentation because they think the Pacers are going to lose Game 4. They are doing it because the Celtics might just win and they want to be prepared for that possibility.

Of course, from Carlisle’s perspective, none of those details matter. His job is to win the game and he will lean into any little thing that could help his players do that. Of course, critics might argue that Carlisle could have done a lot more to help his team at certain points during the series.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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