Rick Carlisle Admits Nobody Believes in Pacers

Coach Carlisle, after many years coaching in the NBA, is well aware of the outside perceptions of people within and watching the league.

"We haven't done anything yet," Carlisle told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star after the Pacers' Game 4 win.

"We were a pretty significant underdog in every game we've played in this series and that will continue until the end. We're going to keep approaching this like we have everything to prove. We know people don't believe in us. So we're gonna just stay in the fight and keep fighting."

Carlisle has a reputation as a strategic expert who swiftly adjusts to the opposing team's changes during a playoff series, guiding his teams to remain adaptable and utilize various strategies.

While the X's and O's may be impressive, the real challenge for Carlisle is to prepare the young team mentally for the scrutiny and the moments that come with competing in the playoffs.

For a team as young as Indiana is, it can be easy to get caught up in the outside noise; however, Carlisle continues to stress that there needs to be a focus on the task at hand.

"All things about scores and all of that is meaningless. This game is now history. We gotta stay in the present moment as much as we can," Carlisle said.

"Try to maintain an edge. There's gonna be a big haymaker coming on whatever day it is, Tuesday. That building is one of the few buildings that rivals Gainbridge for noise and fan enthusiasm and everything else."

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