How Carlisle is using gambling lines to motivate the Pacers

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

How HC Rick Carlisle is using gambling lines to motivate the Pacers

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Jun 12, 2025 7:57 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers remain a heavy underdog in the NBA Finals despite having a lead in the series, and it sounds like head coach Rick Carlisle is determined to use that to his advantage.

Carlisle was asked on Thursday about the Oklahoma City Thunder being favored to beat the Pacers in the Finals even with Indiana up 2-1 in the series. The coach said he expects his team to be an underdog in every game in the series, just like it has been thus far.

Carlisle also made it very clear that he has paid close attention to betting lines.

"We're gonna be an underdog in every game in this series," Carlisle told reporters. "It was 10.5 (points) in the first two games, 5.5 (in Game 3) and then (in Game 4). It's a daunting challenge. Anything less than a total-grit mind set, and we just don't have a chance."

Carlisle: "We're gonna be an underdog in every game in this series. It was 10.5 in the first two games, 5.5 last night and then tomorrow. It's a daunting challenge. Anything less than a total grit mindset, we just don't have a chance" pic.twitter.com/AfWYHPG6Wu
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 12, 2025

Many coaches would claim they pay no attention to gambling lines. Because his team has been favored so heavily, that is probably what Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault would say.

Carlisle, however, is in a position to use the underdog mentality to his advantage. His Pacers overcame the odds in Game 1 and Game 3 to beat Oklahoma City. Indiana is a 6.5-point underdog at home for Game 4, as Carlisle alluded to. The Pacers also remain a +200 underdog to win the Finals, according to BetMGM.

If Carlisle is able to recite betting lines that easily during a news conference, there is a good chance he has been discussing them with his team behind closed doors. There is no better motivator than a perceived lack of respect, and Carlisle wants Pacers players to know just how few people believe in them.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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