Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle emphasized his team’s aggressive mindset and discipline after their 121-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Speaking to reporters postgame, Carlisle credited Indiana’s offensive freedom and timing under pressure as key factors. “We had an exceptionally good shot-making night,” he said. “We’re a bit fortunate — some of those were late clock, up against it. But the key word is aggression.”
Carlisle noted that Indiana’s attack-first mentality was central to its ability to weather Cleveland’s second-half runs. “They threw a major haymaker at us in the second part of the third quarter,” he said. “I just thought our guys held strong — they just dug in, held strong.”
He highlighted Myles Turner’s late third-quarter three-pointer as a crucial momentum shift. “That was a huge play because it gave us the lead going into the fourth,” Carlisle added.
When asked about defensive sequences late in the game, Carlisle pointed to Tyrese Haliburton’s effort. “He switched onto Jerome once and was able to get a stop. He switched onto Mitchell once and was able to get a stop at key times during the heart of crunch time.”
Carlisle acknowledged Donovan Mitchell’s 33-point effort but praised Indiana’s defensive coverage. “He’s going to get clean looks…we’re fortunate he missed a lot of ones that he would normally make,” he said. “We’ve got to look at the film.”
Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard were also focal points in Carlisle’s postgame remarks. “For you guys tonight, they’re 9 of 12 from three,” he noted. “Aaron’s shots came off a more normal offensive flow…he hit a big one in the first half, then a couple big ones in the third.”
The Pacers had six players score in double figures, including 23 from Nembhard and 22 from Haliburton. Carlisle attributed that balance to team identity. “These teams are great to watch because they’re defined by their balance,” he said. “We needed it to get where we got to.”
Carlisle also singled out Haliburton’s clutch fourth quarter, including a deep three over Jarrett Allen and a defensive stop. “The bigger plays were the two stops he was able to get one-on-one. Those were enormous plays.”
Asked about limiting Cleveland to nine made threes, Carlisle downplayed the numbers. “They miss a lot of ones they’ll normally make. And they heave some at the end that are tough shots.”
Carlisle finished with a warning against complacency. “We’ve got to stay hungry. I don’t think I’ve heard many people that have gave us a chance in this series. Game 2 will be exceptionally hard.”
Indiana now leads the series 1-0 heading into Game 2, which will remain at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
