Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle downplayed his team’s historic Game 4 win over Cleveland, reminding reporters Sunday night that the job is far from finished.
Despite tying an NBA playoff record with a 41-point halftime lead, Carlisle refused to celebrate after the 129-109 victory gave Indiana a 3-1 series edge over the top-seeded Cavaliers.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” Carlisle said postgame. “We’re going to keep approaching this like we have everything to prove, and we know people don’t believe in us.”
The Pacers jumped out early behind Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin, both of whom Carlisle credited for bringing urgency and physicality against Cleveland’s zone.
“We just had a better attitude about attacking the zone tonight,” he said. “The biggest adjustments were attitude and how we brought a certain level of aggression to it.”
Myles Turner’s efficient shooting also earned praise, with Carlisle emphasizing the value of his timely scoring in the first half.
“We had some very good runs when we needed them, particularly in the first half,” Carlisle noted. “We did a lot of good things to get ourselves enough of a cushion to finish the game.”
Still, Carlisle made it clear that Game 4 was already in the rearview mirror, citing the hostile environment Indiana will face Tuesday at Rocket Arena.
“There’s going to be a big haymaker coming,” he said. “That building is one of the few that rivals Gainbridge for noise and fan enthusiasm.”
Carlisle also addressed the early ejection of Bennedict Mathurin for a Flagrant 2 foul, acknowledging some confusion over the call.
“I had a lot of questions about it,” he said. “He’ll accept the ejection, whatever else happens from it, and we just got to move forward.”
On the defensive end, Carlisle praised Indiana’s effort but remained concerned about Cleveland’s 40 free-throw attempts.
“They’re shooting an inordinate amount of free throws in this series,” he said. “We’ve just got to look at it and figure out ways to play cleaner and still be aggressive.”
Obi Toppin’s two-way impact off the bench also stood out, particularly when Indiana shifted to smaller lineups.
“He moves well,” Carlisle said. “He’s one of the guys that fuels us when we play well offensively.”
As the Pacers prepare for a potential series-clinching Game 5, Carlisle emphasized the need to ignore outside noise and stay focused.
“You got to try to know the things to ignore and just stay in the moment and stay in the process,” he said.
Game 5 is set for Tuesday night in Cleveland.
