Coach Rick Carlisle consistently emphasized that the Indiana Pacers shouldn’t settle for just making it to the playoffs. He believed that his young team could achieve more, maybe even advance deep into the postseason.
On Thursday evening, Indiana took a significant step forward by convincingly defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 120-98 in Game 6, securing their spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2014.
“When you talk about reaching the playoffs, it’s like in college when you have a really good team and you aim for the Final Four. But then, just reaching the Final Four becomes your expectation,” Carlisle explained.
“We have to aim higher than that. I’ve been saying for two years now that we’re a franchise with big dreams. We may not know exactly where this journey will take us, but we have to dream big to keep growing.”
The Pacers will now go up against the New York Knicks, a familiar opponent from the past, who also advanced with a six-game series win over the Philadelphia 76ers on the same night.
For many long-time Pacers supporters, this matchup will bring back memories of the intense battles from the 1990s, with Reggie Miller and Spike Lee becoming iconic figures during those postseason clashes.
But for most of the current Pacers players, their understanding of those moments comes from the stories they’ve heard, the highlights they’ve watched, or the game tapes they’ve studied.
Only six of the Indiana players who played on Thursday were even born when the Pacers won the 2000 Eastern Conference title, marking their lone appearance in The Finals.
But despite their youth, they are now the highest-scoring team in the league, ready to face another challenging series away from home against a higher-ranked opponent, feeling confident in their ability to keep winning.
“I’m thrilled, but I think this is more about the city of Indianapolis and the fans in Indiana,” said center Myles Turner, who has been with the Pacers for nine seasons and just earned his first playoff victory.
“I think they’ve been waiting a long time for this moment, and we don’t want to stop here. We still have a lot to achieve, a lot more work ahead of us.”
It’s not just the players or the city of Indiana longing for this success. Coach Carlisle, with 943 career victories, is returning to the second round for the first time since leading the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA title in 2011.
This might not have been what Pacers fans expected when Carlisle came back to Indiana in 2021-22, especially with a promising roster. But after a midseason trade in February 2022, where they sent All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento for Haliburton, Carlisle has been maneuvering between teaching moments and nurturing the team on their journey back to the playoffs.
“It’s been really enjoyable working with this team,” Carlisle said. “When you get to work with someone like Tyrese Haliburton every day, it’s the best part of coaching. It truly is.” Now the big question is how far can the Pacers go in this playoff run?
Carlisle and his players aren’t making any big promises or predictions. They did have a slight edge over the Knicks in the regular season series, winning two out of three games, including one at Madison Square Garden.
The experience gained from beating Milwaukee will surely help in the upcoming series. “They’re fierce competitors, and to defeat them is no easy feat,” Carlisle said, referring to the Bucks.
“It’s tough to go through a playoff series against a seasoned team like that, especially when it’s your first time in the playoffs. We had many first-timers, but they learned valuable lessons along the way.”
