Rick Carlisle walked into the Thomas & Mark Center in Las Vegas, wearing a dark blue semi-zippered pullover with the Indiana Pacers logo on his left chest. The team has changed dramatically since he last wore the Pacers costume 14 years ago, but at the same time he's found a lot of familiar places.
Carlisle had less hair, but an extra ring on her finger. The Pacers began using new training facilities and renovated the home field. Boss Herb Simon remains a quiet butler, and former executive Downey Walsh is still in control of the team's trajectory, hoping to regain carlisle's coaching successes.
"Some things don't look the same," Carlisle said with a chuckle, "but many things feel the same. ”
Carlisle and the Pacers are back together. In the 14 years since the separation, both sides have achieved some success.
Carlisle joined the Dallas Mavericks to help the team win its first championship in franchise history. He cemented his reputation as one of the league's best tactical masters and was a tactician who could still frighten opponents even with a relatively weak lineup.
The Pacers spent years out of the shadow of the Oppen Hill Palace fight, assembled a young, fearless, and victory-hungry team, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014, forcing the Heat Big Three into a desperate situation, and finally regrettably being defeated by the super team.
But in recent years, both sides have experienced turmoil. Carlisle abruptly announced his resignation after the end of the season, and his relationship with management and core Luka Doncic grew tense. The Pacers sacked head coach Nate Björk Glenn in just one season, failing to lead the team into the playoffs and controlling the atmosphere in the dressing room.
Seeking stability in the midst of turmoil, familiarity with each other prompts the two sides to eventually reunite. This is the third time Carlisle has partnered with the Pacers, hoping to go back in time and rediscover the success of being swept away by the storm at The Palace of Auburn Hill in Detroit. In the Walker Nation, few people are willing to relive it. Teams, coaches and players have been agonizing for 16 years, not because of their role in it, but because of the wasted opportunities.
"I think we've all learned our lessons that year, expectations are so subtle, how fragile things are!" Carlisle said, "That's the raw power of emotions that, when uncontrollable, will change history." It taught me a lot about myself, about the team, and about the values of team building and organization. ”
After all these years of turmoil, the Pacers need a disciplined coach who can unleash the potential of the lineup. For the past two years, the players have been playing tit-for-tat with the coach. Carlisle returned to the team with a championship ring and seniority, and there was still a long way to go. But back here, he found the feeling of home again. His daughter was born in Indianapolis, and he also won the support of former executives Walsh and Larry Bird.
"He has a good relationship with the people in the team. These relationships mean a lot to us. Kevin Pu richard, president of Pacers basketball operations, said.
Few places have such a sense of history as Indiana, where the history of playing is highly respected. For the Pacers, history may not mean a lot of championships, but like legendary coach and announcer Slick Leonard, who scored a three-pointer at the Pacers and shouted "Boom baby!" "It means a lot for the team. Another example is Mel Daniels' laughter when talking about the team's ABA championship in the 1970s, and the sound resounded throughout the back hall of the stadium.
But the Pacers have always wanted to bury a piece of history that tarnished teams and fans who consider basketball a sacred faith. Everyone wants to forget November 19, 2004, the night that hurt everyone. When the team was in a desperate situation, they realized that the team was so close to the championship they had longed for for many years.
The Pacers led by Paul George later achieved good results, but at james' peak, few people believed they could win the championship. The team that went to Detroit defeated the defending champions before the fight. The head coach at the time was Rick Carlisle.
"Hearing Rick return to the Walkers, the first thing that comes to mind is Herb and his family." Dan Burke said. He has long been an assistant coach for the Pacers and currently assists Doug Rivers at the 76ers. "I think it's a big deal for Herb's family, for the team and the community, for Rick as well. The two sides reunite, know how they worked together in the past, where the opportunities are, and then find them all over again. ”
The reunion was not a flash in the pan, and there are already signs of it from 2020. Nate McMillan led the team to a record of 45 wins and 28 losses in the regular season, but was swept 4-0 by the Heat in the first round of the playoffs, and then he was sacked. Some players are unhappy with his tough leadership style.
The Pacers hired 45-year-old Nate Björkgren as head coach in the hope that a young, creative coach would stabilize the dressing room and inject vitality into the team. Björk Glenn's appointment has changed the Way the Pacers have been choosing for years. The Pacers' head coach either had a deep connection or a reputation before taking office. Frank Vogel, for example, previously served on the team and was promoted to head coach in the middle of the season. Then there's Larry Brown, Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas, Jimmy O'Brien, Carlisle, McMillan, and so on. Bjork Glenn has been an assistant coach under Nick Nas for the past 3 seasons and is not very famous or a Pacers system. After a season, the Pacers executives rejected the original idea and naturally chose a familiar coach.
After a brief honeymoon period, Björk Glenn quickly fell into a whirlpool of infighting in the dressing room, with injuries from key players making the situation worse. Malcolm Brogdon missed 16 games, Miles Turner 25, Karis Le Vere needed emergency surgery and TJ Warren played just four games.
The Pacers stubbornly broke into the playoffs, beating the Hornets in the first game, but then lost 115-142 to the Wizards to end the tumultuous season. The Pacers quickly made the decision to fire Björk Glenn.
The turmoil was beyond the reach of the Pacers, who decided to use a familiar coach. Carlisle has a close relationship with the Pacers, giving walsh a replica of a championship ring after winning the championship in 2011.
"I didn't give it to Larry. Larry's rings are too many. Carlisle joked.
Pritchard joined the Pacers in 2011 with coaching from Walsh and Bird. After Bird left office in 2017, he became the top pick for the Pacers' management. Prior to hiring Björk Glenn last year, Pritchard did not consult Walsh for advice. A year later, he faces a crucial choice. This time, he consulted the Walker Godfather, and Carlisle received great support.
"It's funny because when I hear Rick talk about the team and explain the philosophy of coaching, it's like listening to Larry and Downey's coaching and the conversations we've had over the last 12 years," Says Pregart, "and I quickly resonated with Rick." It was super important for me to make this decision. ”
Carlisle was once Bird's chief assistant coach, helping the team reach the Finals in 2000. In the 2003–04 season, he made his first time as pacers coach, leading the team to 61 wins and 21 losses, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs. Carlisle won the title of best coach for this. In Season 2, he could have done better. But everything was destroyed by Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jermaine O'Neal. Even so, the Pacers still had 44 wins that season, eliminating the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Now that he was back, the streets of Indianapolis were suddenly filled with the air of unfinished business.
"On the day Carlisle returned, the weather in Indiana was fine." Reggie Miller said.
Carlisle returned to the Pacers, and in the eyes of players and coaches at the time, it was the beginning of the Pacers' re-emergence, and they left too many regrets 17 years ago. O'Neal Jr. was an MVP candidate at the time; Artest was named an All-Star, one of the league's finest offense and defense players; Jackson was a tough shooter and defensive player; Miller not to mention, a Hall of Fame candidate.
"We have a lot of talent." Artest said.
But if only it were that simple. The locker room is rife with extreme ego and a potentially explosive temper tantrum. Artest's temper exploded, Jackson would not back down no matter how big or small, and O'Neal Jr. tried to maintain his image as a superstar. Other players, such as Jamal Tinsley, David Harrison and Scott Pole, have their own quirks.
Carlisle's second coaching career with the Pacers didn't end in the way anyone had hoped, but when you look back more on that history, you'll see how chaotic the team is today and needs to start to change.
In 2003, Larry Bird became the pacers president, and then changed the head coach, returning to his former assistant Rick Carlisle. In the 2002-03 season, Thomas led the team to 48 wins.
Carlisle lived up to expectations, leading the team to 61 wins in his first season as Pacers head coach, and the playoffs connected the Celtics and Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals. Without Tyshawn Prince's stunning cover in Game 2, the Pacers could well have reached the Finals for the second time in 4 years. Miller later said he should have dunked that ball. The Detroit Pistons eventually won the championship, and after Carlisle left, Larry Brown took over the coaching whip that season.
"Not everyone comes to a team to lead the team to 61 wins, this guy he did," Walsh said, "Rick [in 1997] came to the team as assistant coach, I will never forget, he was impressive." I knew he was a candidate for a great manager, but I was actually even more surprised. ”
The Pacers, who regret stopping in the Eastern Conference Finals, are even more eager to win next season. Artest was named all-star and named Defensive Player of the Year in 2003–04; O'Neal Jr. wasn't just an All-Star, he was an MVP candidate; and the team traded Stephen Jackson for Al Ellington.
"In the '03-04 season, a lot of people thought we were a championship team," said Jeff Foster, a longtime forward/center for the Pacers, "and if you don't achieve your goals, you're going to be more hungry for the coming year." ”
The 2004-05 season has begun! The Pacers have assembled all the puzzles, Reggie Miller will retire at the end of the season, and the team hopes the meritorious man will leave with the championship. At the start of the season, the Pacers had a record of 6 wins and 2 losses.
"We're motivated to go into this season and want to win a championship for Reggie." Jackson said, "We are in agreement, no one wants to mess it all up. Everyone loved Reggie. We're all young, we're all on contract, we're all focused and working together. But things didn't go as planned. ”
Some of the problems beneath the Pacers' surface were exposed. They are young and talented, but not mature enough. Artest is a typical example. He later revealed that mental health issues were being treated at the time.
"There's some infighting." Artest's brother Daniel said he worked for a long time with the Pacers. "You can feel it. Ron is Ron, and Gemmaine is Jameyne. As a defensive player, Ron has begun to play to his abilities and combines scoring and defense. I wanted the team to sit down and talk, to have a mild meeting. If some players, including Ron, continue to go their own way, the team will only get farther and farther away from the goal. ”
In Game 9 of the season, the Pacers traveled to Detroit to challenge the Pistons, and they not only wanted to beat their opponents, but also wanted to send a message to the outside world through the nation's live broadcast of the game: this year belongs to the Pacers.
The Pacers took control of the game, taking a 97-82 lead 45.9 seconds before the final.
"When people ask me about this game, I'll reply that it's about hitting them with my body." Burke said, "They're out of breath. We keep pounding them out of oxygen. I knew it was only November, but I thought, come on, fasten your seatbelts and start an adventure, but I didn't expect to go in the other direction. ”
It was this mentality of wanting to crush the opponent that the Pacers still left the main force on the court during garbage time. Artest assaulted Ben Wallace and was whistled for fouling. Big Ben was very upset with Artest's foul move and angrily hit back, pushing him hard. Artest handled it well at first, even walking over to the tech desk and lying down, hoping the situation would ease. But then, a Pistons fan named John Green threw a bottle of water at the tech booth, just in time for Artest, triggering a fight that changed everything.
Artest was furious and immediately got up and rushed to the fans above, followed by Jackson and other teammates, and the scene was extremely chaotic. Later, when the Pacers players were preparing to leave, two fans ran to the field to confront each other, and Artest and O'Neal Jr. gave a punch each. The scene was out of control again.
"Before that, I had never fought in an NBA game, but I always considered myself the guardian of my brothers." Jackson said, "I've always been like this because of what happened to my brother, I wasn't there at the time (Jackson's brother was shot, Jackson was 16 at the time, my brother was 25) I didn't want it to happen to another brother. ”
In fact, Carlisle and the Pacers had been hoping that Artest would receive mental health treatment, but at that time, he was basically resistant. It wasn't until late in his career that he received much-needed mental health treatment.
After that incident, the Pacers' chance to compete for the title disappeared in an instant. Artest was banned for a total of 73 games, reimbursed for the season; a total of nine players involved were banned for a total of 146 games, of which 137 were Pacers players, with fines totaling more than $11 million.
But Carlisle and the Pacers quickly stabilized. Against the Magic on Nov. 21, the Pacers had only six players to play, struggling to defeat the Magic 83-86. That season, the Pacers ended up with 44 wins, losing 4-2 to the Pistons in the second round of the playoffs.
"I really thought that team had a chance to win the championship," Walsh said, "but when the fight happened, I thought the whole team was gone." I remember the first game after that incident, we had a lot of players who had never played before, and it was really scary. But he coached in the same way and brought the team into the playoffs. ”
In the immediate aftermath of the 05-06 season, Artest went his own way, telling the Indianapolis Star that he wanted to be traded!!! President Larry Bird had heard enough and had enough. Just a few months ago, he and Artest appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which was a great support for Arte. This is not feasible and irresponsible for Atai to do so.
"Rick kept Ron a place. He tried to get Athai to communicate with others and give some help. "He used to say to Athai, 'I don't care what you do off the court, what you have to do is play, be a professional player and a good teammate.'" Rick knew how good Ron was, and we knew it. Sometimes when a player is so good, you need to do something. However, when you miss the training camp and run to the BET music festival, it is disrespectful to your teammates and the whole team. When Ron sought a deal, that was it. That's all you can do then. ”
The Pacers had no choice but to send Artest away in exchange for the king's elderly Peja Stojakovich.
"I like to play for Rick, it has nothing to do with Rick." Artest said, "I wanted to be traded because after the fight, I was afraid to go back to Detroit." ”
A year later, the Pacers' roster fell apart completely, especially when Jackson and Tinsley were embroiled in a strip club violence during preseason, further tarnishing the team's reputation. The Pacers had reached a time when they needed a radical change, and Bird packed Jackson and Harrington to the Warriors in exchange for Mike Dunllivi and Troy Murphy.
By that day, Jackson had completed his understanding of why the Pacers had no choice but to trade!
"It's business, and I'm learning from it, and it's time to make a change, and I fully understand." Jackson said, "I'm not unhappy. I still love the Simon family dearly and Downey is one of my favorite general managers/presidents of the teams I've played for in my career. ”
The Pacers delivered a 35-47 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1997. Bird sacked Carlisle, who has always been convinced that the coach will have a hard time controlling the dressing room after 3-4 seasons. But more than that, a team with the goal of winning the championship has collapsed, and changes need to be made.
"I've known Carlisle for 10 years. You could say that everything has happened, we're not in the playoffs, it's time to look ahead and he's leaving in a good situation. "But if you think about it, if it hadn't been for these things, Rick would probably have been coaching for a longer period of time." ”
Carlisle later joined the Dallas Mavericks, helping the team win the championship and becoming the most respected coach of the game, serving as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association.
The Pacers led by Paul George, Roy Hibbert and Frank Vogel reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013-14. But since then, the Pacers have never won any 1 playoff series.
"They welcomed back the Hall of Fame-level coach, who won the championship. It's time for these players to look at themselves in the mirror. Miller said.
But Carlisle is not for everyone, and his personality is eccentric. One summer, for example, he started playing golf, and then he built his own golf club; played against some of the table tennis pros; and once played the piano part-time for his friend Bruce Hornsby. Burke likes to tell a story about Carlisle, which took place during the first round of the 2000 Eastern Conference playoffs, when the two were assistant coaches under Bird, and Carlisle invited Burke to bowling.
"I said, 'No, Rick. If we want to win and move on to the next round, let's do our part. ’”
"He said: 'Did you know it would be easier to apply topical alcohol on bowling?'" ”
"I said, 'I don't know.'" But he intends to learn every aspect. ”
This obsession with details doesn't go smoothly. On the pitch, he was very strict, and if it was required to be shot at a fixed point in the elbow zone, that didn't mean two inches away from the elbow zone. Off the pitch, he may be grumpy, demanding, and hated. The Athletic reporter Tim Cato has reported that Carlisle's criticism of non-star players may have made some people in the team uncomfortable, including Doncic.
But Carlisle's record on the pitch is there for all to see, giving him more freedom. Although Doncic was not satisfied, it is undeniable that it was Carlisle who adjusted the system according to his talent to make him a league superstar. In the end, it was Carlisle who chose to leave and nothing else.
"Rick is a good coach." Jackson said, "If you want to come to the NBA to play, if you want to work hard every day, without taking any shortcuts, you will like him." But if he wants to take shortcuts and wants things to get a little easier, he's not a well-meaning coach. ”
The Pacers need someone to challenge the team and restore some order.
'He's not going to win the Ethics Award, but he can find a way to get along with the players. Burke said.
When Carlisle looks at the team he is about to take over, he rarely thinks about the team he coached 15 years ago, and more about the Detroit Pistons that he was coaching for the first time. The team didn't have a household name in the starting lineup, but the players were united and promoted each other. Domintus Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon are two promising young stars, but not up to the level of other heavyweight stars in the league. Carlisle considers Miles Turner to be the best rim protector in the league. Warren and Le Vere can be efficient scorers.
"We have to work in a way that these people can understand," Carlisle said, "and I have to convince them to make sacrifices, to support each other, to do something tough." ”
At Carlisle's official press conference, it didn't take long for him to start saying "we," referring to the Pacers' need to take steps to rebuild their place in the league. It wasn't long before Carlisle resigned from the Dallas Mavericks and returned to a place so important to him and his family.
"I've been in the league for a long time and know you can never close a door on anything." Carlisle said, "Sometimes looking forward means re-acquaintance with friends. ”
The Pacers have a decent roster base, and Carlisle is looking for a new challenge. In times of need, they find each other and want to accomplish what began years ago.
Source: NBA official website