INDIANAPOLIS – Despite building the largest halftime lead in playoff history, en route to a dominant Game 4 victory with a score of 129-109, which gave his team a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle did not want to highlight the achievement.
We haven’t done anything yet.
Rick Carlisle
Carlisle continued to emphasize how the Pacers have been the underdog team in each game of their second-round series against the top-seeded Cavaliers, and he wants his team to maintain that mentality despite being one win away from a second consecutive conference finals appearance.
We’re going to keep approaching this as if we have everything to prove. We know people don’t believe in us… the stuff about the markers and all that, it doesn’t make sense. This game is already history. So we have to stay in the present moment as much as we can to try to maintain an edge.
Rick Carlisle
The Pacers were never behind in Sunday’s game, going into halftime with an 80-39 lead. Indiana forced more turnovers from Cleveland (14) than the field goals it allowed (8). The 41-point lead tied the largest in NBA postseason history.
Complete dominance on their part. That’s the story. In every respect.
Kenny Atkinson
Cleveland secured their first series win in Friday’s Game 3, with the return of Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De’Andre Hunter. The Cavs also baffled the Pacers during the second quarter of that game with a 3-2 zone defense that held them to 8 of 21 shooting (38%) and 1 of 7 from the 3-point line.
The Pacers had an answer on Sunday, hitting 9 of 15 shots (60%) from the field against the zone and making 3 of their 6 three-pointers.
Our video sessions are always pretty bad after a loss. I feel like the coach is a genius when it comes to making adjustments and getting the best out of players. And I think we can just follow that leadership and his intensity come playoff time. It’s easy to follow.
Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton scored 11 points with 5 assists and 5 rebounds. The Pacers had seven players in double figures and three – Obi Toppin, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner – with 20 points.
Indiana’s 129 points tied their most in a game this postseason.
We just came out with good energy. I thought the previous game they set the tone from a physical standpoint. That’s been a talking point for them throughout the series. Today we came out, set the tone from the beginning, and really just rode that wave.
Tyrese Haliburton
After winning a franchise-record 64 games and leading the Eastern Conference all season, the Cavaliers are now on the brink of elimination. Garland scored 21 points, but Mobley was limited to just 10, while Jarrett Allen had 2 points and 2 rebounds.
They took their game to another level and we didn’t match it. We talked about that. We knew this would come. You try to prepare for these things. You try to mentally prepare your players, but for some reason they were at another level. Their strength was greater in every way.
Kenny Atkinson
Now the Cavs are down 3-1 in the series, with the status of star Donovan Mitchell uncertain in the future. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his injured left ankle on Monday.
Game 5 is on Tuesday in Cleveland.
There’s going to be a big hit. We have a lot of respect for their fans and what they have there. A lot of work to do.
Rick Carlisle
