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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 09: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers takes a shot Max Strus #1 ... More of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter of game three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 09, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle knew exactly what was heading his way after his team lost Game 3 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night in their second-round series. Questions were coming about the many things that went wrong for Indiana during the 126-104 defeat, one that reduced their series lead to 2-1.
Anticipating some of the inquiries, Carlisle bagan to rattle off a few of the issues his team had throughout the action. The problem was not that there were mistakes – instead, the issue was how many there were and how different they appeared to be. Carlisle began by looking at his team’s poor first few minutes of play, and his 83-second opening remarks covered much more.
He touched on an off night from one of the Pacers best players. Carlisle questioned his own effort preparing his team. The Pacers’ work against a 3-2 zone defense needed to be better, and the head coach owned it. One of those factors is perhaps the most important for the blue and gold, but they all matter – as does rebounding, something Carlisle quickly addressed after his initial statement.
“They brought the fight to us,” Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam said after Game 3. “We can let that happen.”
The little things Indiana’s head coach laid out all were problems during a rough Game 3 loss. The Cavs new-look zone defense was a challenge, for example, as the visitors shifted into a unique alignment that slowed down the Pacers.
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