Rick Carlisle fired up over NBA’s trophy presentation plans

Feb 7, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is leaning into a new disrespect narrative ahead of his team’s do-or-die Game 4.

Carlisle told the media Sunday that his team is motivated by the NBA’s plans to stage a trophy presentation Monday if the Boston Celtics sweep the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers coach thinks the prospect of that should be enough to “make our players’ blood boil.”

Rick Carlisle on what is motivating his team to win Game 4 tomorrow:

“When you’re the head coach of an NBA team you tend to get information on things, and one thing I just heard in the last few minutes is that the league is making logistical plans for a trophy presentation on… pic.twitter.com/3TnnVK82NM

— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) May 26, 2024

“When you’re the head coach of an NBA team you tend to get information on things, so one thing I just heard in the last few minutes is that the league is making logistical plans for a trophy presentation on our floor tomorrow,” Carlisle said. “That’s something that I think should make our players’ blood boil and our fans’ blood boil. It’s just another layer of motivation to extend the series.”

Carlisle has been around long enough to know that this is standard operating procedure. The NBA is not planning a trophy presentation because they think the Pacers are going to lose Game 4. They are doing it because the Celtics might just win, and they want to be prepared for that possibility.

Of course, from Carlisle’s perspective, none of those details matter. His job is to win the game, and he will lean into any little thing that could help his players do that. Of course, critics might argue that Carlisle could have done a lot more to help his team at certain points during the series.