After a frustrating Game 3 loss, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle showed some brute confidence. Despite trailing behind the Pacers for almost the entirety of the game, the Boston Celtics won the game with a late lead. With this win, the Celtics have almost sealed their Finals spot, going 3-0 up in the series. However, Carlisle doesn’t seem to have lost hope with this side, as seen from the powerful statement he made after the loss.

Addressing the reporters at the post-game press conference, Carlisle seemed visibly disappointed with the game result. However, speaking of the Pacers’ upcoming games, he showcased belief. “Believe me when I tell you, we’re going after them,” he said.

Rick Carlisle didn’t stop at that. He further turned furious after a reporter asked him about the late-game blunder from the Pacers. Carlisle said, “I just watched the ending so you don’t need to remind me. I saw everything that happened. Everything. Everything.”

The Boston Celtics sniffed a blowout win at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. After losing their lead in the second quarter at 32-31, the Celtics trailed behind the Pacers for almost the entire game. However, with 38 seconds remaining on the clock, Jrue Holiday made a clutch lay-up to take the lead back at 112-111.

While the Pacers still had the chance to steal the game, Holiday produced yet another clutch play, stealing the ball from Andrew Nembhard with 1.7 seconds remaining on the call. The Celtics showcased their dominance by holding their nerves in the clutch and the Pacers blew it with a sitter.

This isn’t the first time that this has happened. Tyrese Haliburton & Co. blew Game 1 after almost defeating the Celtics at TD Garden. With only seconds remaining in the game, Jaylen Brown dropped a heavily contested three-pointer against Pascal Siakam. All these instances have only led to fingers being pointed at one man, Rick Carlisle.

Rick Carlisle and his coaching style

One may criticize Rick Carlisle for drawing up poor plays in the clutch, costing them two games in the Conference Finals. But one can’t deny the revolution that he brought to the side. After his entry, the Pacers became the team with the highest offensive rating in the history of the league with 121.0 points per game.

However, the Celtics were quick to beat them with 123.2 points this season. Nevertheless, the Pacers developed a unique approach to their offense with a fast-paced play. The approach originated from the iconic Seven Seconds or Less rule developed by the Phoenix Suns in the 2005-06 season. Under that approach, the team would look to score the bucket within seven seconds of possession.

The Pacers incorporated a similar approach and dominated their opponents with fast-beak points. Speaking of this approach, the Pacers center, Myles Turner said, “We try to get the ball up [past halfcourt] in two seconds or less,” adding more to the Seven Seconds or Less approach. Moreover, Tyrese Haliburton further added a boost to the approach with his extraordinary passes. He also led the league this season with 10.9 assists per game.

Nevertheless, the team couldn’t cross the line despite posting a massive threat to the Celtics. While the Pacers won a lot of battles in the game, it was the Celtics who won the war with their clutch brilliance. Do you think the Pacers will be able to fight back? Let us know in the comments below.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.