At the NBA Finals, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle is trying to shine a light on what he considers an important cause.

The Indiana Pacers have taken a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals, but head coach Rick Carlisle wants his team to approach each game against the Oklahoma City Thunder like scrappy underdogs.

The Pacers made just 5 of 18 shots in the fourth quarter of Game 4 and saw their hopes of a 3-1 lead over the Thunder disappear

The Indiana Pacers remain a heavy underdog in the NBA Finals despite having a lead in the series, and it sounds like head coach Rick Carlisle is determined to use that to his advantage.

Indy's head coach benched his starters with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 2 and the Pacers down by 14 points. A big enough deficit to believe the game was out of reach under normal circumstances,

Rick Carlisle will continue his pursuit for a third NBA championship on Wednesday, when the Pacers host the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Indianapolis.

Tyrese Haliburton credits Rick Carlisle as a 'basketball savant' who elevated his game as the Pacers lead the Thunder 2-1 in the NBA Finals.

No one else has even made the NBA Finals, except for head coach Rick Carlisle. Carlisle has now been to the NBA Finals six times. He won the title as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, coaching Dirk Nowitski to a championship over the Miami Heat.

Coach Rick Carlisle has led the Indiana Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals. He joined former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee.