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Virginia Basketball Legend Rick Carlisle Leads The Indiana Pacers To Their First NBA Finals Appearance Since 2000

Jackson Caudell

May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle watches play downcourt during the second quarter against the New York Knicks of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle watches play downcourt during the second quarter against the New York Knicks of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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The University of Virginia is going to be represented in the NBA Finals. Former Cavaliers guard Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers were able to defeat the New York Knicks tonight in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals. This is the first time that the Pacers have appeared in the Finals since 2000, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in what happened to be the first title for the Kobe Bryant and Shaq duo. Carlisle is attempting to win his second NBA Championship as a head coach, as he won the 2011 NBA title as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

Carlisle of course played for Virginia back in the 1980's, helping lead the Cavaliers to the Final Four in 1984. He averaged 11.1 points and 2.9 assists per game for the Cavaliers before heading to the NBA as a third-round draft pick.

Will he be able to lead the Pacers to an NBA Finals victory over the dominant Oklahoma City Thunder? Indiana is going to be a sizeable underdog in the upcoming series, but they have been the underdog in two straight series. Against the Knicks and the Cavaliers in the conference semifinals, Indiana was also an underdog and they won both series comfortably.

In his title run with the Mavericks back in 2011, Carlisle's team also got to play the role of a big underdog when they faced the Miami Heat. In one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history, the Mavericks were able to beat LeBron James and the Heat in six games, shocking the sports world in doing so. This is going to require a similar effort, as the Thunder won 68 games during the regular season and have had one of the most dominant seasons of all-time.

The NBA Finals is set to begin on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Jackson Caudell
JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell

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