Rick Carlisle Calls on Pacers Fans for Game 5

Alex Kirschenbaum | Apr 29, 2025

Apr 25, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle yells out to his team during game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

In their lopsided first-round playoff series, the No. 4-seeded Indiana Pacers are on the cusp of putting the No. 5-seeded Milwaukee Bucks out of their misery.

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After a 129-103 Pacers blowout victory, Milwaukee trails Indiana 3-1 in their ongoing best-of-seven matchup. The Pacers have thoroughly outclassed the Bucks in every aspect of play, despite the Bucks boasting the best player in the series on their side, in two-time league MVP power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks also lost nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard early in Game 4, when he suffered a left Achilles tendon tear that knocked him out of the rest of the playoffs — and will likely keep the 34-year-old sidelined for most or perhaps all of the 2025-26 season, too.

Damian Lillard underwent an MRI today that revealed a torn left Achilles tendon. Lillard will miss the remainder of the 2025 playoffs and undergo surgery to repair the injury. pic.twitter.com/Ag0jYBOh9n

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 28, 2025

Per Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic, Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle is looking for the team to close out the Bucks at home in Game 5 on Tuesday night. The Pacers' interconnected, pace-and-space approach, which has seen All-Stars Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton rise and fall with the output of their teammates, has allowed the club to withstand Antetokounmpo's Herculean individual efforts.

“We’re the kind of team that needs a lot of heroes,” Carlisle said. “That’s why we’re built on depth. We’re built on camaraderie, a connected spirit."

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Antetokounmpo may be a one-man fastbreak, but the rest of his team is plodding.

“We keep trying to make it hard,” Carlisle said. “He scores at the rim. We got to get it in quick and make him run. We’re a team that’s gotta play fast, gotta play with persistence. And we gotta try to wear down the opponent as best we can.”

The Pacers have been able to match Antetokounmpo's interior play through piecemeal efforts. 3-and-D center Myles Turner was the star of Game 4, scoring a team-high 23 points.

MYLES TURNER POSTER INCOMING 😳 pic.twitter.com/V3rkvAWLZg

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 28, 2025

The Pacers connected on 60.2 percent of their field goals and 46.2 percent of their 3-point attempts in the contest.

Now, Carlisle is looking for the Gainbridge Fieldhouse faithful to help propel his team to an encore performance.

“We need our crowd to be the loudest it’s been all year,” Carlisle said. “Elimination games are always the most difficult. We’ve heard that cliché many, many, many times, probably too many, but that’s how it’s going to be. And we got to be ready.”

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For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.