Pacers Coach Joins Ex-Pistons Coach in Elite NBA Category

Rick Carlisle is the latest NBA coach to join a special category.

May 29, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle looks on in the first quarter against the New York Knicks during game five of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

As the Indiana Pacers closed out their Game 6 battle against the New York Knicks with a victory, they punched their ticket to the 2025 NBA Finals.

For Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, he added another trip to the NBA Finals to his resume. As a result, he steps foot into an elite NBA coaching category, joining the former Detroit Pistons head coach, Larry Brown.

via @townbrad: Rick Carlisle (Mavericks, Pacers) joins a select group of coaches to take 2 franchises to The Finals. Others include: Alex Hannum (Celtics, Lakers), Red Auebach (Capitols, Celtics), Phil Jackson (Bulls, Lakers), Pat Riley (Lakers, Knicks, Heat), Larry Brown (Sixers, Pistons)

Rick Carlisle (Mavericks, Pacers) joins a select group of coaches to take 2 franchises to The Finals.

Others include:

Alex Hannum (Celtics, Lakers)
Red Auebach (Capitols, Celtics)
Phil Jackson (Bulls, Lakers)
Pat Riley (Lakers, Knicks, Heat)
Larry Brown (Sixers, Pistons)

— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) June 1, 2025

Carlisle’s coaching career started back in 1989, when he became an assistant with the New Jersey Nets. His first opportunity to become a head coach came with the Pistons in 2001. His stint in Detroit would last two seasons—both were 50-win efforts. In year one of the Carlisle era, the Pistons lost in round two. In year two, they dropped out in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Pistons pursued Larry Brown after his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers concluded. The move was a successful one, considering the Pistons went to the NBA Finals in 2004, winning the NBA Championship.

Carlisle didn’t win his first NBA title in his post-Detroit stop, which was in Indiana, but he got one during the 2011 NBA Playoffs with the Dallas Mavericks. After Carlisle finished a long run in Dallas, he returned to the Pacers in 2021. After back-to-back seasons of missing the playoffs and losing in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, Carlisle is back in the Finals for the first time since he won it with Dallas.