Ahead of the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 2016, the Indiana Pacers received a little extra motivation — at least in the eyes of their head coach. Asked about his team’s ability to bring out its best effort and execution in high-pressure moments, Rick Carlisle had a pointed answer.
“I just saw a video that’s probably going to go viral of some buses — open-top buses — presumably for their parade that are already painted with them as champions, so that’s all I’m thinking about right now,” Carlisle said shortly before Sunday night’s showdown between the Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here’s the interaction in full:
The video in question does indeed feature workers preparing buses adorned with images of the Larry O’Brien trophy and “2025 Champions” text on the side.
Carlisle, who was part of a championship parade when he coached the 2010-11 Mavericks to an upset of the Heat, certainly wasn’t pleased by the development. Of course, the Pacers have already overcome long odds, defeating the East’s No. 1 seed — the Cleveland Cavaliers — as well as the New York Knicks en route to the Finals. And even the Finals against the Thunder, who won 68 regular-season games, has lasted longer than many predicted.
The Pacers are looking for their first NBA title.
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