"Carlisle's injury-depleted Pacers lost in seemingly every possible way -- embarrassing blowouts, crushing fourth-quarter collapses, giving away leads late. On Thursday, they finally found an answer -- as Carlisle's teams often do. He's succeeded as a coach because he never lowered his standards, always expecting to compete for championships. That unrelenting approach helped him forge a lifelong friendship with Larry Bird and persuaded three teams to hire him as a head coach. He won a championship with Dallas in 2011."
"All it took was for the Pacers to score final five points in the final minute against the Hornets. For Carlisle, the prevailing emotion was relief. "I'm so happy for our players," said Carlisle, who hugged his assistants and players after the win. "The last month has been so challenging in so many ways. We have an amazing group of guys who continue to fight through thick and thin.""
Rick Carlisle reached his 1,000th career coaching win when the Pacers beat the Hornets 114-112 in Charlotte, becoming the 11th coach to hit the milestone and the first since Doc Rivers in November 2021. The Pacers scored the final five points in the last minute to secure the victory. Pascal Siakam scored on a driving layup with 11.5 seconds remaining and T.J. McConnell stole the ensuing inbounds pass. Ben Sheppard made 1 of 2 free throws, and Collin Sexton missed a potential tying jumper in the final seconds. Carlisle's roster has been injury-depleted and suffered a 13-game franchise losing streak, but Carlisle has maintained high standards and previously won an NBA championship with Dallas in 2011.
Read at ESPN.com
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