The Indiana Pacers are dealing with a disappointing start to the 2024-25 campaign, and their NBA Cup debut did nothing to combat their slow start. Granted, the team is dealing with injuries to a few key players, but their core—their star players—are all in the lineup but have only managed a 5-7 record in a conference that, given their talent, should have them posting a much better wins-loss stat.
Pacers ‘Ugly’ NBA Cup Loss Piles Onto Frustrating Season
Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle Takes Blame for ‘Ugly’ Loss in NBA Cup Debut
The Pacers came out victorious in the East in last season’s inaugural NBA Cup but eventually fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals in Las Vegas. Their bid to come out of the East again this time around began with a thud in a 124-111 loss to the Miami Heat—another Eastern Conference team struggling this season. At one point, the Heat were up by 22 in the third quarter. Indiana’s stars, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton, and Myles Turner, were collectively underwhelming in the contest. It was their bench that provided whatever life the Pacers had from guys like Obi Toppin (21 points) and T.J. McConnell (14 points).
It wasn’t the disappointing loss—and on their home floor, mind you—that got the most attention, though. It was the boo’s and jeers from the Pacers fans that really drove home the team’s ugly play. That exact word, ugly, was the word Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle used when he spoke with the media following their first NBA Cup matchup.
“Ugly game, a lot of ugly stretches, pretty clear that I didn’t have these guys ready to play,” he said after the game. “Put the responsibility on me, I got to do a better job getting these guys prepared. It was embarrassing, there were two stretches where our fans booed, and rightly so. I was ashamed to hear that, but they were right.”
Carlisle knows that his team is better than the product they displayed on Friday night. He addressed that when alluding to the rematch with the Heat on Sunday on their home floor.
“We’ll get together tomorrow and look at some of this stuff and do what we need to do to do better.”
Much Better Than They’re Playing
It has been a strange start to the year for the East. Teams that should be atop the conference are at the bottom, such as the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. Playoff-contending teams like the New York Knicks, Heat, and Pacers are currently only at .500 or a game or two under. The team that was likely expected to be undefeated has three losses—the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 14-0, which was highly unexpected.
It’s a weird scenario right now, but things will surely open up as the season progresses. Whatever is going on with the Pacers is likely to balance out, given that this is a team that is much better than their record shows. Haliburton is a superstar, and Siakam is an All-Star in his own right. The injuries to Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith haven’t helped either. Getting them back in the next few weeks should benefit Indiana in the long run. As for now, Indiana simplyneeds to play better—up to their talent and skill level. As Carlisle stated, they have a second opportunity against the Heat on Sunday to do that.
