NBA FINALS: THUNDER VS. PACERS

June 16, 2025

Rick Carlisle

Indiana Pacers

Game 5: Postgame

Oklahoma City Thunder 120, Indiana Pacers 109

Q. How is Tyrese and do you think the leg injury affected how he played today?

RICK CARLISLE: He's not a hundred percent. It's pretty clear. But I don't think he's going to miss the next game. We were concerned at halftime, and he insisted on playing. I thought he made a lot of really good things happen in the second half.

But he's not a hundred percent. There's a lot of guys in the series that aren't.

Q. Seemed like Jalen Williams attacked the rim a lot today and you weren't able to stop him. What can you do differently in Game 6 to try to contain him?

RICK CARLISLE: Get in front of him. Keep him from driving. Communicate better. Have help when necessary. In today's game, the drives to the rim, most of them happen at the point of attack. We could do better.

Nobody is asking about turnovers. We had 23 turnovers for 32 points. That's the game. We've got to do a heck of a lot better there.

Q. You guys get it down to two on that Siakam three, eight and a half minutes to go. What turned from there --

RICK CARLISLE: What happened? They got a second-chance opportunity and scored, and then we had an uncharacteristically bad turnover that turned into a dunk.

We called timeout. Came out. I think Myles got fouled. Got it back to five. But then I don't remember. I just looked at part of that sequence to see what happened. Didn't make enough plays, pretty clearly.

Q. Can you take us back the to third quarter, T.J. McConnell was an engine to get you back in the game. What did you like there, and did you consider coming back to him earlier in the fourth quarter?

RICK CARLISLE: He was great in the third. Put him in earlier than normal. He was very tired. That's why we got him out. I think there was a play early in the fourth where it looked like fatigue had set in there.

Then Ty was back in, and then that group went on a good run there. Yeah, it's always a consideration. But I haven't gone through the entire game and completely analyzed the whole thing.

Q. Knowing it's the NBA Finals and guys are going to play unless they absolutely can't, what does it say about Ty that he was willing to play 34 minutes on one leg?

RICK CARLISLE: Yeah, I got him out early toward the end of the first half for two or three minutes because he just wasn't moving well. He was tired, too. He got back in and seemed okay. Then halftime, we talked about it. Went through this whole thing already.

But yeah, all these guys playing in this series on both sides. I think it's pretty clear now that we're going into the sixth game, and all attention and the crowd noise in both arenas, everything, this is a lifetime opportunity. Not many guys are going to sit, even if they are a little banged up.

If you're injured, that's a different story. But we'll evaluate everything with Tyrese and see how he wakes up tomorrow.