The Indiana Pacers and their coach, Rick Carlisle, surprise again in the NBA Finals

In January, during the NBA's annual visit to Paris – featuring the phenomenon Victor Wembanyama – Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle recounted having had the "most phenomenal experience" of his life on the streets of the French capital: bus rides between the hotel where the team was staying and the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, slaloming through traffic jams behind two police motorcyclists.

"If these games are half as exciting as the police escorts between the arena and our hotel, these next three days are going to be extraordinary," predicted the technician. Has his group taken inspiration for the rest of the season from these zigzags carried out at high speed, without worrying about road obstacles? At the end of the incredible final stages, the teammates of point guard Tyrese Haliburton are only two victories away from their first title in the major North American basketball league.

On Wednesday, June 11, the Indiana Pacers won the third round of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder (116-107), taking the lead in this best-of-seven series (2-1). On their home turf in Indianapolis – after two first games in Oklahoma – Rick Carlisle's players overcame the franchise with the best record of the season and led by MVP ( Most Valuable Player ) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They delivered a successful collective performance, as is often the case for teams led by the American coach, who has been whitewashed under the shield.

Pacers leaders Tyrese Haliburton (22 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds) and forward Pascal Siakam (21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) were there, but it was mainly thanks to its bench that the team won: the Pacers' substitutes scored 49 points. Canadian Bennedict Mathurin, who scored 27 points, even became the third most prolific bench player in an NBA Finals game, tied with former Dallas Mavericks player Jason Terry in 2011. That year, the Texan franchise – then supervised by… Rick Carlisle – was crowned NBA champion.

"That's the kind of team we are. We need everyone. It won't always be the same people who score points. We do things together," explained the 65-year-old American technician, with a stern expression and austere demeanor. Since his return to Indiana in 2021 – after a first stint between 2003 and 2007 – Rick Carlisle has instilled a new mentality in his troops.

Twenty-five years after their only NBA Finals appearance, lost to the Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Pacers are one step closer to the title that all of Indiana – where fans of the orange ball are the most fervent – ​​has been waiting for since the last ABA ( American Basketball Association , the defunct rival league of the NBA) titles in the 1970s. On Friday, June 13, Tyrese Haliburton and his teammates will have the opportunity to get closer to it, in Game 4, also at home. "We love playing in front of our fans. They deserve high-level basketball, with maximum stakes. That's what we're giving them right now," said the point guard after the game.

Rick Carlisle will be keen to repeat the performance of the summer of 2011, when his Dallas Mavericks defeated superstar LeBron James's star-studded Miami Heat. His Indiana team shares similarities with the Texans, combining a selfless and efficient offense, an underdog mentality that has made a habit of turning around difficult situations – as in Game 1 of the Finals – and a steely defense. From now on, there will be no need for a police escort for Rick Carlisle to have a "phenomenal experience." Two wins will be enough.