Carlisle: From the bottom to the championship, how can we use four years to transform the Pacers?

He is an NBA champion coach over 60 years old, and an avid pilot and piano enthusiast. During his four years of coaching in the Pacers, he has been the bottom team in the league in the past two years and led the championship contender. This guy is Rick Carlisle.

Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals for two consecutive years. Players praised the coach for their ability to adjust their tactics according to their talents. Carlisle said that the tactics are simple: it is to outperform the opponent.

Carlisle didn't know how to transform the team at first, and it was not until he came to Halliburton from the Kings' deal that he clarified the direction.

Earlier last season, Carlisle established a new system for the Pacers: becoming the best physical, fastest and most selfless team in the league. The Pacers, led by Halliburton, are getting faster and faster, scoring 122 points per 100 possessions, one of the most efficient offenses in NBA history.

Other NBA teams quickly learned the Pacers' new playing style. Fans felt Enzyme Changli's victory. Last season, the Pacers passed the hurdles and reached the final of the mid-season championship and won the runner-up.

Recalling back then, Carlisle coached the Pistons for the first time, he was stiff about the players, management and the media.

At that time, the Pistons' game was slow, and Carlisle would command every tactic on the sidelines and show a strong desire for control.

Carlisle is still strict now and occasionally shouts, but he has learned to delegate power.

Carlisle changed his strict coaching process in his first season with the Mavericks.

The team started badly at the time, and Carlisle began to observe the players and planned to stimulate their potential.

Carlisle saw Kidd in the team and realized that the league's top point guard had no less understanding of the game than him.

So Carlisle decided to let Kidd take control of the game, and the Mavericks that season finally won 50 wins and reached the division semi-finals.

Although he is over 60 years old, Carlisle has a way to keep himself sharp, that is, to play the piano.

When he was in college, Carlisle studied piano by himself, and this hobby became his lifelong passion.

Carlisle has a strict concept of time. In order to better connect with players and visit his parents, he began learning about aircraft flying techniques ten years ago.

Carlisle's dream of flying originated from his brother's motivation. He worked as a sheriff's brother for 20 years. He decided to study law at the age of 48 and finally became a lawyer as he wished.

Carlisle admitted: I am eager to accept new challenges. Flying and coaching basketball have similarities, both require rigorous operating procedures, spatial perception ability, situation judgment awareness, etc.

Because he can fly a plane, Carlisle will now fly to his South Carolina residence in the summer, and can also participate in player training, coaching meetings and summer special training programs in time, and he also has more time to spend with his family.

The piano keeps Carlisle quick-thinking, flying teaches him that when the route is biased, fine-tuning can bring everything back on track.

The same is true for NBA coaches, and through subtle adjustments, the game situation will be normalized.

NBA game format continues to evolve, and Carlisle is absorbing new knowledge every day to improve the art of communication.

14 years ago, Carlisle coached the Mavericks and won the championship, and now he is chasing the second O'Brien Cup.

Although still work as a coach in the NBA, it is obvious that Carlisle is more Zen now coaching, learning to delegate power, outperform his opponents, and finally win the championship.