Rick Carlisle Says Pacers Need 'Grit Mindset' as Underdog in Every Game vs. Thunder

The Indiana Pacers have taken a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals, but head coach Rick Carlisle wants his team to approach each game against the Oklahoma City Thunder like scrappy underdogs.

"We're gonna be an underdog in every game in this series," he told reporters Thursday. "It was 10.5 in the first two games, 5.5 last night and then tomorrow [six-point underdogs]. It's a daunting challenge. Anything less than a total grit mindset, we just don't have a chance."

Thus far the Pacers have more than held their own, winning Game 1 after erasing a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter and Game 3 after getting huge efforts off the bench from Bennedict Mathurin (27 points) and T.J. McConnell (10 points, five assists, five steals).

Indiana's pace, depth and remarkable resilience has tested the Thunder, perhaps far more than most people expected, though the Pacers are still two wins away from a title. For them to finally end a championship drought that has existed for as long as the franchise has been in the NBA, Carlisle believes maintaining that underdog mentality will be key.