Singlehandedly carrying Indiana on his back, Carlisle acknowledged the effort of his star forward despite the rough season.
The Indiana Pacers needed 12 more minutes on Tuesday to finally savor a win for such a long time, leading 93-84 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Indiana Pacers / Schedule
Yet in the end, the Pacers endured an unfortunate result and absorbed a 120-116 loss right at the buzzer. They failed to stop the Cavaliers' aggressive rally down the stretch behind Darius Garland, who dropped 14 of his game-high 29 points.
Instead of ending their league-worst skid, the Pacers just set a new franchise record by dropping 13 straight games. Their win-loss card worsened to 6-31, which stands as the lowest in the NBA.
This has been a forgettable nightmare season for the Pacers following a historic 2025 Finals run, and Rick Carlisle can only feel bad about the weight that Pascal Siakam is carrying.
“The guy I feel for the most is Pascal Siakam," Carlisle said in the postgame. "He’s an All-Star, and my sincerest hope is that fans, fellow players, and the media recognize the kind of year he’s having—the level of excellence, the integrity he plays with, and his impressive character.
"I feel for him because I know how badly he wants to win and bring joy to the fans. Anyone with a vote or a computer in front of them, please give Pascal Siakam a vote—he’s been incredible.”
Siakam delivered 22 points against the Cavs, but it ended up as another frustrating losing effort for him.
The reigning Eastern Conference MVP only missed one game this season, averaging 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists. And it's certainly awful that despite his near-perfect availability in guiding the Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton out for the rest of the year, Indiana's downslide doesn't stop.
As their 2025-26 campaign is beyond repair already, Carlisle and the Pacers can only hope that Siakam will still earn a well-deserved acknowledgement for his stellar individual season and resiliency all year long.
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