CLEVELAND, Ohio — As the Indiana Pacers continue their impressive playoff run, the latest episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast highlighted a critical factor in their success that often goes underappreciated: the massive advantage of having Rick Carlisle’s championship-tested coaching acumen on their side.
The contrast between Carlisle’s playoff mastery and the learning curve facing head coaches like Kenny Atkinson of the Cavs has become increasingly evident as the postseason progresses.
Despite Atkinson’s regular-season success, the playoffs revealed a different challenge entirely.
“Not everybody is Rick Carlisle, No. 1. As good as Kenny Atkinson is — and he was Coach of the Year. ... Not everybody is Rick Carlisle,” noted Chris Fedor on the podcast, acknowledging the significant experience gap between the two coaches.
This disparity became even more pronounced when Ethan Sands shared a telling statistic: “Rick Carlisle became the 11th most winningest coach in playoff history tonight, tying George Karl and Lenny Wilkins. ... Kenny Atkinson has six playoff wins in 14 playoff games total. There’s an experience gap there that Kenny Atkinson is learning as well.”
The podcast discussion revealed how this experience gap manifested in specific coaching decisions.
While Atkinson narrowed his rotation in the playoffs — moving away from the depth-oriented approach that helped Cleveland win 64 games during the regular season — Carlisle maintained trust in his system and players regardless of the stakes.
“It’s not just Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs that are trying to figure this out. Trying to figure out how they can create other options, especially like how the Pacers are doing it,” Sands referenced maintaining each team’s depth while leaning into their star players. “I think it’s a great blueprint that Rick Carlisle has \[created\], especially when we talk about Kenny Atkinson ... and I think Kenny went away from that in the playoffs. He said the playoffs just call for a smaller rotation. Well, that’s not what got you there. That’s not the mentality, the depth chart that you’ve been preaching the entire season. So why would that change? Rick Carlisle is showing you that it doesn’t have to \[change\].”
Perhaps most importantly, the podcast highlighted how Carlisle’s experience allows him to intervene at precisely the right moments, maintaining the team’s identity even under extreme pressure.
Jimmy Watkins explained the challenge Atkinson faced in this regard: “The Cavs were just got so used to being a self-sustaining machine that I think it got harder for Kenny to figure out when and how to interrupt that.”
This insight speaks to the delicate balance coaches must strike between empowering players and asserting control.
Carlisle’s decades of experience have given him an intuitive understanding of when to pull which levers—something that simply cannot be replicated without having weathered numerous playoff storms.
For Cavs fans, this analysis provides valuable context for understanding the team’s second-round exit.
While talent and execution certainly matter, the strategic advantage provided by a coach with Carlisle’s playoff pedigree cannot be overlooked.
As Atkinson continues to gain postseason experience, his ability to make these crucial adjustments will likely improve.
The Pacers’ success under Carlisle offers a blueprint for what playoff-ready coaching looks like — maintaining team identity under pressure, trusting role players in big moments, and knowing exactly when to intervene versus when to let players work through challenges.
To hear the complete breakdown of how coaching experience is shaping this year’s playoff landscape, don’t miss the full episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, where the hosts deliver expert analysis on the critical differences between seasoned playoff coaches and those still finding their postseason footing.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Wine and Gold Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._