One of Rick Carlisle’s best coaching jobs came in 2011, and we’re not talking about pushing the right buttons that got the Mavericks the NBA championship that season.
Sure, that was impressive.
But more jaw-dropping – or maybe jaw-clenching? – was that Carlisle got Mark Cuban to agree to a gag order. It was self-imposed, sort of. But certainly it had Carlisle’s blessing. 
The outspoken owner of the Mavericks at the time stopped holding court with media members during the NBA Finals. Did it make a difference? It certainly took some of the focus off of the officiating, which always is a topic in the playoffs.
And then, when the Mavericks closed out the Heat in Miami in Game 6, Carlisle got to the interview room and announced: “Our owner is now available for interviews.”
Lots of water has passed under the bridge since then. Carlisle stayed with the Mavericks until the 2020-21 season, then parted ways and has been the Indiana Pacers head coach the past three-plus seasons.
On Tuesday, he was back at American Airlines Center, the arena that has played such a big part of Carlisle’s career – not only so many glorious moments as the Mavs’ head coach, but also where he coached his first game as a head coach in 2001, the day the building officially hosted its first NBA game.
Carlisle’s Detroit Pistons were the opponent, a game the Mavericks won 94-87. And then, in 2008, Mark Cuban made the decision to hire Carlisle as the Mavericks coach to replace Avery Johnson.
On Tuesday, Carlisle didn’t do much looking backward. He is too immersed in the Pacers’ plight, which includes a slew of injuries and the fact that the Pacers had to deal with Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson on Tuesday.
Carlisle said the puzzle of defending the Mavericks, and Luka in particular, hasn’t really changed much.
“There’s no good answer,” Carlisle said. “He’s so great against double teams, so creative. And in today’s game, it’s getting harder to blitz most players because you’re so spread out and there’s such great shooting. There really aren’t any great answers except you hope he misses shots.”
The Pacers are a fast-playing team. They try to push the pace on every possession. The Mavericks like to do that, too, but not to the extent that the Pacers do.
But Carlisle remains a big fan of the Mavericks. Last season, he said that they had a legitimate shot to come out of the Western Conference, which the Mavericks did.
The Pacers weren’t bad, either, reaching the Eastern Conference finals before losing to eventual NBA champ Boston.
The Pacers have struggled early, but have played a challenging schedule with seven of their first 11 on the road.
“These guys are great,” Carlisle said of the Mavericks. “Luka, Kyrie and adding Klay Thompson. But guys like P.J. Washington, he’s like a top-two player on a lot of rosters. And their bigs are developing and getting better. They’ve got a great top nine or 10 guys.”
And as for the acquisition of Thompson?
“The shooting is there, it’s always been there and it will be always there,” he said. “He’s just that great at what he does. Championship experience. A great vet. You got three guys who I would think will be in the hall of fame. And Jason’s doing a great job with this team.”
Good vibes in the lab: The Mavericks have been a mixed bag early in the season, although the bottom line has been mostly successful.
Coach Jason Kidd said that, no matter how things look in the early going, he’s seeing the things he wants to see.
“The care factor is extremely high,” Kidd said. “Some would say we’re not playing well, we’re not shooting well, but it’s a marathon. This is game (seven). We’re working at all those things, but the chemistry has been very high.
“We learn every time we take the floor. That’s what we talk about, figuring this thing out. And we’re going in the right direction.”
Kidd also said it’s always a good test for his team and himself when he’s coaching against Carlisle.
“We know each other well,” Kidd said. “I played for him, we’ve coached against each other. He’s a hall of fame coach. I don’t know how many plays he has in his playbook right now. But when he was here, he had a lot of plays that we had to run. But that’s the nature of the game (then vs. now).”
Achilles injury can be overcome: The Pacers got a tough blow when fourth-year big man Isaiah Jackson went down on Friday at New Orleans and suffered a ruptured Achilles.
Carlisle compared it to some of the things he went through while he was coaching the Mavericks.
“It’s unlucky, but the good news is he’s very young (24),” Carlisle said. “We had two guys here in Dallas who made full recoveries from Achilles injuries. J.J. Barea did it in his 30s as a point guard. And Dwight Powell did it in his late 20s playing the same position (as Jackson). Kevin Durant has (recovered).
“Guys are making it back. At his age, his chances to make a full recovery are very, very good. It’s going to take awhile. It’s a lot of work. I remember what Dwight went through. There are some painful aspects to it. But it can be done.”
Briefly: The Mavericks had a late scratch when center Dereck Lively II was ruled out pregame with a right shoulder sprain . . . The Pacers also were without Aaron Nesmith, who is in a walking boot, Carlisle said. He also gave out pregame well-wishes to San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who is out with an unspecified health issue . . . The Pacers made a surprise appearance in the Eastern Conference finals last season and Carlisle said that, other than getting healthier, two players are critical to Indiana keeping their upward trajectory going. “It’s going to be the development of (Benedict) Mathurin and (Jarace) Walker. (They) weren’t really part of the run in the playoffs. Mathurin was injured and Walker didn’t play in the rotation. And these guys, now, as banged up as we are, it’s a great opportunity for them. Mathurin has had some very strong games the last couple and Walker did some good things in New Orleans. We’re trying to develop these guys and win games. It’s a task. But it can be done, but we got to have everybody playing well to do it.”
X: @ESefko
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