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The 10 Greatest Coaches in Indiana Pacers History

By Jon Washburn

Mar 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel calls out a play from the bench in the second half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Brooklyn Nets beat the Indiana Pacers by the score of 123-111. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel calls out a play from the bench in the second half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Brooklyn Nets beat the Indiana Pacers by the score of 123-111. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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#5. Rick Carlisle

Rick Carlisle
Rick Carlisle /

Overall: 181-147  

Playoff Record: 18-17

  • 2003-04: 61-21  1st in East, reached Conference Finals; 10-6 in Playoffs
  • 2004-05: 44-38  6th (out of 15) in East, reached Conference Semi-Finals; 6-7 in Playoffs
  • 2005-06: 41-41  6th (out of 15) in East; 2-4 in Playoffs
  • 2006-07: 35-47  9th (out of 15) in East

Larry Bird’s old assistant coach took over for Isiah Thomas in 2003 and immediately led the Pacers to the Conference’s best record.

The 2004 Conference Finals between the Pacers and Pistons has gone down as one of the most complex and competitive “hidden series” of the decade. Sure, it’s hidden because those games were brutal to watch and nobody would ever choose to watch them again, but Carlisle and Larry Brown took turns making series-changing tactical adjustments from game to game.

Carlisle tinkered with Austin Croshere in some small-ball action, while the Pistons kept things big with the Wallace brothers. In the end, the Pistons just had a few more creators and went on to win the NBA Finals over the Lakers.

The next season, the Pacers looked to be the class of the league when The Brawl happened, and Carlisle’s tenure with Indiana was ultimately doomed. Looking back, some of Carlisle’s best work was probably done with his less-loaded teams. Somehow, he got that Brawl-depleted roster to the Eastern Conference semi-finals and even managed to win 35 games with a team that revolved around a young Danny Granger and Jermaine O’Neal’s creaky knees.

One could easily envision a different scenario where Carlisle is much higher on this list, but as it stands, he finishes just outside of Indiana’s Mt. Rushmore.

Next: Up Next: #4. The Man, The Myth, The Legend

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