Former Dallas Mavericks Coach Wins First NBA Playoffs Series Since 2011 NBA Finals

Rick Carlisle finally broke a long losing streak in the Playoffs as his Indiana Pacers upset the Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games

Nov 29, 2019; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle with guard Tim Hardaway / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It's been 13 years since the Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Finals. For some, it feels like yesterday. For former head coach Rick Carlisle, it probably felt like an eternity, as he just won his first NBA Playoffs series as a head coach since those Finals.

Now the head coach for the 6-seeded Indiana Pacers, Carlisle guided his young squad to a first-round upset against the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks in six games, capped off by a 120-98 win in Indiana Thursday night. The Bucks were playing without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Damian Lillard tried to play through a sore Achilles tendon.

Rick Carlisle wins his first playoff series since the 2011 NBA Finals 👏 pic.twitter.com/UTunzYtR7q

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 3, 2024

Carlisle and the Mavericks went their separate ways after the 2021 Playoffs, a series the Mavericks lost in 7 games to the Los Angeles Clippers. The pairing had made the Playoffs six times following the 2011 NBA Finals, losing in the first round every time, most infamously pushing the eventual 2014 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs to 7 games, the longest series the Spurs would have that postseason.

The first postseason following the departure of Carlisle ended in a Western Conference Finals run for the Mavericks, as his former point guard Jason Kidd guided Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson to a win over the Utah Jazz in the first round, a second-round upset of the top-seeded Phoenix Suns, before losing to the Golden State Warriors in the West Finals.

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Carlisle landed with the Pacers after he departed from Dallas, the team he was coaching before being hired by Mark Cuban and the Mavericks in 2008. It's taken a few years for the Pacers to rebuild, but the trades for Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam in recent years, plus one of the highest paces of play and offensive rating in the league have the Pacers set to play the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Mavericks will look to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals Friday in Game 6 against the Clippers, which will be at 8:30 p.m. CST from American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks Embrace Defensive Identity Entering Possible Closeout Game 6 Against Clippers

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