Rick Carlisle on why he pulled his starters early: The Pacers opened the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals facing a 13-point deficit. While the prospect of a comeback felt like an uphill battle, particularly on the road in Boston, it was far from a settled scoreline.
So it was with a degree of surprise that Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had bench player Doug McDermott — having not played serious minutes since the start of the playoffs — on the floor to open the fourth. He later replaced several other starters, giving bench players (including McDermott, who played the entire quarter) an extended look.