‘You learn from it’: Ex-Hawks coach Pierce thriving with Pacers in NBA Finals

The Pacers won an exhilarating opening game of the NBA Finals over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night after trailing by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter. A midrange jumper by guard Tyrese Haliburton with three-tenths of a second left capped a 32-16 Pacers run over the final 10 minutes.

It’s just the latest in a whirlwind breakthrough season for the Pacers, who emerged from the Eastern Conference as the No. 4 seed, while the Thunder had the league’s best record and entered the NBA Finals as a heavy favorite.

For Pierce, the transition to the Pacers had been a valuable learning experience in building a championship contender and developing the roster and its young stars.

“Our opportunity here has been kind of an ongoing process from the start,” Pierce told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the eve of the finals. “How do we figure out who needs to stay and who needs to go, and what are we looking to do here in Indy? Once we got Tyrese, the opportunity was kind of presented easily — play fast. We got a willing point guard. We have a fascinating and dynamic point guard, and then who can we complement and add to a guy that gives us a unique skill set.

“Myles (Turner), has the ability to space the floor as a five man. Obi (Toppin), his ability to stretch the floor the way he runs. And we got a lot of guys that can put the ball on the floor, shoot and defend. But the biggest thing for us, honestly, is we brought in a lot of people that have high character, and so the opportunity to build something from the ground, you get to hand pick, and our management has done a great job of just getting the right people in the building.”

Pierce’s outlook on coaching has evolved, especially after he took the time to reflect on his tenure as the Hawks’ coach.

“I tell people this all the time, ‘You’re ready for the opportunity, not necessarily for the job, because the job entails so much more than the basketball and the X’s and O’s,” said Pierce, whose Hawks tenure ended with a 63-120 record over 2½ seasons. “So, to have had the opportunity to make the decision is the experience. Whether you got it right or wrong, that’s not for me to determine. But to be able to make the decision is the job.

“And I’ve had three years of making the decision — from where are we eating for dinner on the road. to what time are we traveling and leaving, to who am I putting in these seats in these positions? So decision-making is, by far and large, the greatest experience. You learn from it.”

The Pacers largely have leaned on Pierce’s offensive expertise. In the playoffs, the Pacers have played with the third fastest pace. They’ve had the second most-efficient offense, putting up an average of 119.7 points per 100 possessions.

“Basketball-wise, he has great experience,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “He understands the game. He played the game. A lot of people don’t know he played with Steve Nash at Santa Clara. He learned about running the floor. Put his hand up, going for lobs, stuff like that.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about that. I just think he has great knowledge of the game on (offense and defense). He’s really more involved (with the offense) the last couple years. But he has great wisdom and knowledge of the game.

“The thing I like about him for me is that when there’s a situation that comes up, he will almost always have a different take on it, which will cause me to pause and rethink. Very fortunate to have him.”

Pierce’s experience with developing players such as Trae Young, John Collins, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish helped to prepare him for his role with the Pacers. Just two players remain on the Pacer’s roster that Carlisle inherited when he took over at the start of the 2021-22 season.

“When we got to Indiana, they were in decision-making mode about what that current roster looked like and if they needed to retool it, rebuild it or just change it up,” Pierce said. “And that’s essentially what happened. So we both had experience with, obviously he’s got a ton of experience in general, but we both had experience with turning over a roster and starting to develop a culture and an environment that worked. It took a little bit of time, but it seemed to happen one chip after the next, getting Tyrese, getting Obi Toppin, getting Pascal Siakam and getting Aaron Nesmith.”

But many of the Pacers have praised Pierce’s ability to put them in positions to succeed.

“L.P. has been amazing ever since I got here,“ Toppin told the AJC on Wednesday. ”He helped me tremendously understand what I need to do offensively to help this team win. He does that with all the guys. He’s super willing to help everybody. He wants to see everybody succeed. He’s been amazing. Our offense is what it is because of him and coach Carlisle.”

Toppin made five 3-pointers in the Pacers’ Game 1 win, with his final one cutting the deficit to single digits for the last time.

It’s also Pierce’s calming demeanor in the face of chaos the Pacers players have come to value.

“I think his presence is a very calming presence when he speaks, and every guy is moving a little bit quick,” Nesmith said following Thursday’s game. “He does a really good job of bringing people back down and keeping people in the moment. So, yeah, that’s actually a good word I use to describe L.P.”

That’s just a part of who Pierce is.

“I’m just not a stressed person,” he said. “So, when I got let go, Travis Schlenk, who was the GM, when he came to tell me, I shook his hand and I gave him a hug. I said, ‘Thank you.’ Everyone in this profession has been fired at some point or will be fired at some point. To get the opportunity is always a blessing. I’m not going to dwell on someone that gave me an opportunity that they now have to reverse course. I’m going to thank you for the opportunity. My family is going to thank you. And as a professional, this is the start of what is to come.”