The Indiana Pacers remain a heavy underdog in the NBA Finals despite having a lead in the series, and it sounds like head coach Rick Carlisle is determined to use that to his advantage.
Carlisle was asked on Thursday about the Oklahoma City Thunder being favored to beat the Pacers in the Finals even with Indiana up 2-1 in the series. The coach said he expects his team to be an underdog in every game in the series, just like it has been thus far.
Carlisle also made it very clear that he has paid close attention to betting lines.
“We’re gonna be an underdog in every game in this series,” Carlisle told reporters. “It was 10.5 (points) in the first two games, 5.5 (in Game 3) and then (in Game 4). It’s a daunting challenge. Anything less than a total-grit mind set, and we just don’t have a chance.”
