OKLAHOMA CITY — The drive between the little upstate New York towns of Lisbon and Ogdensburg, by Rick Carlisle’s recollection, would take about eight minutes. In that part of the world, in the St. Lawrence valley just a few miles south of Canada, that’s like going next door.

While Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is locked in on defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, he's also keeping a pulse on what's happening around the league. After defeating the New York Knicks in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals, he was stunned to learn the team fired head coach Tom Thibodeau.