Liberal Arts Blog — Indiana Pacers — Reggie Miller (1965 — ), Tyrese Haliburton (2000 — ), Rick Carlisle (1959 — )
Liberal Arts Blog — Saturday is Sports, Dance, Fitness, and All Things Physical Day
Today’s Topic: Indiana Pacers — Reggie Miller (1965 — ), Tyrese Haliburton (2000 — ), Rick Carlisle (1959 — )
The Indiana Pacers are now tied 2–2 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals. Three things to know about the Pacers are: the greatest Pacer of all time (Reggie Miller), the team’s current superstar (Tyrese Haliburton), and its current coach (Rick Carlisle).
When Reggie Miller left the Pacers after 18 years, he held the NBA record for the most career three-point field goals made. Haliburton is a two-time NBA All Star (2023,2024), plays point guard, and is known for his clutch playing. Carlisle is “one of only 14 people to win an NBA championship as both a player (for the Boston Celtics,1986) and as a coach (Dallas Mavericks, 2011). Today, a few more notes on Miller, Haliburton, and Carlisle.
What do you about the Pacers or basketball in general that the rest of us probably don’t but would delight to learn?
The general theme of this series is that the more you know about the more things others care most about the greater your chance for a moment of shared joy with anyone you meet anytime, anywhere.
Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
REGGIE MILLER (1965 — ) “widely regarded as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history,” nicknamed “Knick Killer,” played for the Pacers from 1987 to 2005; 31 jersey retired in 2006
1. Played for UCLA from 1983 to 1987.
2. 5X NBA All Star (1990,1995,1996, 1998,2000)
3. “Eight Points in nine seconds” — “On May 7, 1995, Miller scored eight unanswered points in 8.9 seconds in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Kniciks leading the Pacers to a 107–105 victory.”
NB: Led the league in free throw percentages five times.
TYRESE HALIBURTON (2000 — ) two time NBA All Star (2023,2024), nickname “The Haliban,” known for clutch playing, another nickname is “The Moment,” point guard 6 ft, 5 inches, 185 lbs
1. “Renowned for his ability to create scoring opportunities for teammates with pinpoint passes and excellent court vision.”
2. “On June 5, in his NBA Finals debut, he posted a statline of 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, and scored a game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds left, as the Pacers completed a 15-point comeback to win 111–110 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the series.”
3. “Haliburton’s go-ahead shot with 0.3 seconds left marked the latest game winner in an NBA Finals game since Michael Jordan’s buzzer-beating shot in 1997.”
NB: “The following day on Get Up ESPN sportswriter Brian Windhorst proclaimed that “Haliburton is unequivocally having the greatest run of clutch shooting we have seen in the history of the sport.” In Game 3 of the Finals, Haliburton nearly tallied a triple-double with 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists in a 116–107 victory at home against the Thunder to gain a 2–1 lead in the series.” But now it’s 2–2. How will this end?
RICK CARLISLE — NBA Champion as a player in 1986 for the Boston Celtics and as head coach in 2011 (for the Dallas Mavericks) — only one of 14 people to do be both
1. Head coach of the Pacers from 2003–2007, and then again 2021 to present.
2. As a player, also played for the New York Knicks (1987–88) and the New Jersey Nets (1989).
3. Was also head coach for the Detroit Pistons (2001–2003).
NB: NBA Coach of the Year (2002)
FOOTNOTE — What are pacers?
If you are intrigued by the name “Pacers” — check out the last four links below on the meanings in car racing and horse racing.
Rick Carlisle — Wikipedia
Thunder rally to beat Pacers in Game 4 of NBA Finals 2025: Live updates and reaction
Thunder-Pacers: 5 takeaways as Pacers rally once more for 2–1 series lead
Indianapolis 500 pace cars — Wikipedia
Pacing | horse racing | Britannica
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
My spin — then periodically review, re-rank, and exchange your list with those you love. I call this the “Orion Exchange” because seven is about as many as any human can digest at a time. Game?
For the last four years of posts organized by theme:
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
ATTACHMENTS BELOW:
#1 A graphic guide to justice (9 metaphors on one page).
#2 “39 Songs, Prayers, and Poems: the Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People” — Adams House Senior Common Room Presentation, (11/17/20)
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned this week related to sports, dance, fitness. Or the coolest thing you learned about Sports, Dance, of Fitness in your life — whether on the field, on the dance floor or in the gym, whether from a coach, a parent, a friend, or just your own experimentation.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. Or even change their life. It’s perhaps a chance to put into words something you have never articulated before. And to cement in your own memory something cool you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than otherwise about something dear to your heart.
