Waiting on the playoffs: Busy Wednesday at the Fieldhouse with Caitlin Clark's arrival and Tyrese Haliburton named to U.S. Olympic team
Waiting on the playoffs: Busy Wednesday at the Fieldhouse with Caitlin Clark's arrival and Tyrese Haliburton named to U.S. Olympic team
While this week creeps by slowly with anticipation of Game 1, there was plenty of action at the Fieldhouse on Wednesday.
The Pacers play the Bucks at 7 p.m. ET in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series. The third of four NBA playoff games on Sunday and let me tell you, it can’t get here quick enough.
The Pacers continue to work at the St. V’s Center and prepare for the Bucks with or without Giannis. At least on Wednesday, there was some news breaking from the Fieldhouse which was worth noting. Not only that, two key role players on the Pacers had entertaining local radio interviews that were both enjoyable listens.
Haliburton going for gold
Tyrese Haliburton was officially named to the USA Basketball Men’s National Team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris starting in late July.
Grant Hill manages the team for USA Basketball and the former NBA star stopped by the Fieldhouse to personally share the news with Haliburton while also giving him his No. 9 USA jersey. Haliburton wore No. 4 last summer with Team USA but it appears Steph Curry will wear No. 4 has the veteran sharpshooter eyes his first gold medal.
Curry is one of several elite veterans on the 12-man roster which makes this sucha great honor for Haliburton. The rest of the roster includes Bam Adebayo (Heat), Devin Booker (Suns), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Anthony Davis (Lakers), Kevin Durant (Suns), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Joel Embiid (76ers), Jrue Holiday (Celtics), LeBron James (Lakers), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) and Jayson Tatum (Celtics).
Wow!
So while Haliburton may not have a big role in the playing rotation, spending a month plus with all of that elite talent will be great way to develop his game in the offseason. Haliburton earned the honor with his effort last summer as a highly impactful player off the bench for Team USA. Really, only Anthony Edwards was a more impactful player and both young players will be part of the squad with an eye toward the next generation of Team USA leaders.
Caitlin Clark says ‘Hi’ to Indy
The Fever officially welcomed top draft pick, Caitlin Clark with a well attended press conference at the Fieldhouse on Wednesday morning.
The woman is unflappable and appears quite comfortable facing remarkably high expectations that it is impossible not to be impressed by what she can do teaming up with Aliyah Boston as the young face of the franchise.
Seeing Clark pictured with a beaming Haliburton had me thinking how she could be inspiring the Pacers point guard at just the right time. He’s not the only big show in town, so he’ll have to keep up with his play to give the Pacers and Fever an all-time one-two punch of exhilarating basketball.
While Clark handled a wide variety of questions at the presser, she seemed much more comfortable later in the day when she dropped by the Thunderdome in Lawrence as a guest on The Pat McAfee Show. She even offered to be a weekly guest.
The buzz Clark has generated around Indy and in every WNBA city has been incredible and should lead to a fun summer at the Fieldhouse, without a doubt.
TJ McConnell and Aaron Nesmith chop it up
While Tyrese is no stranger to an open mic, his teammates aren’t often heard from other than in normal media sessions after games or practices. So it was great to hear to key players on different local radio shows on Wednesday.
TJ McConnell joined 107.5 The Fan’s Query & Co. show in the early afternoon for an entertaining chat that ended with McConnell ringing the team’s 3-point shot bell. Among the many topics discussed, McConnell heaped praise on Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith for the unsung and important role they play consistently for the Pacers.
Listen to the TJ McConnell interview here.
Speaking of Nesmith, he joined The Ride with JMV to start the show with another extended interview and great insights on how he approaches his role which focuses on defense first. Much different than the role he played in college which was more offensive-minded and earned him a spot in the league initially at Boston.