Rick Carlisle was the first coach Luka Doncic had in the NBA before Carlisle left for the Indiana Pacers.
Carlisle’s Pacers beat Luka’s Mavericks tonight. Given it was Doncic’s 24th birthday, the Pacers coach was asked if he brought his former star a birthday gift.
“I brought him Haliburton.”
Reporter: Did you get Luka a birthday gift?”
Rick Carlisle: I brought him [Tyrese] Haliburton tonight.”
Haliburton just finished dropping 32 points in a win over Luka and the Mavs 😅👀pic.twitter.com/FtOUXo5ilF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 1, 2023
Coincidentally, Tyrese Haliburton was celebrating his 23rd birthday, though he was actually born on February 29th. He led the Pacers to this win with 32 points, while Doncic had 39 points in the loss.
The Mavericks lost this game after a missed game-winner from Kyrie Irving, falling to their fourth clutch-time loss in five games with the duo of Kyrie and Luka. Irving had a rough night, scoring just 16 points on 7-18 shooting.
Do The Mavericks Miss Coach Carlisle?
Rick Carlisle is inarguably the greatest coach in Mavericks history, overseeing the 2011 championship-winning squad with Dirk Nowitzki. Carlisle also had great moments in the Doncic era, coaching the upstart moves to strong performances against the LA Clippers in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs.
Jason Kidd may have taken the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals last season, but he has also come under severe criticism this season. Being outcoached by Carlisle tonight had to sting the fans and the current coaching staff. The Mavericks may not be worse off, but his steadying presence in the franchise was underrated for over a decade served with the franchise.
The Mavericks will be hoping to bounce back and stop losing games in the clutch while employing two of the best scorers in the league. Hopefully, their next game against the Philadelphia 76ers goes better.
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