Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac. What should have been the starting five was out. Kelly Oubre Jr., slated to function as the sixth man, out. Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell, catalysts off the bench, out. Rotation players such as Ben Sheppard, Larry Nance or Johnny Furphy, out. And one question hanging in the air: who the heck did the Indiana Pacers have available to receive Atlanta?
Well, six players, and not exactly among the rotation’s top contributors. That was all Rick Carlisle had at his disposal, and with that he nearly pulled off the upset and toppled the Hawks, who won at Gainbridge Fieldhouse but did so poorly, 108-104. Which, given an opponent carrying absences of a magnitude rarely seen, was close to a stumble that would have been almost embarrassing.
It isn’t entirely unusual to see a team line up with six players available, but it is certainly unusual for it to happen this late in the season. In recent weeks, with a blend of accumulated fatigue, players going under the knife, others taking early vacations, and a healthy dose of tanking, it isn’t entirely strange for someone to show up in a venue with the few fit players left on the roster. But not in November. To witness something like this you’d have to go back 80 years.
According to data from ESPN, the last time a team used six or fewer players so early in a season was in 1948, when that primitive 12-franchise league hadn’t even been named the NBA yet. On that occasion, the Minneapolis Lakers had only five players for their third regular-season game, losing 77-55 in Boston.
This time, Indiana had to lean on three fringe players such as Quenton Jackson, Jarace Walker, and Jay Huff, who were joined by their three two-way contract players: Braden Smith, Jalen Slawson and Kobe Brown. And, after each logged at least 34 minutes, all finished with double-digit numbers in a game they will surely never forget because of how unique the experience was. Even though their coach had already lived through it himself.
Vietnam Flashbacks
And curiously enough, Carlisle already has some experience directing a team made up of only six players, an experience he had gained precisely during his first stint as Indiana’s head coach. Specifically, after one of the most well-known chapters of that era.
The Malice at the Palace, the famous brawl between the Pacers and Pistons, took place on November 19, 2004, and the following day, with a multitude of sanctions imposed on both teams, Indiana had to host the Orlando Magic also with six players available. It was the last time the franchise had reached a showdown with so few bodies, and it was inevitable that the coach would recall that night.
“To this day, people still talk about that game,” he said. “Just as they will be talking about this for many years.”
