Pacers HC Rick Carlisle Left in Obvious Pain as Aftermath of ESPN Employee’s Interaction Emerges

Closing in on their third win of the East Finals, the Indiana crowd was hyped during last Tuesday’s Game 4. But NFL legend Pat McAfee might have taken his excitement a bit too far. Early in the fourth quarter, he was handed the mic to address the thousands of Pacers fans in attendance. The former Indianapolis Colts star took that opportunity to call out several celebrity Knicks fans, including Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, and Timothée Chalamet.

“Let’s send these sons of b—— back to New York with their ears ringing. Let’s turn this s— up!” he yelled, causing the fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to go wild. Pumped up after his speech, McAfee immediately turned and punched Rick Carlisle on his arm as the Pacers head coach walked past him. Surprisingly, Carlisle had no reaction to Pat’s sudden hit, as he was seemingly locked in on leading his team to victory. However, the head coach did feel the effects of the awkward interaction the next morning.

As Carlisle made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the ESPN employee couldn’t help but ask him about the viral incident, “We gotta get this out of the way for just my own personal reasons, I do that promo where I talk to everybody in the fourth quarter, ‘Let’s turn this s— up!’ I’m going to give the microphone back, you’re right there, I punch you right in the shoulder. No sell out of you. I don’t even think you glanced at me. Did you feel the shot? Was there a thought when I was talking?”

The head coach replied, “Yeah, I woke up with a bruise the next day and had forgotten what happened.” Turns out, Carlisle might have been in some pain the next morning after the adrenaline of the Game 4 win wore off. Obviously, Rick had no hard feelings with McAfee, and his comment was all in good fun.

He further proved it by appreciating the former Colts star being a Pacers fan: “Listen, we appreciate you, Pat. We appreciate you getting us going. When you sit courtside, it’s awesome. And I don’t care what other people think, it’s good.” Even McAfee seemed relieved by Rick’s positive response, as he said, “Okay. Hey, I needed that. That makes me feel good, coach.” Maybe it was the head coach’s feedback that motivated McAfee to take on thousands of OKC fans on his own.

Pat McAfee makes his allegiance clear for Pacers vs OKC series in front of 19,000+ Thunder fans

After clearing the air with Carlisle, McAfee moved on to his next commitment – commentating WWE’s Monday Night RAW, alongside veteran announcer Michael Cole. Coincidentally, tonight’s show was taking place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And Pat found it to be the perfect time and place to make his allegiance clear for the upcoming NBA Finals.

Hopping on the announcer’s desk for the McAfee Minute segment, he addressed the 19,000+ Thunder fans in attendance, “Tulsa, Oklahoma, it is an honor to be inside of you tonight. I was given this opportunity that I’m so incredibly thankful for to say, I would like to wish all of you and the Oklahoma City Thunder good luck in the NBA Finals.” Initially, the crowd cheered for Pat as he continued praising their home team.

He added, “Your team has been damn good. They’ve not been talked about nearly enough. SGA, the MVP, who is an absolute dawg.” But after giving SGA and Co. their flowers, he dropped his prediction for the upcoming series, “With that being said, PACERS IN 6! I’ll see you on the Finals Day.”

Sure enough, the cheers turned into deafening boos, as McAfee sat back in his chair after making the bold claim. That’s what Pacers fans love about him—his loud and unapologetic personality, along with his undying support for the franchise. It will be interesting to see what hype speech McAfee comes up with next. Thoughts?