MIAMI — Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel went into Game 2 against the Miami Heat with a playoff coaching resume totaling 11 games.
And for as hard as it was to come up with a scheme to thwart Chicago’s Derrick Rose in the first round of the playoffs last season, Vogel’s biggest task in his tenure came when he walked into the locker room at halftime Tuesday night to face a group of dejected players.
For more than 20 minutes in the first half, the Heat had the Pacers frustrated on offense. The Heat beat the Pacers to spots on the floor and took away their options. The body language of the Pacers was the worst it had been all season.
Vogel didn’t rant or throw erasers across the room.
He knew he couldn’t do that, not at that moment.
Vogel, the mastermind of getting the best out of his team, had one simple message.
“Exhale, calm down, have fun,” Vogel said. “We weren’t having fun in the first half. We were playing with pressure, the clouds were out. We just had to calm down.”
And with that simple message, the Pacers went from gloomy to dominant in the third quarter. They are headed home exuding confidence after pulling off the 78-75 victory.
The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“Coach Frank, he believes,” Pacers guard Paul George said. “He’s like the (Tim) Tebow of coaches. He puts us in great situations. He does a good job of preparing us.”
Vogel got his team to loosen up in the third quarter. He simply wanted them to play instead of overthink.
The Pacers shot 56 percent from the field, held the Heat to 18 percent shooting and went from trailing by five points at the half to leading by 11 in the third quarter.
“When they went on their run, his thing was don’t panic, but none of us looked like we were having fun out there,” Pacers guard George Hill said. “He challenged us to have fun.”
Just as the Pacers players continue to grow on the court, Vogel continues to coach beyond his years.
From video coordinator, to a raw 37-year-old interim coach charged with building the confidence of a fragile team, to now winning on the road against a championship-or-bust team.
“He has so much poise,” Pacers forward Danny Granger said. “He came in at halftime and said, ‘Everybody take a deep breath. We were playing panicky. We’re going to win this game.’ He has the poise of a 50-year-old coach.”
Vogel wasn’t blowing smoke when he told them at halftime they would win.
He said as much as he headed toward the team bus following the morning shootaround Tuesday.
It was mentioned to Vogel that they had a chance to “steal the game” and head back to Indianapolis with the series tied 1-1.
“We won’t be stealing the game,” Vogel sternly said. “we’ll be winning the game.”
Some refer to him as cocky.
He’s not that.
He’s simply a young, confident coach.
Some of his motivational tactics may be over the top, but they’re needed for a team relatively young in playoff experience outside of Hill, Leandro Barbosa and David West.
“He’s always real optimistic,” Pacers point guard Darren Collison said. “He exudes a lot of confidence in all of us. Sometimes it’s needed. Sometimes you can tell he’s doing it on purpose, but at the end of the day, he’s positive and that’s all that matters.”
That’s just the Vogel way. You wouldn’t expect anything different from him.
Reporter Mike Wells from the Indy Star.