Rick Carlisle has been a head coach in the NBA since 2001, but has never really been considered one of the best in the game during his career. But thanks to the current run by his Indiana Pacers (and his championship days with the Dallas Mavericks) he has joined some elite company when it comes to career postseason victories.
Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle Now Top-10 In All-Time Playoff Wins
The Pacers entered the 2025 NBA Playoffs as the number four seed in the Eastern Conference. They were a 50-win team in the regular season, their best mark in over 10 years, but were still considered long shots to even advance past the second round.
I’m in no way criticizing the talent on the Pacers roster. They’re a great team with great individual players.
But if Rick Carlisle wins a championship with that roster + the 2011 championship with Dallas…
He enters legend territory
— Flagg Mavs (@FlaggMavs) May 24, 2025
But after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening series, they were able to pull off a notable upset in round two. It took the Pacers just five games to knock off the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, who were one of the title favorites entering the postseason, and did so in what could be called blowout fashion.
It earned them a date with the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they have taken a commanding 2-0 lead after winning the first two games inside Madison Square Garden.
What Other Names Are On The List?
All of the winning has helped boost Carlisle up one of the most elite NBA lists in existence. The most recent victory against the Knicks was the 65-year-old coach’s 81st playoff win, which moves him into a tie for 10th place all-time (K.C. Jones also has 81).
The names above Carlisle’s are a whose who of the greatest coaches of all time. He still has a ways to go before he catches Jerry Sloan and his 98 playoff wins, but could start moving up the list if he does make it past the great Utah Jazz coach. Red Auerbach finished his illustrious career with 99 postseason victories, and Larry Brown is just one game better than him.
Congrats to Rick Carlisle of the @Pacers for moving into 10th on the all-time playoff COACHING WINS list! #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google pic.twitter.com/k2SLfiVBgY
— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2025
Steve Kerr (104), Erik Spoelstra (110), and Doc Rivers (114) are within reach for Carlisle, but the top-3 may not be reached for some time. Phil Jackson is at the top of the list with an incredible 229 postseason victories, the only head coach with more than 200. Pat Riley is second at 171, with Gregg Popovich now at 170.
Carlisle will be looking for career playoff win number 82 on Sunday when the Pacers return home to Indiana for Game 3 against the Knicks.
