Paris is known as the City of Light, with as many notable sights as any city, like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has appreciated seeing all of those landmarks, but they pale in comparison to the true highlight of his trip abroad for Indiana's back-to-back games in France against the San Antonio Spurs: the bus trips. And that's no slight on what Paris has to offer—he is truly blown away by the police escorts that the Pacers have received since landing overseas.
"I'd like to thank the Paris Police Department," Carlisle said at a press conference Thursday. "If these games are half as exciting as our police escorts over to the arena and back to the hotel, this is going to be an amazing three days.
"These guys are unbelievable. We are weaving in and out of stuff, all of a sudden going down the other side of the street. It is the most phenomenal experinece I've ever had."
Rick Carlisle wanted to make an opening comment, was in awe at how their police escort and bus drivers maneuvered on this trip.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) January 23, 2025
“The ride on the bus has been the most exhilarating thing so far.” pic.twitter.com/bsTabjkh1X
Carlisle clearly recognizes what a ridiculous statement this is, and listed off some of the city's must-see spots before confirming that it is, indeed, the bus trips that are the far-and-away highlight of this trip so far.
"With everything about Paris—you've got the Champs-Élysées, you've got the Arc de Triomphe, you got Notre Dame, you've got all the art museums and everything else—the ride on the bus has been the most exhilarating thing so far and these guys are flat-out badasses. So we appreciate the Paris Police Department. Thank you."
The Pacers haven't matched that exhilaration on the court so far, trailing the Spurs 105–80 after three quarters of the first game against the Spurs and French national hero Victor Wembanyama. The two teams will face off a second time at Accor Arena on Saturday at noon ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rick Carlisle Thought Pacers' Paris Police Escort Was Better Than Notre Dame.
