Pacers fire coach Nate McMillan after four seasons
Just a few weeks ago, Indiana Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon lauded coach Nate McMillan for getting a one-year contract extension that he felt was deserved.
Wednesday, two days after the Pacers were swept out of the first round by the Miami Heat, McMillan was fired.
“On behalf of the Simon family and the Pacers organization, I’d like to thank Nate for his years with the team,” Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. “This was a very hard decision for us to make; but we feel it’s in the best interest of the organization to move in a different direction. Nate and I have been through the good times and the bad times; and it was an honor to work with him for those 11 years (in Indiana and Portland).”
The team returned to Indianapolis after being swept out of the playoffs for the second year in a row. Their nine-game postseason losing streak is tied for the 11th-longest in NBA history. They had looked confused coming out of timeouts during key possessions late in the fourth quarter vs. Miami. Their spacing, even with Myles Turner as the only big on the floor, wasn't ideal. Undoubtedly, their lack of discipline influenced the decision to fire McMillan.
The timing of McMillan's firing is odd, considering the Pacers approached him in July with an offer to extend his contract for one year. He signed it then, though word didn’t leak until recently and the Pacers announced it.
McMillan was hired prior to the 2016-17 season after serving as an assistant with the team under Frank Vogel, amassing a 183-136 record. His win total ranks third in Pacers history. The Pacers reached the NBA playoffs all four years under McMillan but compiled a 3-16 postseason record.
McMillan had previously confirmed with IndyStar that given the unique situation he was in without his best player all season (Domantas Sabonis), his other All-Star not fully healthy (Victor Oladipo) and a four-month stoppage because of COVID-19, he had job security with a year tacked onto his deal.