Rick Carlisle's return to the Pacers is, in many ways, a family reunion.
Indiana is where Carlisle served as an assistant under Larry Bird from 1997-2000, winning an Eastern Conference championship and preparing to become a head coach, which he did in Detroit in 2001.
It's where he returned as a head coach from 2003-07, leading the team to a franchise-record 61 wins in his first season, then navigating the team through a tumultuous chapter in the ensuing years.
But Carlisle's connection to Indiana is more than just what he has accomplished as a basketball coach.