{"id":15273,"date":"2018-04-12T03:55:52","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T08:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=15273"},"modified":"2018-04-12T03:55:52","modified_gmt":"2018-04-12T08:55:52","slug":"nate-mcmillan-head-coach-of-the-indiana-pacers-is-the-sole-reason-for-their-resurgence-and-should-be-the-2018-nba-coach-of-the-year-no-questions-asked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=15273","title":{"rendered":"NATE MCMILLAN, HEAD COACH OF THE INDIANA PACERS, IS THE SOLE REASON FOR THEIR RESURGENCE, AND SHOULD BE THE 2018 NBA COACH OF THE YEAR, NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p-text\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15274\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-mac-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-mac-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-mac.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\"><strong>The Indiana Pacers were forced to reinvent themselves this offseason. After the blockbuster Paul George-for-Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis trade, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vegasinsider.com\/nba\/story.cfm\/story\/1865923\">sports betting sites set the team&#8217;s win total at 30.5<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\"><strong>As Victor Oladipo took his game to a new level,\u00a0Darren Collison and\u00a0Bojan Bogdanovic put together their best 3-point shooting seasons yet. Sabonis proved to be a strong post player off the bench. Thaddeus Young became &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indystar.com\/story\/sports\/nba\/pacers\/2018\/03\/28\/pacers-thad-young-helps-beat-warriors-draws-praise-nate-mcmillan\/466146002\/\">the glue<\/a>&#8221; for a remastered team.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>And The Current Indiana Pacers Head Coach Nate McMillan put it all together, resulting in a 46-31 record, the Pacers&#8217; highest scoring\u00a0offense (109.6 points per 100 possessions)\u00a0since the 1994-95 season and the most wins since 2013-14.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cNate McMillan, &#8221; @N8_MC &#8220;, \u00a0has been a brilliant Head Coach For The Indiana Pacers, states the current President of the Indiana Pacers, Kevin Pritchard. Our offensive and defensive strategies this year have been terrific. Without Nate, we don\u2019t have this. We\u2019re not talking about this. He\u2019s overachieved, and more importantly, he\u2019s put our players in a position where every single night they can succeed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cNate is such a low-key guy. We kind of have an organization where if you\u2019re not over yourself, you\u2019re going to get over yourself. You don\u2019t see a lot of articles about us. Nate likes that. There have been times when Nate and I have worked together in the past where that might not have been the case, but right now, we want to do our jobs, do the best we can, and let the team enjoy their successes. It\u2019s all about the players.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>It\u2019s largely about the players. But it\u2019s also about McMillan.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-QwfgWFU_LgU\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/8b7efc6de1b6df3cc9f3619466882be99d04227b\/c=118-0-2282-1627&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/02\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636548084178107049-PacersPractice26-mk-10.jpg\" alt=\"Nationally, little was expected of the Pacers and Nate\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2018\/02\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636548084178107049-PacersPractice26-mk-10.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/a57cb87523081f89514984f1cf4f0c13e0b2f571\/r=500x338\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/02\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636548084178107049-PacersPractice26-mk-10.jpg\" \/><span class=\"mycapture-btn-wrap\"><span class=\"mycapture-non-priority-horizontal-image mycapture-btn-with-text js-mycapture-btn js-mycapture-photo-asset\">Buy Photo<\/span><\/span><\/strong><strong>Nationally, little was expected of the Pacers and Nate McMillan this season after the Paul George trade.<\/strong><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">He changed the Pacers\u2019 offense dramatically from last season, incorporating an up-tempo, quick ball movement attack that has given Victor Oladipo the freedom to become an All-Star. Five of the Pacers\u2019 top nine players were not with the team last year. But at least four new Pacers are having their best all-round seasons \u2013 Oladipo, Sabonis, Darren Collison\u00a0and Bojan Bogdanovic. McMillan clearly defined their roles early, which has helped the Pacers look like a team that has been together for years. \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>Here are some other facts that support Pritchard\u2019s remarks about McMillan. The Pacers (33-25) have been solid in late-game situations, winning their last four games decided by five points or fewer. And the Pacers are better now than they were six weeks ago. On Jan. 3, they were 19-19. Since then, they are 14-6.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"ad-position-61\" class=\"partner-placement partner-spike partner-placement-visible\" data-monetization-id=\"native-article_link\" data-monetization-sizes=\"fluid,3,3\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-in-indianapolis-C1532-native-article_link-sports-63\" class=\"ad-slot\" data-google-query-id=\"CNX7lfuktNoCFRW6TwodXHoLmQ\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/in-indianapolis-C1532\/native-article_link\/sports_0__container__\"><strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">In October, you could not find anyone outside the Pacers organization who thought they would be eight games above .500 at the All-Star break. Doesn\u2019t the Pacers head coach deserve a little more credit?<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>When that question was posed to McMillan, he paused. He seemed almost uncomfortable answering it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d said McMillan. \u201cThe players are working their butts off. My coaches work their butts off. We\u2019re all working our butts off to create a culture with this new group.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cBeing the man, having people talk about me? Sure, it\u2019s nice when people talk good about you, but that doesn\u2019t motivate me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-QwfgWFUmMik\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/332f93d6c100927402d6d2aa140d37cf515f22a1\/c=186-0-2414-1675&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/02\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636548083969377711-INI1Brd-01-18-2018-Star-1-C006-2018-01-17-IMG-PacersCeltics-mk-18-1-1-ANKT9QA1-L1166954065-IMG-PacersCeltics-mk-18-1-1-ANKT9QA1.jpg\" alt=\"Pacers coach Nate McMillan has fond memories of his\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2018\/02\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636548083969377711-INI1Brd-01-18-2018-Star-1-C006-2018-01-17-IMG-PacersCeltics-mk-18-1-1-ANKT9QA1-L1166954065-IMG-PacersCeltics-mk-18-1-1-ANKT9QA1.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/baced02933129c645f1c7bb12da932f36713832a\/r=500x322\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/02\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636548083969377711-INI1Brd-01-18-2018-Star-1-C006-2018-01-17-IMG-PacersCeltics-mk-18-1-1-ANKT9QA1-L1166954065-IMG-PacersCeltics-mk-18-1-1-ANKT9QA1.jpg\" \/><\/strong><strong>Pacers coach Nate McMillan has fond memories of his time in Portland, and he?s hoping his team can add to those tonight and extend their winning streak. Matt Kryger\/IndyStar Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan talks to his players during timeout late in the second half of their game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Tuesday, December 18, 2017. The Boston Celtics defeated the Indiana Pacers 112-111.\u00a0<\/strong><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>So what does?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cWinning,\u201d said McMillan. \u201cGuys playing the game the right way. Putting a group of guys out there that your fan base respects. Seeing your hard work pay off.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cThose things for me, have always been the most important things. You respect this game. You respect the organization. We\u2019ve become that group that plays the right way. It\u2019s been good to work with these guys this year. We really haven\u2019t had any issues. They work hard. They play hard.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15281\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/McMillan-moly-gold-medals-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" \/>McMillan also drives them hard, but his methods have changed over the years. He earned the nickname \u201cSarge\u201d because of his no-nonsense approach when he coached the Portland Trail Blazers (2005-12). While he has not exactly mellowed at age 53, McMillan has made concessions. The Pacers have held fewer game-day shoot-arounds this season to conserve\u00a0energy for games. McMillan has also learned to pick his spots when showing anger, whether dealing with players or with referees.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"partner-outstream\">\n<div class=\"partner-video\"><strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">\u201cThat\u2019s the new Nate,\u201d said McMillan, laughing. \u201cI used to coach every possession, yell every possession. I\u2019ve learned to allow these guys to play. Back in Portland, I was down on defense talking more than they were. I felt like I was in the game with them. Now I try to let them figure it out. With the young group we have now, you can\u2019t bark at them all the time. They\u2019ll tune you out. They want to figure it out, and you have to let them sometimes just figure it out. And for my health, it wasn\u2019t good to take the approach I took before. I had to calm myself down.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"module-position-QwfgWFU51GA\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/088398f90f991d4d05075f45236abb8666ad7875\/c=0-0-4079-3067&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/02\/09\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636538126558910719-USATSI-10597058.jpg\" alt=\"Feb 9, 2018; Boston, MA, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2018\/02\/09\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636538126558910719-USATSI-10597058.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4044b1e7645488621f157de466cf1a990870caa2\/r=500x333\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/02\/09\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636538126558910719-USATSI-10597058.jpg\" \/><\/strong><strong>Feb 9, 2018; Boston, MA, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan signals from the bench during the first half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Greg M. Cooper, Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)<\/span><\/strong><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>Sabonis knew nothing about McMillan\u2019s personality or coaching style before he was traded to the Pacers. Through 58 games under McMillan, Sabonis is a believer.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cCoach is the main reason we\u2019re playing like this,\u201d said Sabonis. \u201cHe brings us that confidence. Ever since I got here, he\u2019s been putting confidence in me and other players. He wants us to play loose, have fun, and defense is a priority. He\u2019s always got our back.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cEverybody has their own way of coaching. He tells us exactly what we need to hear. He\u2019s not going to sugarcoat or anything. He\u2019s going to tell us straight to our face. That helps us a lot.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15282\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-hc-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-hc-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-hc.jpg 534w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>In Portland, McMillan\u2019s teams played a methodical, half-court game. But the Pacers opened this season by dropping 144 points on the Brooklyn Nets, setting the tone for a playing style that has been both successful and fun to watch. \u00a0After the Pacers traded Paul George for Oladipo and Sabonis, McMillan decided that forcing the pace and created more open court opportunities for Oladipo gave the Pacers their best chance to win.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cVictor is the reason we play up tempo,\u201d said McMillan.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s the guy who\u2019s pushing it, making us capable of playing that style of basketball. When I arrived here (as an assistant coach in 2013), the Pacers were calling their style smash-mouth basketball, when David West\u00a0and George Hill\u00a0and Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger were here. They loved grinding it out, being physical, playing halfcourt. We\u2019ve changed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cPaul can play fast, but Paul is probably better in a halfcourt situation. We tried to play small last year at times, having C. J. Miles play power forward. But this year, we\u2019re more suited to playing the way we\u2019re playing. Everybody talks about playing fast, but you have to have the ingredients.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-QwfgWFVE9CM\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4605ec37a96d5b1760ea5cdbc92b7f467882655c\/c=45-0-2395-1767&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/02\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636548083943637546-PacersNuggets-RS-23.jpg\" alt=\"Pacers head coach Nate McMillan talks with Cory Joseph\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2018\/02\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636548083943637546-PacersNuggets-RS-23.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/9dbecc08fe093f0c568dd171f3aa53e6c66fec5e\/r=500x368\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/02\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636548083943637546-PacersNuggets-RS-23.jpg\" \/><\/strong><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">That lesson was reinforced for McMillan when he was fired as Portland\u2019s head coach during the 2011-12 season. The Trail Blazers were only three games under .500 (20-23) at the time, but McMillan admitted he did not feel the team was playing as well, or as unselfishly, as it should have been.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cThe team wasn\u2019t playing right,\u201d said McMillan. \u201cThey weren\u2019t together. I don\u2019t want to be in a situation like that. They were going to rebuild the team, and they knew I didn\u2019t want to be part of another rebuild. I got caught in a storm, and I just had to ride it out and see where it tossed me. It tossed me out of Portland.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>McMillan joined the Pacers as an assistant coach under his close friend Frank Vogel in 2013, and for three seasons, McMillan thoroughly enjoyed that role. However, after the 2015-16 season, the Pacers did not renew Vogel\u2019s contract as head coach. McMillan was offered the job by Larry Bird, who was then the team\u2019s president. Suddenly, McMillan was a head coach again.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cYou\u2019re going to say no to Larry Bird?,\u201d said McMillan, explaining his thought process.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>After hiring McMillan, Bird said he had admired McMillan from afar for a long time. Current Pacers assistant coach Popeye Jones understood what Bird meant.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cI think he is very underrated,\u201d said Jones of McMillan. \u201cNot knowing Nate and starting to work with him and being in meetings, I started to understand how smart he was. I was amazed he didn\u2019t have a head job. People may have forgotten about him after Portland. That\u2019s how the league works. Out of sight, out of mind kind of deal.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>McMillan has another year left on his contract after this season, and he clearly enjoys coaching this current group of players. But when asked how long he would like to be a head coach, McMillan was non-committal. Not that McMillan is looking for leverage. He doesn\u2019t operate that way. Not that McMillan\u2019s passion is waning. It has never been stronger.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-QwfgWFVjAag\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/40699c2dab265f025afb9899635e52a5927756f1\/c=284-0-4733-3345&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/01\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636521623857100242-USATSI-10558468.jpg\" alt=\"Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan gives direction\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2018\/01\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636521623857100242-USATSI-10558468.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4044b1e7645488621f157de466cf1a990870caa2\/r=500x333\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/01\/21\/INGroup\/Indianapolis\/636521623857100242-USATSI-10558468.jpg\" \/><\/strong><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">But the come-from-behind wins, gut-wrenching losses, long hours and restless nights all take their toll. \u00a0McMillan puts so much into each day, each game, that he never seriously thinks about the next season until the current season ends. He has always been that way, and said he would take the same approach following this season.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cEvery year, I\u2019ll look at myself, and I\u2019ll decide if I\u2019m coming back or not,\u201d said McMillan. \u201cIf I feel like I can\u2019t do the job, then I\u2019m not going to be there. Not that I got so much money. I\u2019m not saying it like that. I just won\u2019t do a job if I don\u2019t think I can get it done, or if I\u2019m not getting it done. Get somebody else in there, if that\u2019s the case.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cI don\u2019t assume anything. I don\u2019t assume because I got another year on my contract, I\u2019m going to be there that year. I have to work for it and earn it. Coming into this year, people were talking about what we weren\u2019t going to be. I never approach any year like a honeymoon year for me. Like we can drop some games. Like you get a pass for this season. I don\u2019t approach it that way. I\u2019m going to give the best I\u2019ve got.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15277\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-the-coach-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-the-coach-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-the-coach.jpg 380w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\u201cI\u2019ve got one more year left on my deal. There\u2019s going to be sometime during the summer, when I\u2019m going to talk to myself and say, \u2018Do I want to do it again next year?\u2019 When I make that decision, I want to be all in. I don\u2019t want to be coming back for a payday. My plan is to come back next year, but when I make that decision, I have to know that I\u2019ll be giving it everything I\u2019ve got to improve this team. I like the direction this organization is going. I like this group of players. I think we\u2019re building something here.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>The Pacers will return from the All-Star break focused on securing a playoff spot. McMillan has been to the playoffs six times as a head coach in Seattle, Portland\u00a0and Indiana, but only once has his team advanced past the first round. Should the Pacers advance to the postseason, they will likely be first-round underdogs, and McMillan knows it will take another level of basketball for the Pacers to achieve playoff success \u2013 this season and beyond.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>\u201cYou\u2019re going to have to be able to play a possession game in the playoffs,\u201d said McMillan. \u201dOnce you get into the playoffs, everything slows down. That\u2019s something we continue to work on.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>In the meantime, McMillan will keep coaching, tuning out what he calls the \u201coutside noise.\u201d He says he doesn\u2019t spend time on social media. He\u2019s not sure what his popularity level is among Pacers fans, compared to last season, when the Pacers did not play up to expectations.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>However, know this about McMillan. He will do everything he can to help the Pacers keep winning. And he will not worry about who gets the credit.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>MORE ON NATE MCMILLAN<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15276\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-mcmillan-Sonics.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"240\" \/>Nathaniel McMillan\u00a0is an American <a title=\"Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball\">basketball<\/a> coach and former player who is currently the head coach for the <a title=\"Indiana Pacers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indiana_Pacers\">Indiana Pacers<\/a> of the <a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA). He coached the <a title=\"Seattle SuperSonics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Seattle_SuperSonics\">Seattle SuperSonics<\/a> from 2000 to 2005, and the <a title=\"Portland Trail Blazers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portland_Trail_Blazers\">Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> from 2005 to 2012.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>McMillan grew up in the heart of North Carolina&#8217;s basketball country and attended Raleigh&#8217;s <a title=\"William G. Enloe High School\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/William_G._Enloe_High_School\">William G. Enloe High School<\/a>, where he went unnoticed by major college scouts. After playing for two years at <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Chowan College\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chowan_College\">Chowan College<\/a>(then a two-year school) in <a title=\"Murfreesboro, North Carolina\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Murfreesboro,_North_Carolina\">Murfreesboro, North Carolina<\/a>,<sup id=\"cite_ref-1\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><sup id=\"cite_ref-2\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> he returned to Raleigh to play for <a title=\"Jim Valvano\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jim_Valvano\">Jim Valvano<\/a> at<a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/North_Carolina_State_Wolfpack_men%27s_basketball\">North Carolina State<\/a>, before entering the NBA. McMillan helped lead NC State to a first place tie in the <a title=\"Atlantic Coast Conference\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Atlantic_Coast_Conference\">Atlantic Coast Conference<\/a> regular season in 1985, and the <a title=\"Elite Eight\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Elite_Eight\">Elite Eight<\/a> in both the 1985 and 1986 NCAA Championship Tournaments.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>McMillan was drafted by the Sonics with the 30th pick in the 1986 draft. He would spend his entire NBA career in Seattle. During his 12-year playing career, McMillan put up career averages of 5.9 points, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals. He still shares (with <a title=\"Ernie DiGregorio\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ernie_DiGregorio\">Ernie DiGregorio<\/a>) the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. McMillan played as the starting point guard position for the Sonics for most of his career.<sup id=\"cite_ref-3\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> McMillan was known for his superb defense, leading the NBA in steals per game for the 1993\u201394 season and being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the 1993\u201394 and 1994\u201395 seasons. McMillan was also known for his balanced play, which led to four career <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Triple-double\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Triple-double\">triple-doubles<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15278\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-210x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-210x300.png 210w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate.png 325w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/>In the 1995\u201396 season, McMillan helped the Sonics reach the NBA Finals against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. McMillan&#8217;s Sonics were the only team to beat the Bulls three times that season (once in the regular season and twice in the playoffs).<sup id=\"cite_ref-indystar.com_4-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Known as &#8220;Mr. Sonic&#8221; for his 19 years of service to the team, his No. 10 jersey was retired by the Seattle SuperSonics. He was also known to be one third of the &#8220;Big Mac&#8221; team of the Seattle SuperSonics in the late 80&#8217;s and early 90&#8217;s, the others being <a title=\"Xavier McDaniel\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Xavier_McDaniel\">Xavier McDaniel<\/a> and <a title=\"Derrick McKey\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Derrick_McKey\">Derrick McKey<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>After retiring in 1998, McMillan stayed in Seattle as an assistant under <a title=\"Paul Westphal\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paul_Westphal\">Paul Westphal<\/a>. He held this role until 2000, when the Sonics fired Westphal and made McMillan interim coach. Although the team missed the playoffs during his first year, he earned a winning record of 38\u201329 as interim head coach. He was hired as head coach for the 2001\u201302 campaign and led the club to the playoffs.<sup id=\"cite_ref-BBR_5-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> As a result, he was named permanent head coach after the season.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>McMillan&#8217;s Sonics had mediocre records the next two years, going 40\u201342 and 37\u201345. In the 2004\u201305 season, McMillan led the team to 52\u201330 record in the regular season.<sup id=\"cite_ref-BBR_5-1\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> The team advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs.<sup id=\"cite_ref-6\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>After 19 years in Seattle, McMillan left Seattle on July 6, 2005, to become the head coach of the <a title=\"Portland Trail Blazers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portland_Trail_Blazers\">Portland Trail Blazers<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-7\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> He took over a team riddled with <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA Salary Cap\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Salary_Cap\">cap problems<\/a> and off-the-court drama, but steadily calmed the waters in Portland. His hard-nosed coaching style earned him the nickname &#8220;Sarge.&#8221;<sup id=\"cite_ref-indystar.com_4-1\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> McMillan coached the Blazers until 2012.<sup id=\"cite_ref-8\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>McMillan was an assistant coach under <a title=\"Mike Krzyzewski\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mike_Krzyzewski\">Mike Krzyzewski<\/a> for the <a title=\"United States men's national basketball team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_men%27s_national_basketball_team\">US national team<\/a> in the <a title=\"2006 FIBA World Championship\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2006_FIBA_World_Championship\">2006 FIBA World Championship<\/a> and in the <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"2008 Beijing Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2008_Beijing_Olympics\">2008 Beijing Olympics<\/a>, winning bronze and gold medals, respectively.\u00a0<sup id=\"cite_ref-9\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup>He is also a member of the National Junior College Basketball Hall of Fame, due to his All-American performance at Chowan.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15279\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-and-bird-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-and-bird-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-and-bird-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-and-bird-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-and-bird-1080x608.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/nate-and-bird.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>On December 5, 2009, McMillan ruptured his right <a title=\"Achilles tendon\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Achilles_tendon\">Achilles tendon<\/a> while scrimmaging with the Trail Blazers during practice.<sup id=\"cite_ref-inj_10-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> McMillan coached much of the season in a protective boot after surgery and led the team to 50 wins in spite of a historic number of injuries to his key players.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>On March 15, 2012, McMillan was fired as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.<sup id=\"cite_ref-tokito_11-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>McMillan again served as an assistant coach under Krzyzewski for the <a title=\"United States men's national basketball team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_men%27s_national_basketball_team\">US national team<\/a> during the <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"2012 London Olympics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2012_London_Olympics\">2012 London Summer Olympics<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-12\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>On July 1, 2013, McMillan was hired by the <a title=\"Indiana Pacers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indiana_Pacers\">Indiana Pacers<\/a> as an assistant coach for the 2013\u201314 season.<sup id=\"cite_ref-13\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> He replaced <a title=\"Brian Shaw\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brian_Shaw\">Brian Shaw<\/a>, who accepted the head coaching position with the <a title=\"Denver Nuggets\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Denver_Nuggets\">Denver Nuggets<\/a>.<sup id=\"cite_ref-14\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> In May 2016, after former head coach <a title=\"Frank Vogel\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Frank_Vogel\">Frank Vogel<\/a>&#8216;s contract was not extended, McMillan was promoted to replace Vogel as the Pacers&#8217; coach.<sup id=\"cite_ref-15\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"toc\" class=\"toc\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Indiana Pacers were forced to reinvent themselves this offseason. After the blockbuster Paul George-for-Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis trade, sports betting sites set the team&#8217;s win total at 30.5. As Victor Oladipo took his game to a new level,\u00a0Darren Collison and\u00a0Bojan Bogdanovic put together their best 3-point shooting seasons yet. Sabonis proved to be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[330,11,8,1314,1456,1156,13,2404,14,106,104,187,1,1282,7,9,10],"tags":[2629,2628,2630],"class_list":["post-15273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-global-sports","category-health","category-high-school-sports","category-most-commented","category-nba-sports-news","category-ncaa","category-ncaa-basketball","category-news","category-olympics","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-1964-age-53-raleigh","tag-nate-mcmillan-nate-mcmillan-with-oregon-national-guard-cropped-jpg-mcmillan-visiting-the-oregon-national-guard-indiana-pacers-position-head-coach-league-nba-personal-information-born-august-3","tag-north-carolina-nationality-american-listed-height-6-ft-5-in-1-96-m-listed-weight-195-lb-88-kg-career-information-high-school-william-g-enloe-raleigh","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}