Rick Carlisle’s press conference ‘soiree’ line drew comment, including from the Merriam-Webster dictionary

It’s always interesting when a coach’s press conference sees the deployment of an infrequently-spoken word. That’s what happened with Indiana Pacers’ head coach Rick Carlisle and “soiree” Wednesday:

Rick Carlisle just dropped a “soirée” during his press conference, referencing Josh Hart’s “soirées to the rim.”

Has to be a first for a coach press conference

— Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) May 8, 2024

That even got notice from the official Merriam-Webster account:

noun | party or reception held in the evening

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 8, 2024

There are, of course, many other potential ways Hart’s appointments at the rim could be described, from cotillons to galas to shindigs to fêtes to carousals. But “soirées to the rim” is certainly amusing. And it’s a funny description of what Hart has pulled off in these playoffs so far.

This postseason, Hart is averaging 46.6 minutes per game, and has posted 17.9 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. Those are significant boosts over his regular-season numbers (33.4 MPG, 9.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG) this year, and over his regular-season career marks (29.2 MPG, 9.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG).

So Hart definitely has managed to make some notable appointments at the rim. Whether those rise to the level of “soirées” is a question, but it’s a funny way for Carlisle to describe that. And we’ll see how that works out for Hart in Wednesday’s Game 2 (the Knicks won Game 1 Monday) and beyond.

[Merriam-Webster on Twitter/X]