The Indiana Pacers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Toronto Raptors in a game 7, round 1 series.  Despite having the most wins in the Pacers NBA franchise history, Larry Bird announced that they will not renew head coach Frank Vogel’s contract after five seasons.

“It’s time for a new voice around here,” Bird said. “Sometimes my job really sucks and this is one of the toughest things I’ve done because of the respect I’ve had for Frank. I’ve had time to think about it and watch the team throughout the year.”

The Pacers were 31-30 in the playoffs and never averaged more than 97.6 points per game during a postseason run, including this past postseason.

Vogel has been known as a defensive coach but the Pacers lacked scoring and it wouldn’t get them far.

“It’s no secret — I want us to score more points,” Bird told the IndyStar’s Gregg Doyel after the Pacers lost 89-84 to the Raptors in Game 7.

“If you’d told me we’d score 84 points … You can’t go very far in the playoffs if you don’t score,” Bird continued. “When I tell people this, it’s not because I think I know it all — it’s because I experienced it as a player.”

The Pacers will begin interviews for Vogel’s replacement, starting with Nate McMillan who was the associate head coach for the Pacers since 2013-14.

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source: IndyStar