Indiana Pacers - The Reggie Miller Era 1987-2005 The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1967 as an original member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a member of the NBA in 1976 as a result of the ABA-NBA merger. They play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The name "Pacers" was chosen by collective decision, combining the state's rich history with the Woodworkers and the Indianapolis 500 race. Reggie Miller played his entire 18-year career with the Pacers. Miller, a UCLA native, was drafted by the Pacers in 1987, beginning his career as a backup to John Long. Many fans at the time disagreed with the selection of Miller over Indiana Hoosiers standout Steve Alford. The Pacers missed the playoffs in 1987–88, drafted Rik Smits in the 1988 NBA draft, and suffered a disastrous 1988–89 season in which head coach Jack Ramsay stepped down after an 0–7 start. Mel Daniels and George Irvine took over as interim coaches before Dick Versace took over as the team went 6–23 and finished 28–54. In February 1989, the team traded veteran center Herb Williams to the Dallas Mavericks for future NBA Sixth Man of the Year Detlef Schrempf. The Pacers would make the playoffs in 1989–90, the team's third playoff appearance under head coach Bob Hill. However, the Pacers were swept by the Detroit Pistons, who would go on to win their second consecutive NBA championship. Miller became the first Pacer to play in the All-Star Game since 1976, averaging 24.6 points per game. Despite four consecutive first-round playoff exits, this stretch was highlighted by a first-round series against the Boston Celtics in the 1991 playoffs that went to Game 5. The following season, the Pacers returned to the playoffs in 1992, where they faced the Boston Celtics for the second consecutive year. This time, the Celtics swept the Pacers. Chuck Person and point guard Micheal Williams were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the offseason, and the Pacers received Pooh Richardson and Sam Mitchell in return. In the 1992–93 season, Detlef Schrempf moved from sixth man to starting power forward, earning his first All-Star game. Meanwhile, Miller became the Pacers' leading scorer during that season. The Pacers returned to the playoffs with a 41–41 record, but lost to the New York Knicks in the first round, three games to one. Larry Brown was hired as the Pacers' head coach for the 1993–94 season, and Pacers general manager Donnie Walsh completed a much-criticized trade at the time, sending Schrempf to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Derrick McKey and the little-known Gerald Paddio. But the Pacers won their final eight games of the season, finishing with a franchise-high 47 wins in the NBA era. They defeated Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic in a first-round sweep to earn their first NBA playoff series victory, and pulled off an upset by defeating the number one seed Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals. With the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals tied heading into Game 5 in New York, the Pacers trailing the Knicks by 15 points early in the fourth quarter, Reggie Miller scored 25 points, with five 3-pointers. Miller also flashed the choke sign to famous Knicks fan Spike Lee as he led the Pacers to a comeback victory. The Knicks won the next two games and the series. Miller was a three-time captain and leading scorer for the USA Basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1994 FIBA ​​World Championship. Mark Jackson joined the team in an offseason trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, giving the team a steady hand at the point guard position that had been lacking in recent years. The Pacers went 52-30 in 1994-95, giving them their first Central Division title and first 50-plus win season since the ABA days. The team swept the Hawks in the first round of the 1995 NBA playoffs before another meeting with the rival Knicks in the conference semifinals. This time, with the Pacers trailing by six points with 16.4 seconds remaining in Game 1, Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to secure a two-point victory. The Pacers beat the Knicks in seven games. They lost to the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers duplicated their 52–30 record in 1995–96, but were severely hampered by an eye socket injury to Reggie Miller in April, from which he did not return until Game 5 of the first-round playoff series against the Hawks. Miller scored 29 points in that game, but the Hawks came away with a two-point victory to put an early end to Indiana's season. 2 488 / 5 000 The 1995–96 Pacers went on to make history as the only team to defeat the Chicago Bulls twice that year, a Bulls team that went on to record an all-time high of 72–10. The Pacers were unable to cope with several key injuries in 1996–97, nor were they able to cope with the absence of Mark Jackson, who had been traded to the Denver Nuggets prior to the season. The Pacers finished 39–43 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1989, after which head coach Larry Brown resigned. Larry Bird In the 1997–98 season, Indiana native and former Boston Celtics player Larry Bird was hired as head coach. He led the Pacers to a 19-game improvement over the previous season, finishing with a 58-24 record at the time, the franchise's most wins as an NBA team, and tying the Pacers from the 1970-71 ABA season for the franchise record. Chris Mullin joined the team in the offseason and immediately became an invaluable part of the Pacers' lineup as the starting small forward. Assistant coaches Rick Carlisle, who ran the offense, and Dick Harter, who ran the defense, were instrumental in getting the most out of the Pacers' supporting players, such as Dale Davis, Derrick McKey, and a young Antonio Davis. Miller and Rik Smits were named to the All-Star team that year, and in the playoffs, the Pacers easily rolled past the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks before losing to the Chicago Bulls in a seven-game Eastern Conference finals. In the strike-shortened 1998–99 season, the Pacers won the Central Division with a 33–17 record and swept the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers before losing to the Knicks in a six-game Eastern Conference Finals series. Prior to the 1999–2000 season, the Pacers traded forward Antonio Davis to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for first-round draft pick Jonathan Bender. In the 2000 playoffs, after a 56–26 regular season, the Pacers swept the Milwaukee Bucks, defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, and reached the NBA Finals after a six-game conference finals victory over the New York Knicks. Their first NBA Finals appearance came against the Los Angeles Lakers, who ended Indiana's title hopes in six games. However, the Pacers handed Los Angeles their worst playoff loss to date. The offseason brought sweeping changes to the Pacers' roster, with Rik Smits and head coach Larry Bird retiring, Chris Mullin returning to the Golden State Warriors, and Dale Davis being traded to Portland for Jermaine O'Neal, who went on to average 12.9 points per game in his first year as a starter. It was a rebuilding year for the Pacers under new head coach Isiah Thomas. However, the team still managed to return to the playoffs, where they lost to the No. 1 seed Philadelphia 76ers in four games. Midway through the 2001–02 season, the Pacers made a blockbuster trade with the Chicago Bulls, who sent Jalen Rose and Travis Best to Chicago in exchange for Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Kevin Ollie, and Ron Mercer. Over the next few years, Miller and Artest would go on to be All-Stars for the Pacers. The trade bolstered a struggling team, and the Pacers were able to return to the playoffs, where they took the No. 1 seed New Jersey Nets to five games before losing Game 5 in double overtime. The Pacers started 13–2 in 2002–03, but hit a wall after the All-Star break, in part due to Ron Artest's multiple suspensions and family tragedies that befell Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, and Austin Croshere. O'Neal and Brad Miller made the All-Star team, and the Pacers improved substantially, finishing 48–34, but suffered a first-round loss to the underdog Boston Celtics. In the 2003 offseason, the Pacers were able to re-sign O'Neal and sign Reggie Miller to a modest two-year contract, but they could not afford to keep their talented center, Brad Miller. He was traded to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Scot Pollard, who spent much of the following year watching from the bench. The Pacers also hired Larry Bird as team president, and Bird wasted no time in firing head coach Isiah Thomas and replacing him with Rick Carlisle. The Pacers responded extremely well to Carlisle and had a breakout 2003–04 season, finishing with an NBA-best and franchise-record 61–21 record. O'Neal and Artest both made the All-Star team, and Artest was named Defensive Player of the Year; the Pacers swept the Boston Celtics in the first round and advanced past the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals. But the Detroit Pistons put a damper on Indiana's championship hopes by defeating the Pacers in six games en route to their third NBA Championship. Wallace retaliated by shoving Artest hard and throwing a towel at him. While Artest was trying to calm down and give an interview, Pistons fan John Green (who was sitting next to Wallace's brother) threw a cup of Coca-Cola at Artest, sending him running into the stands. Stephen Jackson followed him into the stands, while Jermaine O'Neal assaulted a fan who had entered the court. The game was called with 45.9 seconds remaining, and the Pacers left the court amid a hail of beer and other beverages. Several of the players involved were suspended by NBA commissioner David Stern. Artest was suspended for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, a total of 73 games—the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history. Other suspensions included Jackson (suspended 30 games), O'Neal (25 games), Wallace (6 games), and the Pacers' Anthony Johnson (5 games) (O'Neal's suspension was later reduced to 15 games by arbitrator Roger Kaplan, a ruling upheld by U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels). O'Neal was charged with two counts of assault, while Artest, Jackson, Johnson, and David Harrison were each charged with one count. After the brawl and the ensuing suspensions, the Pacers dropped back down in the Central Division. They went from a legitimate title contender to a team hovering around .500 in winning percentage. The Pistons eventually became the Central Division champions. Despite struggles with suspensions and injuries, the Pacers clinched the sixth playoff spot with a 44–38 record. A major reason for their strong finish was the reacquisition of Dale Davis, who had been waived by the New Orleans Hornets after being traded there by the Golden State Warriors. State Warriors. He played the final 25 games of the regular season and every game of the playoffs, contributing a strong presence in the paint. And the signing of Davis coincided with an injury to Jermaine O'Neal that would sideline him for most of the regular season. Despite the adversity they faced, the Pacers made the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 years. In the first round, the Pacers defeated the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics, winning Game 7 in Boston by a score of 97–70, only the third time the Celtics had lost a Game 7 at home. The Pacers then advanced to the semifinals against the Detroit Pistons in a rematch of the previous year's Eastern Conference Finals. After losing Game 1, the Pacers won the next two games to take a 2–1 lead. However, the Pacers could not repeat their winning ways against the Pistons and lost the next three games, losing the series 4–2. Finals (Game 6) was on May 19, 2005; Reggie Miller, in his final NBA game, scored 27 points and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Miller retired without an NBA championship in his 18-year career, all with the Pacers. Miller had his number 31 jersey retired by the Pacers on March 30, 2006, when the Pacers played the Phoenix Suns. Alex