1967–76: ABA dynasty
In early 1967, a group of six investors (among them attorney Richard Tinkham, John DeVoe, Chuck DeVoe, entrepreneur Lyn Treece, sports agent Chuck Barnesand Indianapolis Star sports writer Bob Collins) pooled their resources to purchase a franchise in the proposed American Basketball Association.
For their first seven years, they played in the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum. In 1974, they moved to the plush new Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis, where they played for 25 years.
Early in the Pacers’ second season, former Indiana Hoosiers standout Bob «Slick» Leonard became the team’s head coach, replacing Larry Staverman. Leonard quickly turned the Pacers into a juggernaut. His teams were buoyed by the great play of superstars such as Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Bob Netolicky, Rick Mount and Roger Brown. The Pacers were – and ended – as the most successful team in ABA history, winning three ABA Championships in four years. In all, they appeared in the ABA Finals five times in the league’s nine-year history: a feat that was never bettered by any other ABA franchise.[4]
Original Indiana Pacers logo 1967–1990
1976–87: Early NBA struggles[edit]
The Pacers were one of four ABA teams that joined the NBA in the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. For the 1976–77 season the Pacers were joined in the merged league by the Denver Nuggets, New York Nets, and San Antonio Spurs.
The league charged a $3.2 million entry fee for each former ABA team.[5] Since the NBA would only agree to accept four ABA teams in the ABA-NBA merger, the Pacers and the three other surviving ABA teams also had to compensate the two remaining ABA franchises which were not a part of the merger, the Spirits of St. Louis and Kentucky Colonels. As a result of the merger, the four teams dealt with financial troubles. Additionally, the Pacers had some financial troubles which dated back to their waning days in the ABA; they had begun selling off some of their star players in the last ABA season. The new NBA teams also were barred from sharing in national TV revenues for four years.[6]
The Pacers finished their inaugural NBA season with a record of 36–46. Billy Knight and Don Buse represented Indiana in the NBA All-Star Game. However, this was one of the few bright spots of the Pacers’ first 13 years in the NBA. During this time, they had only three non-losing seasons and only two playoff appearances.
A lack of continuity became the norm for most of the next decade, as they traded away Knight and Buse before the 1977–78 season even started. They acquiredAdrian Dantley in exchange for Knight, but Dantley (who was averaging nearly 27 points per game at the time) was traded in December, while the Pacers’ second-leading scorer, John Williamson, was dealt in January.
The early Pacers came out on the short end of two of the most one-sided trades in NBA history. In 1980, they traded Alex English to the Nuggets in order to reacquire former ABA star George McGinnis. McGinnis was long past his prime, and contributed very little during his two-year return. English, in contrast, went on to become one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. The next year, they traded a 1984 draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for center Tom Owens, who played one year for the Pacers with little impact. In 1983–84, the Pacers finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, which would have given the Pacers the second overall pick in the draft—the pick that the Blazers used to select Sam Bowie while Michael Jordan was still available. As a result of the Owens trade, they were left as bystanders in the midst of one of the deepest drafts in NBA history—including such future stars as Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, andJohn Stockton.
Clark Kellogg was drafted by the Pacers in the 1982 and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting, but the Pacers finished the 1982–83 season with their all-time worst record of 20–62, and won only 26 games the following season. After winning 22 games in 1984–85 and 26 games in 1985–86, Jack Ramsay replacedGeorge Irvine as coach and led the Pacers to a 41–41 record in 1986–87 and their second playoff appearance as an NBA team. Chuck Person, nicknamed «The Rifleman» for his renowned long-range shooting, led the team in scoring as a rookie and won NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Their first playoff win in NBA franchise history was earned in Game 3 of their first-round, best-of-five series against the Atlanta Hawks, but it was their only victory in that series, as the Hawks defeated them in four games.
1987–2005: The Reggie Miller era[edit]
Reggie Miller played his entire 18-year career with the Pacers.
Reggie Miller was drafted by the Pacers in 1987, beginning his career as a backup to John Long. Many fans at the time disagreed with Miller’s selection over Indiana Hoosiers’ standout Steve Alford.[7] The Pacers missed the playoffs in 1987–88, drafted Rik Smits in the 1988 NBA draft, and suffered through a disastrous 1988–89 season in which coach Jack Ramsaystepped down following an 0–7 start. Mel Daniels and George Irvine filled in on an interim basis before Dick Versace took over the 6–23 team on the way to a 28–54 finish. In February 1989, the team traded veteran center Herb Williams to theDallas Mavericks for future NBA Sixth Man-of-the Year Detlef Schrempf.
From 1989 to 1993, the Pacers would play at or near .500 and qualify for the playoffs, in 1989–90, the Pacers parlayed a fast start into the team’s third playoff appearance. But the Pacers were swept by the Detroit Pistons, who would go on to win their second consecutive NBA Championship. Reggie Miller became the first Pacer to play in the All-Star Game since 1976 on the strength of his 24.6 points-per-game average. Despite four straight first round exits, this period was highlighted by a first round series with the Boston Celtics in 1991 that went to Game 5. The next season, the Pacers returned to the playoffs in 1992 and met the Celtics for the second year in a row. But this time, the Celtics left no doubt who was the better team, as they swept the Pacers in three straight games. Chuck Person and point guard Micheal Williams were traded to theMinnesota Timberwolves in the offseason, and the Pacers got Pooh Richardson and Sam Mitchell in return. For the 1992–93 season, Detlef Schrempf moved from sixth man to the starter at small forward and was elected to his first All-Star game. Miller, meanwhile, became the Pacers’ all-time NBA era leading scorer during this season (4th overall). 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.
1994–1997: The Larry Brown Years[edit]
Larry Brown was brought aboard as Pacers’ coach for the 1993–94 season, and Pacers’ general manager Donnie Walsh completed a then highly criticized trade as he sent Schrempf to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Derrick McKey and little known Gerald Paddio. But the Pacers won their last eight games of the season to finish with an NBA-era franchise-high 47 wins. They stormed past Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic in a first-round sweep to earn their first NBA playoff series win, and pulled off an upset by defeating the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the Conference semifinals.
With the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals tied going into Game 5 in New York, and the Pacers trailing the Knicks by 15 points early in the fourth quarter, Reggie Miller scored 25 points in that quarter, including five 3-point field goals. Miller also flashed the choke sign to the Knicks’ number one fan, Spike Lee, while leading the Pacers to the come from behind victory.[8] The Knicks ultimately came back to win the next two games and the series.[9] Miller was a tri-captain and leading scorer of the USA Basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championship.[10]
Mark Jackson joined the team in an off-season 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 enjoyed a 52–30 campaign in 1994–95, giving them their first Central Division title and first 50+ win season since the ABA days. The team swept the Hawks in the first round, before another meeting with the rival Knicks in the Conference semifinals. Again, it was up to Miller to provide some fireworks. This time, with the Pacers down six points with 16.4 seconds remaining in Game 1, Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to help secure a two-point victory.[11] The Pacers beat the Knicks in seven games. They pushed the Magic to seven games before falling in the Eastern Conference Finals.[12]
The Pacers duplicated their 52–30 record in 1995–96, but were hurt severely by an injury to Reggie Miller’s eye socket in April, from which he was not able to return until Game 5 of their first-round series against the Hawks. Reggie 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. This 1995–96 team did manage to go down in history as the only team to defeat the Chicago Bulls twice that year, a Bulls team which made history with an all-time best 72–10 record. The Pacers could not withstand several key injuries in 1996–97, nor could they handle the absence of Mark Jackson, who had been traded to the Denver Nuggets before the season (though they did re-acquire Jackson at the trading deadline). The Pacers finished 39–43 and missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years, after which coach Larry Brown stepped down.
1997–2000: The Larry Bird Years[edit]
Indiana Pacers logo 1990–2006
In the 1997–98 NBA season Larry Bird coached the team, under whom they posted a new franchise record, finishing 58–24, a 19-game improvement from the previous season. Chris Mullin joined the team in the off-season and immediately became a valuable part of the Pacers lineup—and starting small forward. Assistant coaches Rick Carlisle, in charge of the offense, and Dick Harter, who coached the defense, were key in getting the most out of the Pacers’ role players such as Dale Davis,Derrick McKey and a young Antonio Davis. Miller and Rik Smits both made the All-Star team that year, and in the playoffs, the Pacers breezed past the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks before falling to the Chicago Bulls in a seven-game Eastern Conference Final.
In the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, the Pacers won the Central Division with a 33–17 record and swept theMilwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers before falling to the Knicks in a six-game Eastern Conference finals. The Pacers traded forward Antonio Davis to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for first-round draft choice Jonathan Bender, which remains to this day a subject of controversy among Pacers fans. But in the playoffs, after a 56–26 regular season, thePacers survived the upset-minded Milwaukee Bucks in round one, handled the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round and finally broke through to the NBA Finalsby virtue of a six-game East Finals victory over the New York Knicks.
Their first NBA Finals appearance was against the Los Angeles Lakers, who ended Indiana’s championship hopes in six games. However, the Pacers dealt Los Angeles their worst playoff defeat up to that time by a margin of 33 points in game five.[13]
2000–2005: Second run of contending for a championship[edit]
The offseason brought sweeping changes to the Pacers’ lineup, as Rik Smits and coach Larry Bird retired, Chris Mullin returned to his old Golden State Warriorsteam, Mark Jackson signed a long-term contract with Toronto, and Dale Davis was 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, but the team still managed to return to the playoffs, where they lost to the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in four games. In the midseason of 2001–02, the Pacers made a blockbuster trade with the Chicago Bulls that sent Jalen Rose and Travis Best to Chicago in exchange for Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Kevin Ollie and Ron Mercer. Miller and Artest would, in the next few years, go on to be All-Stars for the Pacers. The trade bolstered a team that had been floundering, and the Pacers managed to return to the playoffs, where they pushed the top-seeded New Jersey Nets to five games before losing Game 5 in double overtime. Jermaine O’Neal made his first of what would be several All-Star appearances in his Pacers career.
The Pacers got off to a 13–2 start in 2002–03, but hit the wall after the All-Star break thanks in no small part to Ron Artest’s multiple suspensions and family tragedies befalling Jermaine O’Neal, Jamaal Tinsley and Austin Croshere. O’Neal and Brad Miller both made the All-Star team and the Pacers made a substantial improvement as they finished 48–34, but they suffered a loss to the underdog Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. In the 2003 offseason, the Pacers managed to re-sign O’Neal for the NBA maximum and inked Reggie Miller to a modest two-year deal, but they could not afford to keep their talented center, Brad Miller. He was dealt to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Scot Pollard, who spent much of the following year watching from the bench and backing up Jeff Foster. The Pacers also signed Larry Bird as team president, and Bird wasted little time in dismissing coach Isiah Thomas and replacing him with Rick Carlisle. The Pacers responded to Carlisle extremely well, and had a breakthrough 2003–04 season in which they finished 61–21, earning the best record in the NBA as well as a franchise record. O’Neal and Artest made the All-Star team, and Artest was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, the Pacers swept the Boston Celticseasily in the first round, and squeezed by a scrappy Miami Heat team in the conference semi-finals. But the Detroit Pistons proved an impediment to Indiana’s championship aspirations, as they defeated the Pacers in six games on their way to the NBA Championship.
Al Harrington, a small forward who had established himself as one of the best sixth-men in the NBA, was dealt in the offseason to the Atlanta Hawks in return forStephen Jackson after Harrington allegedly demanded that the Pacers start him or trade him. Nevertheless, the Pacers started off the 2004–05 season in extremely strong fashion–until the infamous events of November 19, 2004. Toward the end of a Pacers victory over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills on November 19, 2004, the Pacers’ Ron Artest committed a hard foul against Ben Wallace. Wallace retaliated with a hard push, and the situation escalated to a full-scale brawl, with fans and several Pacers taking part. While Artest defiantly laid atop the scorer’s table, Pistons fan John Green threw a cup of Diet Coke at Artest, causing him to charge into the stands. Stephen Jackson followed him into the stands while Jermaine O’Neal struck a fan who came onto the court. The game was called off with 46 seconds left on the clock and the Pacers left the floor amid a shower of beer and other beverages that rained down from the stands.
Several of the involved players 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 for 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 decision that was upheld by U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels). O’Neal was charged with two counts of assault and battery, while Artest, Jackson, Johnson and David Harrison were charged with one count each.
After the brawl and suspensions that followed, the Pacers fell downward into the Central Division. They went from a legitimate title contender to a team that hovered around .500 in winning percentage. The Pistons eventually became the Central Division champions. Despite the difficulties with the suspensions and injuries, the Pacers earned a sixth seed in the playoffs with a record of 44–38. An important reason for their strong finish was the re-acquisition of Dale Davis, who had been released by the New Orleans Hornets after being traded there by the Golden State Warriors. He played the final 25 games of the regular season and every playoff game, contributing a strong presence at center. And Davis’ signing coincided with an injury to Jermaine O’Neal that would knock him out for virtually the remainder of the regular season—indeed, O’Neal’s first missed game due to his injury was Davis’ first game back with the Pacers.
Despite the adversity they had gone through, the Pacers made the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 years. In the first round, Indiana defeated the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics in seven games, winning Game 7 in Boston by the decisive margin of 97–70, just the third time the Celtics had dropped a Game 7 at home. The Pacers then advanced to the second-round against the Detroit Pistons, in a rematch of the previous year’s Eastern Conference Finals. The series featured games back at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the scene of the brawl that many assumed at the time had effectively ended the Pacers’ season. After losing Game 1, the Pacers won the next two games to take a 2–1 lead. However, the Pacers could not repeat their victories against the Pistons and lost the next 3 games, losing the series 4–2. The final game (Game 6) was on May 19, 2005; Reggie Miller, in his final NBA game, scored 27 points and received a huge standing ovation from the crowd. Despite Miller’s effort, the Pacers lost, sending Miller into retirement without an NBA Championship in his 18-year career, all with the Pacers. Miller had his No. 31 jersey retired by the Pacers on March 30, 2006 when the Pacers played the Phoenix Suns.[14]
2005–10: Post-Reggie & Danny Granger Era[edit]
Danny Granger led the team in scoring for five consecutive seasons.
Despite the loss of Reggie Miller, the Artest saga, and many key injuries the Pacers made the playoffs in 2006 for the 14th time in 15 years. They also were the only road team to win Game 1 of a first-round playoff series. However, New Jersey won game 2 to tie the series at 1–1 heading back to Indiana. In game 3 Jermaine O’Neal scored 37 points, as the Pacers regained a 2–1 series lead. The Nets, however, won games four and five to take a 3–2 series lead. In Game 6 Anthony Johnson scored 40 points but the Pacers’ season came to an end as the Nets won 96–90.
Indiana Pacers logo, 2006–present
The Pacers finished the 2006–07 season as one of the worst seasons in team history. For the Pacers, who finished with a 35–47 record, nearly everything that could have gone wrong did. The turning point of the season would be an 11-game losing streak that started around the all-star break. Injuries to Jermaine O’Neal and Marquis Daniels, a lack of a solid back up point guard, the blockbuster trade midway through the season that interrupted the team chemistry, poor defensive efforts, and being the NBA’s worst offensive team were the main reasons leading to the team’s struggles. The April 15 loss to New Jersey Nets knocked the Pacers out of theplayoffs for the first time since the 1996–97 season.
On April 10, 2007, the Pacers announced the firing of coach Rick Carlisle, with the Pacers’ first losing record in ten seasons being the main reason for the coach’s dismissal. Pacers President Larry Bird noted that Carlisle had the opportunity to return to the Pacers franchise in another role. Later, Carlisle opted to leave and took a broadcasting job with ESPN before returning to coach the Dallas Mavericks in 2008 (where he would win a championship in 2011). On May 31, 2007, Jim O’Brien was named Carlisle’s successor. O’Brien made it clear that he intended to take the Pacers back to the playoffs in the 2007–08 season, but he didn’t, and didn’t in his tenure. He also made it known that he favored a more up-tempo, fast-paced style as opposed to Carlisle’s slower, more meticulous style of coaching. Many people have taken note that this style, while exciting at times, failed to produce a winning record and O’Brien’s inability to change his style to better suit his talent available has hurt the team.
Despite missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1980s, the 2007–08 season displayed many signs of growth in the team, especially towards the end of the season. Off-court legal distraction from Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels, and Shawne Williams in the middle of the season did not help the Pacers struggles, and injuries to Tinsley and Jermaine O’Neal damaged the Pacers’ already weak defense and left almost all point guard duties to recently acquired Travis Diener, who saw minimal minutes on his previous NBA teams. Despite this, and a 36–46 record, the Pacers had a very strong finish to the season, which included a desperate attempt to steal the 8th seed from the Atlanta Hawks, and dramatic improvement in forwards Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy. Both Granger and Dunleavy were involved in the voting for Most Improved Player, with Dunleavy finishing in the top 10. The two were also the first Pacers players to score 1500 points each in a single season since Reggie Miller and Detlef Schrempf did it in the early 1990s.
In April of the 2007–08 season, Donnie Walsh, Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO & President, left the Indiana Pacers to join the New York Knicks. All of Walsh’s basketball-related duties were given to Pacers’ President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. Walsh’s business-related roles were given to co-owner Herb Simon and Jim Morris, who was promoted to President of Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
Alternate and center court logo (2006–present)
During the 2009–10 season, Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough (drafted in 2009) suffered a season-ending ear injury and without center Jeff Foster, the Pacers again fell into another season under .500 and missed the playoffs for 4 years in a row. Despite another disappointing season, the Pacers managed to sweep the waning Detroit Pistons for the first time in 5 years, and the abysmal New Jersey Nets for the first time in 20. The team showed signs of life near the end of the season, winning nearly all of their last 14 games.
In May 2010, after completing his rookie season, guard A. J. Price suffered a knee injury during a charity pick-up game that would require surgery. His expected rehabilitation was to last between 4–6 months, to be back just in time for training camp.
2010–present: The rise of Paul George[edit]
In the 2010 NBA draft, the Pacers selected forward/guard Paul George with the 10th overall pick. In the second round, they drafted guard Lance Stephenson, as well as forward Ryan Reid. The draft rights to Reid were traded on draft night to theOklahoma City Thunder in exchange to the rights to forward/center Magnum Rolle. The Pacers signed George to his rookie contract on July 1, 2010. Stephenson signed a multi-year contract with the team on July 22. Just before training camp, Rolle was signed, along with big man Lance Allred. Both were cut before the regular season began.
On August 11, 2010, the Pacers acquired guard Darren Collison and swingman James Posey from the New Orleans Hornets in a four-team, five-player deal. Troy Murphy was dealt to the New Jersey Nets in that trade.
In the 2010–11 season, the team went 2–3 in the first five games. On November 9 in a home game against Denver, the team scored 54 points in the 3rd quarter alone, shooting 20–21 in the process, on the way to a 144–113 rout of the Nuggets. Led by Mike Dunleavy’s 24 points in the period, the team set a franchise record for most points in a quarter and was only four points short of the all-time NBA record for points in a quarter (58) set in the 1970s.
On January 30, 2011, the Pacers relieved Jim O’Brien of his coaching duties and named assistant coach Frank Vogel interim head coach.
On the NBA’s trade deadline on February 24, 2011, numerous sports news outlets, including ESPN, reported that the Pacers had agreed to a three-team trade that would have sent Josh McRoberts to the Memphis Grizzlies and Brandon Rush to the New Orleans Hornets, while the Pacers would have received O.J. Mayo from the Grizzlies in return, and the Hornets would have sent an unidentified player to the Grizzlies. However, the trading period expired at 3:00 pm EST, and the trade paperwork did not reach the NBA’s main offices for approval until 3:02 pm. Thus, the trade was canceled and all aforementioned players remained with their original teams.
With a victory over the Washington Wizards on April 6, 2011, the Pacers clinched their first playoff berth since 2006. In the first round, they were defeated by the No. 1 seed Chicago Bulls in five games. Despite a lopsided comparison in terms of the two teams’ win-loss records, three of the four Pacers losses were close, losing games 1–3 by an average of five points.
The Pacers named Vogel their permanent head coach on July 7, 2011. They acquired George Hill from the San Antonio Spurs on draft night. After the lockout, the Pacers signed former two-time All-Star power forward David West to a two-year deal. These new players contributed to the Pacers’ record of 21-12 at the All Star break. The Pacers acquired another key piece in Leandro Barbosa from the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline, mid-season.
At the end of the 2011–12 season, the team, led in scoring by Danny Granger, clinched the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They finished with a 42-24 record, their best record since their 2003–04 season. On May 8, 2012, the Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic 105-87 to win their first playoff series since 2005 and would go on to play the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. On May 15, 2012 they defeated Miami to tie the second round series at 1-1. On May 17, they again beat Miami 94-75 to take the series lead 2-1. However, despite a hard fought series between the two, the Heat won Game 6 to close the series at 4-2.
The following season, Granger was sidelined by a knee injury and managed to only play 5 games. Granger made his return during the 2013–14 season, however failed to regain his form of the previous seasons, Granger was then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for G Evan Turner and F Lavoy Allen in a swap that took place approximately 30 minutes before the trade deadline.[15]
On June 26, 2012, general manager, David Morway officially resigned.[16] The following day, president of basketball operations, Larry Bird stepped down. Bird and Morway were officially replaced by Donnie Walsh and Kevin Pritchard, respectively.[17] Walsh returned to the organization after spending the previous three seasons in the Knicks’ front office. Pritchard was promoted by the Pacers after serving as the team’s director of player personnel. In the 2012 NBA draft, the Pacers selectedMiles Plumlee with the 26th pick and acquired Orlando Johnson, the 36th pick from the Sacramento Kings.
On April 7, 2013, the Pacers clinched their first Central Division championship since the 2003–04 season. They finished the 2012–13 season with a 49-32 record, the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference and beat the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. The Pacers then beat the New York Knicks in six games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004 to face the defending champs, the Miami Heat.[18] The Pacers lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 22, 2013 in overtime 103-102.[19] On May 24, 2013 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers were victorious by a score of 97-93. The game was clinched for Indiana, after David West was able to deflect a pass from LeBron James. The team headed home to Indianapolis where they had been a perfect 6-0 in the playoffs. The Heat won Game 3 in Indianapolis on May 26, 2013, with contributions from role players Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen, and won 114-96.[20] The Pacers bounced back in Game 4 – with a strong contribution from Lance Stephenson – and won 99-92. The Pacers lost Game 5 in Miami on May 30, but won Game 6 at home on June 1, extending the series to Game 7. The Pacers were defeated by Miami, 99-76.
One year after stepping down, Larry Bird returned as president of basketball operations. Donnie Walsh, who was brought back to hold the position for Bird, was named a consultant for the Pacers.[21] In the 2013 NBA draft, the Pacers selected Solomon Hill with the 23rd overall pick. During the 2013 off-season, the Pacers made strengthening their bench a priority, resulting in the acquisitions of point guard C. J. Watson, and forwards Chris Copeland and Luis Scola, the latter being acquired via trade with the Phoenix Suns.
The 2013–14 season saw the Pacers jump to an explosive first half of a season, as they started the season 33-7 thanks to the rise of Paul George and Lance Stephenson.. There were talks about the Pacers becoming the next team to hit the 70 win mark, which had only been achieved by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. Paul George and Roy Hibbert were selected for the All Star Game. However, after the All Star Break, the Pacers collapsed. After starting the season 40-11, the Pacers crashed and stumbled to a 16-15 finish, with rumors of fighting in the locker room being a potential cause for the meltdown. Regardless, they managed to hold onto their first seed in the East, finished the season with a 56-26 record.
The Pacers started off the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, whom managed to secure an eighth seed in the playoffs with a 38-44 record. In Game 1, the Pacers suffered a devastating loss at home to the Hawks, 101-93. The Pacers bounced back in Game 2, winning 101-85. With the series shifting to Atlanta, the Hawks won Game 3 by 13 points. Indiana then took back the homecourt advantage in the series, winning Game 4 by 3 points in Atlanta. Back in Indianapolis, the Pacers jumped out to an early lead, but the Hawks had a monstrous second quarter, outscoring the Pacers 41-19. With the hometown crowd behind their backs, the Pacers cut the once 30-point lead to 9 late in the fourth quarter, but the rally wasn’t enough to win Game 5, losing 107-97. Three days later in Atlanta, the Hawks jumped out to an early 10 point lead, but Indiana led at the half by five. The Pacers got the lead up to nine in the third quarter, but the Hawks came back and had a three-point lead at the end of the quarter. The game was back and forth throughout the fourth quarter. With three minutes remaining and the Pacers down five, it looked as if their season would come to an end. Then, behind David West, the Pacers ended the game on a 16-4 and won the game by seven to extend the series to a seventh game in Indianapolis. On May 3, 2014, the Pacers hosted a Game 7 at home for the first time in franchise history. A sellout crowd of 18,165 came to watch the Pacers and Hawks play in a win or go home situation. Atlanta led by as many as six in the first quarter, but the Pacers had the lead at the end of the first by a point. Throughout the second and third quarters, the Pacers went on a 24-6 run to give the Pacers a 17-point lead, and Indiana never turned back, winning the game 92-80. The Pacers then defeated Washington in 6 games in the semi-finals, then a rematch with the second-seeded and defending champion Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers surprised many critics, taking Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals with a score of 107-95. Unfortunately for the Pacers they ended up losing the next 3 to the Heat before managing to avoid elimination in Game 5 with a close win over the Heat. In the game, LeBron James got into early foul trouble and played less than 30 minutes, while Paul George exploded in the second half to finish the night with 37 points. The game was notable for the infamous incident where Lance Stephenson blew into LeBron James’ ear. Despite the win, the Pacers were eliminated in Game 6 by the Miami Heat for the third straight year.
2014–15: George Out[edit]
On August 1, 2014, Paul George, who was playing in a Team USA scrimmage in preparation for the FIBA World Cup, suffered a catastrophic open fracture to his right leg (tibia and fibula) while trying to defend James Harden on a fast break. As he tried to defend Harden from advancing to the rim, George’s leg caught on the stanchion of the hoop, and fractured. He was stretchered off of the court. Many described his injury as one of the worst and most graphic injuries they’d seen since the Kevin Ware incident. A day later, George successfully underwent surgery. He was expected to miss the entire 2014–2015 season. On April 5, 2015 Paul George returned from his injury to play in a game against the Miami Heat. George shot 5 of 12 from the field and tallied two steals, two rebounds and two assists in a winning effort. He played 15 minutes.
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