This is basically the history of the Indiana Pacers. I will also be making arguments to support the claim that the Indiana Pacers are the greatest small market team in NBA history. To start, ABA achievements won’t be counted in this. Although they have an amazing ABA resume. Now, there is not a set group of “small market” teams. So, I will determine based on TV ratings, city-size, revenue potential, and other things. I would say the “small market” teams are the Pacers, Thunder, Bucks, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Jazz, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Hornets, Kings, and Cavs. Let me know if I forgot anybody or if a team should not be on here.
Here we go…
1976-1986: A New Road, and a Bumpy One.
The Indiana Pacers joined the NBA in 1976 as one of the teams in the ABA-NBA merger. They were one of four teams to join the NBA in this The Pacers finished 36-46 in their first NBA season. Then, fast forward to 1982 they drafted Clark Kellogg, who was second in Rookie of the Year voting, despite a terrible 20-62 record, they believed they had found a cornerstone piece. In the 1986-1987, rookie Chuck Person led the team in scoring, winning the Rookie of the Year award and leading the team to a 41-41 record. And a playoff appearance. They lost to the Hawks in the first round, but this was one of the best seasons in the Pacers franchise history so far.
1987-1997 Reggie Miller and Company.
With the 11th pick in the 1987 NBA draft, the Indiana Pacers select, Reggie Miller of UCLA. Unbeknownst to them, and especially fans, the Pacers had just drafted the best Indiana Pacer of all time. Fans booed Donnie Walsh for not talking Hoosier native Steve Alford. Reggie had a pretty good rookie year, averaging 10 points in just 22 minutes. The Pacers missed the 1987-1988 NBA playoffs, but drafted center Rik Smits in the draft that offseason. This ended up being a great pick for Indiana, again. In February 1989, the Pacers traded center Herb Williams for future Sixth Man-of-the-Year player Detlef Schrempf. The next season in 1989-1990, Reggie Miller became the first Pacer All-Star since 1976, averaging an outstanding 24.6 points a game! Later, the Pacers traded Chuck Persons and moved Detlef Schrempf to the starting small forward position and he was selected to his first All-Star game. The Blue & Gold finished 41-41 this season, and lost to the New York Knicks 3 games to 1 in the first round. Keep this in mind for later. Then, before the 1993-1994 season, Indy hired Larry Brown as the head coach. The Pacers made another trade, sending Detlef Schrempf to the Supersonics for Derrick McKey. This trade was not liked by many fans as Schrempf had just been an All-Star. However, the Pacers achieved an NBA Franchise high 47 wins the following season. In the first round, they SWEPT the Shaquille O’Neal led Magic. In round two, they pulled of a surprising upset in beating the number 1 seeded Atlanta Hawks in six games. Then, they played the New York Knicks in the eastern conference finals. Fast forward to game 5 of the series. In New York. Pacers trail by 15 points early in the fourth quarter. But then, all of a sudden, Reggie Miller exploded. He scored 25 points in the fourth quarter. And famously gave a “choking” sign to Knicks super-fan Spike Lee when the Pacers came back late in the fourth quarter. This game has been remembered for over 30 years as one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history. The Knicks the ended up winning the series and going to the Finals. In the offseason, Indy made a trade with the Clippers, acquiring point guard Mark Jackson. The Pacers went 52-30 the following year, winning the Central Division, their first time doing so in their NBA history. Back in the playoffs they SWEEP the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. And once again, they find themselves playing the Knicks. It’s game 1, the Pacers are down by six and 16.4 seconds remain. Reggie Miller hits a huge three pointer, gets a steal on the inbound, hits ANOTHER three pointer, and then Knicks player John Starks goes to the line. He misses both free throws! However, Knicks center Patrick Ewing rebounds the second miss, puts it back up, and HE misses. Reggie ends up with the ball and is fouled with 7.5 seconds remaining. He hits both free throws, giving him 8 points in just 8.9 seconds. A truly historic moment again versus the Knicks. The Pacers went on to win this series, but fell short to the Shaquille O'Neal led Magic in 7 games in the Conference Finals. The Pacers again went 52-30 in the 1995-1996 season. However, Reggie Miller had an eye injury in the postseason and they lost in the first round. The Indiana Pacers were the only team to beat the historic 72-10 Bulls twice in that season. The next season, the Pacers were plagued by injuries, although they still got to a 39-43 record, and coach Larry Brown stepped down.
1997-2000: An Indy-native legend coming home to coach
The Pacers hired Indiana native Larry Bird to coach the Blue & Gold. With the help of off-season addition Chris Mullin, the team went an amazing 58-24 this season, a franchise record. The Pacers beat the Cavs and then the Knicks in the first two rounds, but fell short to Michael Jordan and the Bulls in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the 1998-1999 season, the Pacers went 33-17. They got back to the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the New York Knicks in 6 games. In the following off-season, Indy traded Antonio Davis to the Raptors for Jonathan Bender. In the next season, the Pacers went 56-26. They made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals, playing the New York Knicks. And they won in 6 games! The Indiana Pacers were going to the Finals for the first time since their ABA days. There was just one problem, they had to play the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant Lakers. The Lakers beat the Pacers in 6 games.
2000-2003: The Isiah Thomas Era
The Pacers lost center Rik Smits and head coach Larry Bird to retirement in the following offseason. Chris Mullin went back to the Warriors, and Mark Jackson went to the Raptors. Then they made a trade, a big one. A trade that fans hated at the time. They traded forward Dale Davis to the Portland Trail Blazers for a young Jermaine O'Neal. O'Neal averaged 12.9 points a game in his first season with the team. The Pacers weren't contending this year, but still snuck into the playoffs, losing to the 76ers in the first round, who went on the go to the NBA Finals. Then halfway through the 2001-2002 season, the Pacers made another huge trade. They sent star guard Jalen Rose, along with Travis best, to the Chicago Bulls for Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Kevin Ollie, and Ron Mercer. Brad Miller and Ron Artest would quickly become All-Stars in Indiana. The Pacers were back in the playoffs, but lost to the Nets in the first round. The Pacers started off great in the 2002-2003 season, but slowed down after Ron Artest had multiple suspensions and family troubles. The Pacers finished the year 48-34, but were upset by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
2003-2005: Finals contenders and Reggie's last ride
In the 2003 off-season, the Pacers resigned Jermaine O'Neal to a massive deal and Reggie Miller to a more team friendly deal, but couldn't afford to pay center Brad Miller. Larry Bird became the team president and quickly fired coach Isiah Thomas, hiring Rick Carlisle. The Pacers had an amazing 2003-2004 season going 61-21, the best record in the NBA. Ron Artest won Defensive Player of the Year and he and Jermaine O'Neal were both All-Stars. They got back to the Eastern Conference Finals, playing the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons beat the Pacers in six games and went to the NBA Finals, and eventually beat the seemingly unbeatable Lakers. The Pacers traded Al Harrington to the Atlanta Hawks, receiving Stephen Jackson. The Pacers had a good start. Until, on November 19, 2004, the biggest brawl in NBA history went down in Detroit. Near the end of the game, Artest fouled Pistons' Ben Wallace going to the basket. Wallace then shoved Artest. After some more pushing and shoving between players, it seemed that the fight was over. Artest was laying on the scores table when a fan named John Green threw a cup of diet coke at Artest. Ron Artest charged into the stands, as Stephen Jackson followed him. Fans gathered around Artest and Jackson and threw things at them. Jermaine O'Neal hit a fan who came onto the court. The Pacers left the court and Pistons fans threw beer, bottles, cups, towels, whatever they could get their hands on. Ron Artest was suspended for the entire rest of the season, Stephen Jackson was suspended for 30 games, Jermaine O'Neal was suspended for 25 games (later reduced to 15 games), Ben Wallace 6 games, and Anthony Johnson 5 games. O'Neal was charged with two counts of assault and battery. Artest, Johnson, Jackson, and David Harrison were charged with one count each. The Pacers ended up going 44-38 that season. They also reacquired Dale Davis part way through the season, he played 25 regular season games and all playoff games. The Pacers beat the Celtics in the first round. They then played who other than the Detroit Pistons in the second round. They lost in 6 games. Game 6 was Reggie's final game, he scored 27 points.
2005-2010 : A New Era, with a new star
With the 17th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers select, Danny Granger, from New Mexico university The Pacers had just found a new star the draft after Reggie Miller retired. Midway through the season, the Pacers traded Ron Artest to the Kings for Peja Stojakovic. The Pacers somehow again made the playoffs, but they lost to the Nets in 6 games in the first round. The next season, the Pacers did not make the playoffs. This was the first time they didn't make the postseason since the 1996-1997 season. The Pacers fired head coach Rick Carlisle on April 10, 2007. On May 31, 2007, Jim O'Brien was named the new head coach. The Pacers went 36-46 in the 2007-2008 season, but some key players did show development. In April of that season, Donnie Walsh, the Sports and Entertainment CEO and President of the Pacers, left the Pacers to join the Knicks organization. During the 2009 off-season the Pacers made a trade. They traded Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors for Roy Hibbert, T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and Maceo Baston. The Pacers again missed the playoffs in the 2009-2010 season.
2010-2014 : Indy's Back
With the 10th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers select, Paul George of Fresno State University. The Pacers had once again found another star. They also picked Lance Stephenson in the second round. In the off-season, the Pacers received point guard Darren Collison in a trade. On January 30, 2011, the Pacers named Frank Vogel their new interim head coach. The Pacers then made the playoffs for the first time since 2006. However, they lost to the Bulls in 5 games in the first round. Frank Vogel was named the offcial head coach on July 7, 2011. The Pacers drafted forward Kawhi Leonard, but traded him for George Hill. The Pacers then signed All-Star David West to a two-year contract. The Pacers also traded for Leandro Barbosa from the Raptors at the trade deadline. The Pacers were again in the playoffs as a three seed. They went 42-24 on the year. They beat the Magic in the first round and went on to play the Miami Heat, led by Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Heat won in 6 games. The next season, Danny Granger had a bad knee injury and only played five games, he was never the same player after this injury. June 26, 2012, was a hectic day for the Pacers franchise. General Manager David Morway resigned and president of basketball operations Larry Bird stepped down. They were replaced by Donnie Walsh and Kevin Pritchard. The Pacers went 49-32 in the 2012-2013 season, this record won them the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They beat the Hawks in the first round and the Knicks in the second. Then they once again had to play the Miami Heat super-team, this time in the Conference Finals. The Pacers pushed the series to 7 games but lost in game 7. Larry Bird returned as president of basketball operations. Paul George and Roy Hibbert were All-Stars, and Pacers coach Frank Vogel would be coaching them in the All-Star game. The Pacers started off the year with a spectacular 40-11 record, but went 16-15 for the rest of the year. Despite this, the Pacers were still the number one seed with a 56-26 record. They beat the Hawks and Wizards in the first two rounds and went on to play the Miami Heat. The Heat won this series in 6 games. And the Pacers, again, lost in the Conference Finals for what seemed like the 100th time in franchise history.
2014-2017:The End of an Era
Paul George was playing in a Team USA scrimmage on August 1, 2014, when he suffered one of the worst injuries in basketball history. It was an open fracture to his right leg tibia and fibula. He came back on April, 5, 2015. The team missed the playoffs. In the off-season, they parted ways with Roy Hibbert, Luis Scola, and David West. They then drafted Myles Turner in the NBA Draft. They made a big move in signing Monta Ellis in free agency. During the season, they traded for Ty Lawson. And Paul George was right back to where he was before the injury, being an All-Star starter. The Pacers lost to the Raptors in the first round. Frank Vogel was not resigned as head coach, and Nate McMillan was brought in as the replacement. In the off-season they made some good moves in getting Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, Al Jefferson, and Aaron Brooks. They signed Lance Stephenson in the middle of the year. They were back in the playoffs with a 42-40 record, but lost in the first round. On June, 30, 2017, the Pacers made a trade that set of the 2025 NBA Finals. They traded star Paul George to OKC for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Fans did not like this trade at the time. Victor Oladipo went on to win the Most Improved Player of the Year Award the following season. Victor Oladipo was also a 2018 All-Star. The team brought back former Pacer Darren Collison. They also signed Bojan Bogdanovic and Cory Joseph. The Pacers went 48-34, the fifth seed in the East. They played the Cavs again in the first round. The Cavs beat them in 7 games and went on to go back to NBA Finals. The Pacers acquired Tyreke Evans, Wesley Matthews, and Doug McDermott in the offseason. Victor Oladipo was again an All-Star, but then a tragic injury happened, a career ending injury. On January 23, 2019, against the Toronto Raptors, Victor went up to contest Pascal Siakam's layup on a fast break. He ruptured his quad tendon. He was never the same player. The Pacers went 48-34 and again lost in the first round, this time to Boston. The Pacers got Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren, and Jeremy Lamb in the off-season. They also signed point guard T.J. McConnell. Sabonis was an All-Star this year. The next season, in the bubble, T.J. Warren went stupid. But they lost to the Heat in the first round. The next season, they hired head coach Nate Bjorkgren. They traded Oladipo to the Rockets and received Caris LeVert. Indy missed the 2021 playoffs and fired Nate Bjorkgren.
2021-Present: What the Helly
The Pacers signed head coach Rick Carlisle in the off-season. This brought over several assistant coaches such as Ronald Nored, Lloyd Pierce, Jenny Boucek, and Mike Weinar. In the 2021 draft, the Pacers selected Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson. Midway through the 2021-2022 season, the Pacers made the biggest trade in franchise history. They traded Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, and Jermey Lamb for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson. They went 25-57 this season. In the off-season, they had the sixth pick, the highest since 1988, and picked Bennedict Mathurin, they also picked Andrew Nembhard with the 31st pick. They also traded Malcolm Brogdon for Aaron Nemsith, Daniel Theis, a 2023 first round pick, and other players. At the time, it looked like Boston had robbed Indy, but they didn’t. Tyrese Haliburton was an All- Star this year the next season. And the Pacers went 35-47. The Pacers got Jarace Walker in the draft through a trade with the Wizards. They also picked Ben Sheppard at the end of the first round. The team signed Tyrese Haliburton to a massive 5 year extension and signed Bruce Brown to a 2-year, $45 million contract. The Pacers also traded two second round picks to the Knicks for Obi Toppin. The next season the Pacers made it to the first ever NBA In-Season Tournament Championship. Near the deadline, the Pacers traded Jordan Nwora, Bruce Brown, and three first round picks to the Raptors for Pascal Siakam. Tyrese Haliburton was an All-Star starter, and played great in the All-Star game. The Pacers went 47-35 and ended up as the sixth seed. In the first round they played the Milwaukee Bucks without their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and won in 6 games. They went on to play the Knicks in the second round, who also had injuries, and they defeated them in 7 games. They went on to play Boston who beat them in 4 games, most of the games were close. The next season, the Blue & Gold went 52-30, earning them the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They played the Bucks in the first round. It was game 5, in Indiana. Pacers up 3-1 looking to end the series. The Bucks led 118-11 with 40 seconds to go. Andrew Nembhard hit a deep pull up three. Indy got a steal and Tyrese Haliburton got an and-1. AJ Green threw the ball to Gary Trent Jr. and it went right through his hands. Hali then got a layup and the Pacers won. They go on to play the Cavs in round 2. Game 2, Pacers lead the series 1-0. Cavs lead 119-112 with 47.9 seconds to go. Nesmith gets a put back dunk, then draws a charge. Siakam gets a layup, Indy steals the inbound, Hali gets fouled. He hits the first free throw to make it 117-119 Cavs. He then misses the second, Myles Turner bats it to him, he gets it and takes it behind the arc. He steps back and hits a three. Pacers win. They win the series in 5 against the best team in the east. Now they’re playing the Knicks. It’s game 1. In Madison Square Garden. The Knicks lead 121-112 with 58.8 seconds. But they have a problem, Aaron Nesmith is him. Nesmith hits three 3 point baskets in under a minute. It’s 123-121 Knicks. KAT gets fouled and goes 1-2 at the line. Nesmith gets fouled and hits both free throws. OG Anunoby gets fouled and also goes 1-2 at the line. Knicks lead by 2. Haliburton drives, runs back to the 3 point line, shoots, it bounces for what feels like forever, and drops. But it’s a 2! They go to overtime and Indy wins 138-135. The Pacers win in 6 games. Pascal Siakam wins the ECF MVP. In game 1 of the Finals, the Pacers trail 108-99 with 2:40 left. They cut it to a 1 point deficit, SGA misses a mid range jumper. Haliburton dribbled down the floor, guarded by Cason Wallace, pulled up from mid range, and hit it. Pacers win 111-110. The series goes to game 7. However, Hali strains his calf in game 5. This would put him out for weeks in the regular season. With 4:55 left in quarter 1, he ruptures his achilles. He was 3-4 from three.
Good Moves Indy Made
Trading for Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal, Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Detlef Schrempf, and others.
Signing TJ McConnell, David West, Darren Collision, and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Drafting Reggie, PG13, Danny Granger, Myles Turner, Nembhard, Mathurin, Rik Smits, Davis brothers, Al Harrington, and Chuck Persons.
This is why the Pacers are the greatest small market franchise in NBA history.