A Brief History
When the ABA ended its operations in 1976, the Indiana Pacers were asked to join the NBA. Joining the NBA was an expensive affair but they managed to get the money through contributions from some businesses. The Pacers did not do too well in the initial years and had to do something drastic to gain publicity. In 1979, they asked Ann Meyers, a woman basketball player to try out for their team. She was the only woman to ever try out for an NBA team, but she didn’t make it. This stunt gained them the publicity they wanted.
The Pacers reached their first NBA playoffs in 1980 where they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. Jack Ramsay joined as coach in 1986 and under him the Pacers made it back to the playoffs after a gap of six years.
The best thing to happen to the Pacers was the draft of Reggie Miller in 1987. His draft was initially frowned upon by the fans but in the years to come he turned out to be one of their greatest players. He was the first Pacer since 1976 to be a part of the NBA All-Star team.
Larry Brown was hired as their Head Coach in 1993 and the same year the Pacers had their first playoff series win. They went on to reach the Eastern Conference Finals that year which they eventually lost to the New York Knicks. However, that was a turning point for the Indiana Pacers as well. They became a contending force in the NBA and Reggie Miller was catapulted to superstar status.
A number of injuries brought the Pacers down in the subsequent years. In 1997, when they chose Larry Bird to coach them, they began their rise again. They recruited Chris Mullin who became an important player along with Dale Davis and Reggie Miller. They reached the Conference finals yet again but lost to the Chicago Bulls. In 1998, they reached the NBA Finals for the first time but were crushed by the Los Angeles Lakers. Since then, the Pacers have experienced many ups and downs, but they keep bouncing back.
Retired Numbers
The Pacers have retired a few jersey numbers including the following:
Reggie Miller, 31
Mel Daniels, 34
Roger Brown, 35 |
