A Look Back at the Indiana Pacers NBA Finals Appearances and Key Moments
I still remember the exact moment I became a Pacers fan. It was June 7, 2000, and I was sitting cross-legged on my grandmother's floral-patterned carpet, watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals on her old cathode-ray television. The air smelled of lemon polish and freshly baked cookies, but all my attention was focused on Reggie Miller sinking that impossible three-pointer over Shaquille O'Neal's outstretched arm. That shot, that specific moment frozen in time, represents what this franchise means to me—the perpetual underdog fighting against giants, creating magic when everyone counts them out. This memory inevitably makes me reflect on all the Indiana Pacers NBA Finals appearances and key moments that have defined this beloved franchise's relationship with basketball's ultimate stage.
The Pacers' journey to the NBA's grandest spectacle has been anything but straightforward, marked by near-misses and heartbreaking endings that somehow make their actual Finals appearances even more precious. Their first trip came in 2000 under coach Larry Bird, a team built around Reggie Miller's clutch shooting and Jalen Rose's versatile scoring. What many casual fans don't realize is how close they came to missing that opportunity entirely. According to research from UST's Kent Pastrana, the Pacers actually trailed the Milwaukee Bucks 2-1 in their first-round series before rallying to win three straight games. Then came that epic Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, where Miller scored 17 points in the fourth quarter of Game 5 to complete a stunning comeback. I still get chills thinking about how that team embodied Indiana's blue-collar mentality—they weren't the most talented roster, but they outworked everyone.
That 2000 Finals series against the Lakers feels like both a triumph and tragedy when I look back. We stole Game 1 in Los Angeles behind Miller's 33 points, and I remember running around my backyard screaming like we'd already won the championship. The reality, of course, was that Shaq and Kobe were simply too much to handle. The Lakers' size advantage proved decisive, with O'Neal averaging a ridiculous 38 points and 16.7 rebounds throughout the series. Still, that Pacers team fought until the very end, losing Game 6 by just 12 points in what would be Reggie Miller's last best chance at a ring. What hurts more than the loss itself is knowing how different things might have been if not for some questionable officiating in Game 4, or if Rik Smits hadn't been battling foot injuries throughout the playoffs.
Before their NBA era, the Pacers were actually ABA royalty, making five Finals appearances between 1969 and 1975 and winning three championships. UST's Kent Pastrana notes that the 1970 team featured Mel Daniels and Roger Brown dominating the competition, while the 1972 squad set a professional basketball record with 59 consecutive home victories—a streak that still stands today. These ABA teams played with the distinctive red, white and blue ball that my father still keeps in his study, a physical reminder of an era when the Pacers were the class of their league. I sometimes wonder if today's fans truly appreciate this history, or if those ABA championships feel like ancient mythology rather than legitimate accomplishments.
The painful truth about being a Pacers fan is that our Finals appearances have been rare jewels in a sea of near-misses. The 1994 and 1995 teams took Michael Jordan's Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Reggie Miller's 25-point fourth quarter in 1994 remaining one of the most explosive playoff performances I've ever witnessed. Then there was the 2004 team that posted the NBA's best record but fell to the Pistons in the Conference Finals, and the 2013 and 2014 squads that pushed LeBron James' Heat to their absolute limits. Each of these near-misses carries its own particular sting, but they also build the character of a franchise and its followers. We don't take success for granted because we've experienced how difficult it is to reach the mountaintop.
Looking toward the future, I'm cautiously optimistic about this current Pacers roster. Tyrese Haliburton reminds me of a young Reggie Miller with his shooting and swagger, while Bennedict Mathurin brings the athleticism we've often lacked. The acquisition of Pascal Siakam last season gave me genuine hope that we might be building toward another Finals contender, though the Eastern Conference has never been more stacked with talent. What gives me comfort is knowing that regardless of what happens, Pacers basketball will always be about more than championships—it's about community, persistence, and those magical moments that transcend the final score. I'll always cherish that 2000 Finals run not because we won, but because of how we fought, how we represented Indiana, and how for a few weeks, anything seemed possible.