Indiana Pacers Playoff History

The Indiana Pacers were founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), and have carved out a rich basketball legacy since their inception. Transitioning to the NBA in 1976, the Pacers franchise have consistently formed strong teams that can play at the highest level.

During the ABA era, the Pacers had stars like Roger Brown, Mel Daniels, and George McGinnis, capturing three ABA championships (1970, 1972, 1973) and earning a reputation for their exciting style of play. The Indiana Pacers decided to move to the NBA in 1976 but they faced significant challenges upon their transition. From the 1976-1977 NBA season to the 1988-1989 NBA season, Pacers endured a prolonged period of struggle, frequently finding themselves at the bottom of the standings.

Additionally, they were making some disappointing selections in the NBA draft which piled misery on them. One of the most notable missteps for the Pacers was their wrong decision to not draft local legend Larry Bird in the 1978 draft.

However, the Pacers' fortunes began to change with the 1987 NBA draft, where they struck gold by selecting Reggie Miller with the 11th overall pick. Reggie Miller's arrival marked a turning point for the Indiana Pacers franchise as his arrival ignited a new era of success for them. Since the late 1980s, the Indiana Pacers have consistently fielded competitive NBA teams, and even established themselves as formidable contenders in the Eastern Conference on several occasions.

Over the decade of 1990s, Pacers saw continued success as with the likes of Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, and Detlef Schrempf had great success. The 2000s was another strong era for the Pacers, with Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, and older Reggie Miller guiding the team to several deep playoff runs, including an appearance in the NBA Finals in 2000. Despite facing challenges and roster transitions in recent years, the Indiana Pacers remain a resilient and competitive franchise. Today, players such as Tyrese Haliburton and Benedict Mathurin carry on the tradition of excellence in Indiana.

How many times have Indiana Pacers made the playoffs?

As of April 2024, the Indiana Pacers have made the NBA playoffs 27 times since their first NBA season back in 1976-1977. Before joining the NBA, the Pacers played in the ABA for nine years, reaching the playoffs in all nine seasons they played. Overall, in their 47 NBA seasons, the Pacers have made the playoffs 27 times.

The Indiana Pacers franchise initially struggled in the NBA, making the playoffs only twice in their first 15 seasons (in 1981 and 1987), where they were eliminated in the first round both times. However, the Reggie Miller era, which began in the 1990s, marked a turning point for the Indiana Pacers. From 1990 to 2006, the Pacers became a consistent playoff team, missing the playoffs only once in 1997 due to injuries to several key players.

In the 2010s, the Pacers led by Paul George, had several deep playoff runs, further solidifying their status as a competitive franchise in the NBA.

Indiana Pacers Playoff Record

The Indiana Pacers have an overall playoff record of 115-126 in their franchise history, with many memorable playoff campaigns. Among these, the Indiana Pacers’ best performance came in the 2000 playoffs when they reached the NBA Finals. This achievement was particularly significant as they had struggled to advance past the Eastern Conference Finals in the 1990s.

The 2000 Pacers team was led by the experienced superstar Reggie Miller, with “The Dunking Dutchman” Rik Smits and Dale Davis forming a solid frontcourt duo, and Jalen Rose providing his athleticism at small forward. They were complemented by another veteran, Sam Perkins, off the bench.

Pacers’ famous playoff run in 2000 saw them defeat the Milwaukee Bucks led by Ray Allen and Sam Cassell in the first round (4-2), followed by a victory over Allen Iverson's Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the eastern conference semifinals. Then, the Pacers clinched the Eastern Conference title by defeating their arch-rivals, the New York Knicks, in another six-game classic series.

Eventually, the Pacers journey came to an end in the 2000 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Despite putting up a valiant effort, the Pacers were ultimately unable to overcome Shaq's dominance inside the paint, as he averaged a jaw-dropping double-double of 38 points, and 16.7 rebounds.

The Indiana Pacers' fiercest rival in franchise history is the New York Knicks. Throughout the 1990s, both teams were perennial playoff contenders, meeting in the playoffs six times from 1993 to 2000. This rivalry was epitomized by the intense competition between Reggie Miller and prominent Knicks fan Spike Lee.

Number of conference finals won by Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers have won one Eastern Conference finals in their history. The Indiana Pacers eastern conference finals victory occurred in the year 2000 when they defeated their bitter rivals New York Knicks in six games.

Overall, the Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference Finals (ECF) on eight occasions, but they have unfortunately only advanced past the eastern conference finals once in the year 2000.

Indiana Pacers’ first conference finals appearance was in 1994 against the Knicks in an iconic series that saw Reggie Miller's memorable fourth-quarter eruption of 25 in Game 5 and the infamous “choke” actions towards Knicks fans. However, it was the Pacers who choked the series eventually as they lost the 1994 ECF series against the Knicks in seven games.

In subsequent years, the Pacers faced several heartbreaks in the eastern conference finals. First in the 1995 playoffs, the Pacers found themselves back in the eastern conference finals, and this time they faced tough competition from the polarizing duo of Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal. Despite a valiant effort, the Pacers were edged out in a heartbreaking seven-game series.

In 1998, the Pacers faced another heartbreak in the conference finals. Once again, they found themselves in a grueling seven-game series, this time against the legendary Bulls led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. In the decisive Game 7 against the Bulls, the Pacers started strong, building a double-digit lead early in the first half.

They managed to neutralize the legend of Michael Jordan to some extent, but the struggling Jordan found support from the dominant two-way force of Pippen and the hot shooting of Toni Kukoc. Despite their efforts, the Pacers fell short once again, enduring another painful loss in the conference finals.

Next up in the 1999 playoffs, the Indiana Pacers suffered yet another heartbreak in the conference finals, this time losing to their archrivals New York Knicks in six games. However, their perseverance paid off in the following year, as they finally broke their eastern conference finals curse by defeating the Knicks in the 2000 conference finals.

Despite this breakthrough, the Indiana Pacers again endured three more conference finals losses in the next 23 years. First, the Indiana Pacers faced disappointment in the eastern conference finals in 2004 against the Detroit Pistons. Then after 9 years, the Pacers led by Paul George reached conference finals in 2013 and 2014, but the formidable Miami Heat, often referred to as the "Heatles" due to their star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, prevailed on both occasions.

In 2013, Indiana Pacers were engaged in a thrilling seven-game eastern conference series against the Miami Heat but were unable to secure victory. Similarly, in 2014, despite putting up a valiant effort, the Pacers were defeated by the Heat in six games, thus missing out on a chance to advance to the NBA Finals.

Number of NBA championships won by Indiana Pacers

Since joining the NBA in the 1976-1977 season, the Indiana Pacers have not won an NBA championship title. The Indiana Pacers best performance in NBA history is their finals appearance in 2000 when they lost the finals against the formidable Los Angeles Lakers led by Shaq and Kobe.

However, if we look back to the Indiana Pacers' history in the American Basketball Association (ABA) before their joining the NBA then they have a highly successful track record. The Pacers reached the playoffs in all the nine seasons that they played in the ABA and won three ABA championships during their tenure there.

Indiana Pacers Last Playoff Appearance

The Indiana Pacers last playoff appearance occurred in the 2020 postseason. As the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, they faced the fifth-seeded Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. This 2020 first round playoffs series wasn’t really a close contest, as the Miami Heat led by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and rookie sensation Tyler Herro swept the Pacers in four games.

What is the biggest playoff series comeback in the Indiana Pacers history?

The biggest NBA playoff series comeback in Indiana Pacers history occurred during the 2014 NBA playoffs first round. The Pacers were the first seed in that playoffs and they faced off against the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks.

Despite being the lower seed, the Hawks proved to be a formidable opponent with a deep roster featuring sharpshooters like Kyle Korver, "Sweet" Lou Williams, and DeMarre Carroll, along with the dynamic duo of Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap.

The Atlanta Hawks took a commanding 2-1 series lead against the Pacers and seemed to have the momentum on their side. However, in Game 4, the Pacers managed to secure a crucial victory with a last-minute go-ahead bucket by George Hill, tying the series 2-2. The crucial win in game 4 shifted the momentum back in favor of the Pacers, who eventually won the series in seven games, completing a great comeback against the Hawks.