For the first time in 25 years, the Indiana Pacers are back in the NBA finals. It’s a breakthrough decades in the making, ending a long-standing drought that began after their final appearance in 2000. Back then, Raggie Miller led the charge. Now it’s Tyrese Haliburton’s turn to lead the team to their first NBA championship.
The Pacers began the season 10-15 and looked headed for another forgettable campaign. But trades, resilience, and a determined roster sparked a turnaround that’s led them to the league’s biggest stage.
Haliburton called it “really special,” adding, “There are a lot of fans who have never seen success from this organization, especially people around my age. They weren’t alive for it.”
Indiana Pacers Have A New Core But The Same Goal
This isn’t the same Indiana Pacers team that fell short against the Lakers in 2000. Back then, experience was the Pacers’ edge. Today. It’s pace, youth, and fearlessness. President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard reshaped the roster with bold moves, sending Domantas Sabonis for Haliburton, swapping Malcolm Brogdon for Aaron Nesmith, and acquiring Pascal Siakam from Toronto in January, together with Myles Turner, forming the versatile, dynamic core.
The team embraced a fast-paced, high-octane style that echoes the Pacers’ ABA roots. “The pace, it just fits who I am as a person,” said Siakam. “We have a lot of people who look down on us as an underdog, and that’s my style. I like that because that’s been me my whole life.”
Veteran head coach Rick Carlisle is not settling. “Getting to the NBA Finals is an accomplishment. But if you start looking at it that way, you’ll go into it with the wrong mindset. When you get to this point of the season, it’s two teams, one goal, so it becomes an all-or-nothing thing,” he said. (Via- Sports Inquirer)
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The Indiana Pacers had a tough road to the Finals, beating the Bucks, Cavaliers, and Knicks. Now, they face the Thunder, another team once seen as rebuilding. For the Pacers, the series means more than just winning games. It’s a chance to move on from the heartbreak of 2000 and finally earn the respect they have been chasing.
