Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team competes in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The Pacers play in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Pacers began in the American Basketball Association (ABA), entering the league as one of the original teams in the 1967-1968 season. The Pacers won three ABA titles during their 9 years in the league. Stars of the ABA teams included center Mel Daniels and forwards George McGinnis and Roger Brown.
Indiana joined the National Basketball Association for the 1976-1977 season after the ABA merged with the NBA. In the NBA, the Pacers struggled from the mid-1970’s to the early 1990’s, with only two winning seasons until 1993-1994. The Pacers won three division championships from 1993-1994 to 1999-2000, and reached the NBA finals for the 1999-2000 season. The stars of the Pacers teams of the 1990’s included guard Reggie Miller and center Rik Smits.
In the early 2000’s, the Pacers featured center Jermaine O’Neal. Indiana won the Central Division championship in 2003-2004, led by O’Neal and forward Ron Artest (Artest later changed his name to Metta World Peace). The team had the best record in the NBA with 61 victories and 21 losses. In the playoffs, the Pacers lost in the conference finals to the Detroit Pistons. Indiana won the division title in 2012-2013, led by center Roy Hibbert and guard Paul George. The Pacers lost in the conference finals to the Miami Heat in a seven-game series. Indiana won 56 games during the 2013-2014 regular season, the most in the conference. In the playoffs, the Pacers lost to Miami in a six-game series in the conference finals. Other top Pacers players of the 2010’s included guard Victor Oladipo and forward Domantas Sabonis.
