1994 Pacers

[sav]

The other day I was wondering how far away this Pacers team was from being a contender.

I decided to look at the 2000 Pacers since that has been the only team we had that made it to the NBA Finals. After looking at that team, I realized that we are no where close to having what that team had, so I decided to look at the first Pacers team to make it to the ECF, the 1994 Pacers.

For those of you who may be curious, the 2000 Pacers had 3 one time all-stars in the starting lineup. Mark Jackson, Dale Davis and Rik Smits. They also had Derrick McKey who had made all defensive teams twice in his career. Of course the other starter was 5 time all-star and future Hall of Famer, Reggie Miller. There was also a veteran off the bench that was nearing the end of his career, 5 time all-star and future Hall of Famer, Chris Mullin. So the team had 5 all-stars (including 2 future HOFers) plus a player who had twice made the NBA all defensive team. They were also a veteran team.

I move on to the 1994 team and was surprised. The 1994 team had (at the time) a one time all-star in Reggie Miller. That’s it. The only other notable player was Byron Scott because he had won an NBA title. Now that 1994 team also had 3 other future all-stars (Dale Davis, Antonio Davis and Rik Smits) but as of 1994 the only player that had made an all-star team was Reggie Miller.

Our current team has a one time al-star in Sabonis. That’s all we have now, so in that perspective, we have as much as the 1994 team did that made it to the ECF. Unfortunately, I do not see a Hall of Fame player on the current roster. I’m not even sure if there will be any future all-stars. And while Coach B may become a very good coach, he does not have the experience that Larry Brown did.

I just thought I would share my findings, I found it very interesting that the 1994 team only had 1 all-star.

[imawhat]

That team also started 16-23, so it wasn’t the best start. Even as a youngster I could tell that team was special. I think we have the talent to be special, and we’re seeing a few things here and there, but my gut feeling isn’t good right now.

I’m certain we have the talent to win in the playoffs. This week is super important because we have two games in eight days. We need practice, sorely, and we need to show development and progress.

We also need to figure out why we play worse when our best player is playing.

[Unclebuck]

I remember the 1994 team extremely well. A season I will never forget because it was the first time a Pacers team that I followed won a playoff series. I had been following the Pacers for about 15 seasons at that point. Pacers started the regular season 16-23 - had just lost 5 straight - didn't seem like they were set to finish the season 31-12. Just looking at the box score on the game that started the 31-12 record, pacers only shot 6 threes the entire game - Reggie was 2 of 3.

Larry Brown brought a very different type of play to the team. Aggressive, disruptive, a physicalness that I had never seen a Pacers team play before. There were some signs early in the season that the team was different, but no clear sign that the team was any better than the previous several .500 and first round and out teams. Pacers had traded Detlef schrempf for McKey. Most fans thought that was a terrible trade. In fact I will never forget a fan walking right up to Donnie Walsh during one of the first games after the trade and screaming at Walsh about how bad the trade was.

Most fans will credit Rik Smits and Reggie Miller for the turn around. well they had been here for several years. What was different was Larry Brown, Mckey, Dale and Antonio David - that is what turned it around. I will mention B. Scott also. I remember a quote from Phil Jackson about the Pacers when he was asked about the teams turn around, he credited Mckey and Davis. I will never see a better defensive forward tandem on a pacers team in my lifetime.

OK, enough about 1994 - are there any comparisons to this years team? Maybe - a new coach trying to install a disruptive and aggressive style. An early season trade Vic for LeVert. Team struggling through the first half of the season. A team that had made playoff several years prior , but never won a series. Maybe

[Downtown Bang!]

I think the 2017-18 team was much closer to 1993-94 team. They started slow, finished strong and punched LeBron and the Cav's right in the mouth from the start of that series. A couple of borderline bad calls go differently and the Pacers could have easily won that series. The no call goal tending with LeBron & Vic. Myles And1 at the end of game 7 that got called an offensive foul after Tristan Thompson spent the entire second half playing football in the paint etc. The Cav's also needed a big offensive fourth quarter from George Hill to close that game out too....

Just bad luck that they drew the Cav's as the 4-seed in round one whereas the '94 Pacers got the Magic as a 4-seed with a 21-year old Shaq in his second season & Hardaway as a rookie. Remember the Cav's swept the Raptors in Round 2 in '18 so had that team got past the Cav's an ECF appearance just like '94 was very possible.

I think this team might end up more like the 2001-02 team that played around .500 for the year but took an underappreciated Nets team pretty close to elimination....

[croz24]

For those of you who may be curious, the 2000 Pacers had 3 one time all-stars in the starting lineup. Mark Jackson, Dale Davis and Rik Smits. They also had Derrick McKey who had made all defensive teams twice in his career. Of course the other starter was 5 time all-star and future Hall of Famer, Reggie Miller. There was also a veteran off the bench that was nearing the end of his career, 5 time all-star and future Hall of Famer, Chris Mullin. So the team had 5 all-stars (including 2 future HOFers) plus a player who had twice made the NBA all defensive team. They were also a veteran team.

Shouldn't gauge a team based on how many "at some point in their 14yr career they were once" all-stars a squad has. I think most would agree that the '00 team was probably better than the '94 team. HOWEVER, I would take each of the '95, '96, '98, and '99 teams over the Finals '00 team. So many variables to consider when making such comparisons.

[Sollozzo]

Shouldn't gauge a team based on how many "at some point in their 14yr career they were once" all-stars a squad has. I think most would agree that the '00 team was probably better than the '94 team. HOWEVER, I would take each of the '95, '96, '98, and '99 teams over the Finals '00 team. So many variables to consider when making such comparisons.

1998 was probably our best overall team......but one major edge the 00 team had over some other teams is that Reggie finally had a legit number two scorer at his side in Jalen Rose. The only other time he really had that was in 1995 when Smits was a monster and outplayed Ewing in that series, as well as having a good series against Shaq and Orlando. Unfortunately, Smits started having foot trouble after that and he was never quite as good as he was in 1995. So Rose blossoming in the 99-00 season was crucial to that Finals run.

[croz24]

1998 was probably our best overall team......but one major edge the 00 team had over some other teams is that Reggie finally had a legit number two scorer at his side in Jalen Rose. The only other time he really had that was in 1995 when Smits was a monster and outplayed Ewing in that series, as well as having a good series against Shaq and Orlando. Unfortunately, Smits started having foot trouble after that and he was never quite as good as he was in 1995. So Rose blossoming in the 99-00 season was crucial to that Finals run.

Agree about '98. Rose was an ok #2 scorer but the rest of that team was fairly old and over the hill, and also took advantaged of a diminished NBA. Doubt you'll find many NBA teams throughout history with a core roster all close to being mid-30s, with a fat starting point/back-up center and a center who could barely move up the court. Yes, we still should have at least taken that series to 7 against the Lakers, but the superior versions of those same players were on the '95-99 squads. Consider the weakening NBA/Eastern Conf as well.

[Kstat]

1998 was and probably still is the best NBA edition of the Pacers ever.

1994 might be the toughest, though.

[imawhat]

I remember the 1994 team extremely well. A season I will never forget because it was the first time a Pacers team that I followed won a playoff series. I had been following the Pacers for about 15 seasons at that point. Pacers started the regular season 16-23 - had just lost 5 straight - didn't seem like they were set to finish the season 31-12.

You didn’t think they were going to turn it around? I just remember feeling an energy about that team that was different.

We several heartbreaking buzzer beater losses. We had the one against the Bulls that is most shown, where Reggie bowed and then Kukoc banked in a three at the buzzer. But we also had one where Gheorge Muresan hit a put back bucket for the Bullets. And then we had one of the most ridiculous shots I’ve ever seen when Dana Barros hit a three that he caught in the air at the buzzer for the 76ers. I looked for it on YouTube but couldn’t find it. Maybe KStat has it? Pacers/76ers 1/14/94.

And then we started winning. We had that huge win on the road against the Rockets who were dominant at the time. That was that first big win when we were 16-23. We came back from a deficit in the fourth. I distinctly remember Dale Davis making two great blocks on one possession and then he ran down and converted an and-1 on the other end. I just remember at that moment thinking we had a special team, but it didn’t really hit until Byron hit the three against the Magic.

[Unclebuck]

You didn’t think they were going to turn it around? I just remember feeling an energy about that team that was different.

We several heartbreaking buzzer beater losses. We had the one against the Bulls that is most shown, where Reggie bowed and then Kukoc banked in a three at the buzzer. But we also had one where Gheorge Muresan hit a put back bucket for the Bullets. And then we had one of the most ridiculous shots I’ve ever seen when Dana Barros hit a three that he caught in the air at the buzzer for the 76ers. I looked for it on YouTube but couldn’t find it. Maybe KStat has it? Pacers/76ers 1/14/94.

And then we started winning. We had that huge win on the road against the Rockets who were dominant at the time. That was that first big win when we were 16-23. We came back from a deficit in the fourth. I distinctly remember Dale Davis making two great blocks on one possession and then he ran down and converted an and-1 on the other end. I just remember at that moment thinking we had a special team, but it didn’t really hit until Byron hit the three against the Magic.

I remember thinking that it was different type team. But I wondered if we had enough offense, and of course listening to Larry Brown suggest that he didn't think they did, made me think well OK, now we have defense, Davis boys, Mckey, but we needed a point guard badly and needed a little more offense. So no I didn't think they would ever finish the season at 45-37 and get to the 7th game of the ECF - never dreamed of that. They had never won a playoff series before. Yes the energy was different, but there were still holes on he team. ECF wasn't in my realm of dreaming at that point. Winning a playoff series would have been like a championship at that point.

I have often said I learned more about the NBA from Larry Brown when he was Pacers coach and from watching games Hubie Brown back when he wasn't 86 years old (Like he is now) but back in the 90's Hubie Brown was a God like figure to me.

I remember after game 5 of the ECF when Reggie scored 25 points in the 4th quarter - not being able to work (I mean I was present at work physically, but I was too excited for game 6 to get anything accomplished. It was almost like an

[D-BONE]

Love the 94 and 98 teams. Just mentally tough as nails. I think 2000 still had it, but we missed AD. Although Big Smooth and Mullin were nice off the bench.

But I've got to recognize three essential PG contributors. The first two to the 94 group and the latter to 2000: Vern Fleming, Haywood Workman, Travis Best. Great role players all three, despite their weaknesses.

More or less 92 on until 2000 was a great ride. Great coaching (sorry non-Bird folks), great players, great chemistry. Credit to Walsh and the Simons too. Will never forget memories from that run.

The Chuck Person era from around 87 to 91 wasn't shabby either. There was a lot of fun and enjoyable players in there as well.

[D-BONE]

I remember thinking that it was different type team. But I wondered if we had enough offense, and of course listening to Larry Brown suggest that he didn't think they did, made me think well OK, now we have defense, Davis boys, Mckey, but we needed a point guard badly and needed a little more offense. So no I didn't think they would ever finish the season at 45-37 and get to the 7th game of the ECF - never dreamed of that. They had never won a playoff series before. Yes the energy was different, but there were still holes on he team. ECF wasn't in my realm of dreaming at that point. Winning a playoff series would have been like a championship at that point.

I have often said I learned more about the NBA from Larry Brown when he was Pacers coach and from watching games Hubie Brown back when he wasn't 86 years old (Like he is now) but back in the 90's Hubie Brown was a God like figure to me.

I remember after game 5 of the ECF when Reggie scored 25 points in the 4th quarter - not being able to work (I mean I was present at work physically, but I was too excited for game 6 to get anything accomplished. It was almost like an

Once we got beyond the first round, I felt like we matched up really well with the Hawks. Plus we had all that mojo from the second half of the regular season plus the 1st round. The biggest buzz kill ever was the game 6 ECF loss at MSA following Reggie's fourth quarter explosion in the Garden. What a season and post season! An energy around Indy that had never been experienced before.

There was a regular season game in the second half, once we started to get some steam going at the Bulls. Jordan was not playing that year, but the Bulls were still a formidable team with Pippen and Kukoc. We just waxed them up there and McKey was pilfering the ball left and right from Pippen. I just remember thinking there's something going on here.

[D-BONE]

Next best shot at a championship to 98 and 2000 (which of course was pure suffering) was the 2004 group. That was derailed by the Malice in the Palace. Sorry to junk up a feel good thread with that bunch.

[Sollozzo]

Next best shot at a championship to 98 and 2000 (which of course was pure suffering) was the 2004 group. That was derailed by the Malice in the Palace. Sorry to junk up a feel good thread with that bunch.

03-04 was the 61 win season where we lost to Detroit in the ECF’s. 04-05 was the brawl year (ultimately Reggie’s last season).

03-04 was derailed by the Pistons getting Rasheed Wallace for basically nothing at the deadline, which is maybe the luckiest mid-season break ever for a contender. Can’t think of many other instances where a contender got such a good player at the deadline for almost nothing. Credit to Detroit for making that move, but something like that almost never happens. Pacers were 3-0 against Detroit that season before the trade. We were unquestionably better and would have made The Finals if not for Sheed. JO owned Detroit before Sheed, but Sheed unfortunately changed everything. He could defend JO perfectly and just gave that team a confident swagger. Not having Brad Miller haunted us because the Pistons could just smother JO when we had the ball.

[BillS]

If the 99 team hadn't thought they were anointed I think they would have taken it all.

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