Cherish the moments and the passage of time

[Peck]

On Wednesday May 31, 2000 I sat in Conseco Fieldhouse with my wife and son who was 13 at the time (would turn 14 two weeks later) and watched the Pacers take a 3-2 series lead over the Knicks in the EC finals and the fieldhouse was wild. We went on to win game 6 in the Garden. It took 25 years but on Saturday May 31, 2025 I sat in Gainbridge fieldhouse with my wife, my son and now my 14 year old Granddaughter as the Pacers eliminated the Knicks (again) in the Eastern Conference finals. If it takes another 25 years to get back here I won't be alive to see it.

I say all of that to say this.

Cherish this people, you never know how long it may take for us to get here again.

To put some perspective on this, if you were 5 years old in 2000 you really probably don't have anything but a vague memory of that time. So you fans who are at or around 30 breath this in, live it, love it because if it takes another 25 years you will be in your 50's. We have no idea of the outcome of this series but the biggest thing of all is we have no idea how long it will take us to be here again. Believe me, very few of us expected for that team to be dismantled so soon after finally making it. The East was wide open then and it was easy to think had we just stuck together we would have been right back there. But for reasons I won't rehash here, we chose to go a different direction.

Let's just quickly reflect on the 25 years it took us to get here. The Isiah Thomas years, the Rick Carlisle years, talented but troubled players, the brawl, the Jim O'Brien years, horrible horrible basketball with limited talent due to front office trading talent for stability, the Frank Vogel years, great basketball with talented players who were also good citizens, trading away leadership for theoretical upgrade in talent that backfired, devastating leg injury to superstar, team breaks apart akin to a shooting star in the sky, star player demands trade, trade nets decent players, the Nate McMillan years, shockingly good first year after trade, devastating injury unravels team, star player demands trade, years of directionless basketball where team flounders in the middle thus never getting any top end talent, the Nate Bjorkgren year, more directionless ball, the return of Rick Carlisle, horrible God awful basketball, lottery picks for first time in almost 40 years, slow on return from lottery picks, amazing return on low 1st and second round picks, trade for franchise level player, good play, trade for an all star, even better play, good playoff run, slow start to next season with lots of doubts, pick up in play mid season, end of season juggernaut, playoff machine, NBA FINALS.

I think that about sums it up.

We are massive underdogs going into the finals. So what. We have been underdogs each and every series this year and last year. Most people even thought our advance through last season was a fluke due to injuries and there are some who are even trying to claim that about the Cavs. series.

NONE of that matters. They do have the MVP, but is he really better than Giannis? He's better than Mitchell and Brunson but by how much? I don't think it's leaps and bounds. The do have a better surrounding cast than the Bucks, but are they that much better than the starting 5 of the Knicks? Certainly better depth than NY but not sure their starting 5 is that much better. Cavs in theory were as deep and might have as much talent, but we steamrolled them. I'm not trying to down play the greatness of the thunder btw, they are one hell of an obstacle. But I'm just trying to say this isn't the 96 Bulls we are facing here. They are not unbeatable.

So for today I will say I am truly grateful to be in the finals and I want to thank the Simon family and the entire pacers organization for getting us here. I'm not just happy to be here.

I want it all. I want that title. I want to be there when the commissioner presents those rings and we raise that banner. I wish Slick were here to see it. But I am grateful that Nancy is here now and hope she gets to see it with us.

But if we do fall short, before we get into any after season post mortem, I want to say I am happy, proud and grateful to be here with all of you now.

[BillS]

I was living in Basketball Hell (Atlanta), where the newspaper often left out some of the NBA scores and game summaries and invariably left out the Pacers. My wife and I flew up for the opening game of the Fieldhouse in November of 1999 and at the time could only dream of being in the NBA finals when the season was over. I actually considered trying to fly to Indy for a game, but funds and kids in college put the kibosh on that.

Here we are, back again, and Peck has it right - in spite of all the pundits and fans who say this is the kind of thing that any good team should experience every year, it takes a special combination of talent and luck to be one of the last two teams standing. We could see this again next year, or we could have another decade before it happens. No one can predict it.

I wish my dad was here for this. He took me to my first Pacer games back in the ABA. I was able to take him to quite a few games once I came back to Indiana, but none of them were like this.

[Cubs231721]

I remember exactly where I was for game 1 against Orlando in 94, Game 1 against the Knicks in 95, game 4 against the Magic in 95, game 4 against the Bulls in 98. I don't remember exactly where I was for game 7 in 95 against the Knicks, but that is still a treasured memory for me. Game 6 against the Knicks in 2000 and Game 4 against the Lakers (even in a loss) are in my brain for good as well.

Game 5 against the Bucks, Game 2 against the Cavs, and Game 1 against the Knicks are all going to be added to that list....as might the flurry at the end of the first half of game 4 against the Cavs and clinching with game 6 against the Knicks.

The great thing about the NBA playoffs being so long is that the ride just keeps going and going. It's been a month and half of lots of highs, lots of celebrating with people in my life. It would be awesome to hit the pinnacle and completely celebrate, but a loss isn't going to tarnish all that fun.

[Slick Pinkham]

Thanks for this thread, Peck. As an old-old-old-timer (first Pacers game about 1970 at the fairgrounds, 1st grade) sometimes I wondered if this would ever come around. Yes, I lived through the ABA glory days (maybe too young to appreciate it, though). the merger, selling the good players, the telethon, the desert that was the 80s....

In 2000 I had a newborn son (my wife would not let me name him Reggie) and 7 and 4-year old daughters. Now they are grown up, 2 working on PhDs and the 3rd ruling the corporate world. Me, chugging toward retirement, now in my 60s. I just bought a new big screen TV. Today my order of Pacers gear arrived (T-shirts, us old folks shouldn't do the jersey thing).

This team makes me proud to be a fan, proud to have stuck with them, living over 1,000 miles away in Florida (and before that, over 1,000 miles away in Massachusetts), proud of how they share the ball, proud of the unsung heros and the stars.

The only game I saw in person his year was that dog of a game we lost in Miami!

Thank you all. I have been mostly absent here in recent years. Life as a University professor gets busy and I got out of the habit of coming here. But my Pacers fandom never wavered.

I hope we find a way!

[712Jefferson]

Amen.

[idioteque]

Amen to that Peck. My grandfather, who took me to my very first Pacer game in 1993 and had season tickets for decades, is in poor health. It is probably now or never for him. Heck, maybe the same for Mr. Simon, although I certainly hope not as he really deserves to see a banner go up in Gainbridge.

People thought the last real good iteration of the Thunder were a lock to get a ring after they lost in 2012 and look what happened there. Star egos, injuries, other teams rebuilding with the sole intent of matching up well with you, anything can happen.

Really hoping we can get it done this year. The national
media will always doubt the Pacers, so I’m not letting that get me down.

[owl]

I have been watching Pacers since I was a kid
on Channel 4 and the red/white/blue ball. Did not
really remember much about the ABA championships.
I have been watching them ever since. To me this has been
the most enjoyable couple of years as far as Pacer watching.
They are a fun team to watch and they do Reggie-esque
things repeatedly. They are the epitome of team play
and they have joy doing it most nights.
Not sure what will happen next series but man this has been fun.

[imawhat]

On Wednesday May 31, 2000 I sat in Conseco Fieldhouse with my wife and son who was 13 at the time (would turn 14 two weeks later) and watched the Pacers take a 3-2 series lead over the Knicks in the EC finals and the fieldhouse was wild. We went on to win game 6 in the Garden. It took 25 years but on Saturday May 31, 2025 I sat in Gainbridge fieldhouse with my wife, my son and now my 14 year old Granddaughter as the Pacers eliminated the Knicks (again) in the Eastern Conference finals. If it takes another 25 years to get back here I won't be alive to see it.

Thank you for this. I felt awful Saturday night, but drove my oldest downtown to celebrate after our win because I knew he’d remember, and who knows when we’re coming back.

I keep thinking about this finals compared to 2000. I was way more scared of Shaq and Kobe than I am of the Thunder. Way more.

I think the Thunder are heavy favorites, but this team has a magic about it.

[RWB]

Do I hope and would love a championship, of course. Mrs. RWB and I have attended Pacer games as a married couple since 1980. Frankly this is strange and my favorite moment is seared in my brain brain no matter what. George Irvine coach, 80% Celtic 20% (or lower) Pacer fans in MSA. Taunted the entire time in our own building Indianapolis Indiana by fellow Hoosiers on how silly we were to root for OUR state team. Then the Clark Kellogg miracle. Warmed my heart so much to send the enemies home. I guess what I am saying and Peck alluded to is enjoy the moment for sure but the ride is the most important thing.

[indygeezer]

Boy yes Peck. Seems like I’ve been away the entire 25 years. Now an icon link could shorten hat tho.

[Ozwalt72]

I was 11. My basketball youth began with watching the Larry Brown Pacers so I was convinced success was always right around the corner with this team.

Didn't think right around the corner would be 25 years, but I'll take it.

[RWB]

Boy yes Peck. Seems like I’ve been away the entire 25 years. Now an icon link could shorten hat tho.

Wow so glad you posted friend. Geez and I were kicked off the original RATS forum when a Celtics troll showed up and as a tag team we skewered the idiot. We did this without any vulgar language and still the RATS moderator thought we were too tough. Plus Geez came down a few times during Colts camps to visit which was really cool considering we only knew each other because of RATS and PD. And that is why this place is special. The kinship you develope and such a treat. Once again thanks to all who post here. Most have never met but it really does feel like family.

[graphic-er]

I've been a Pacer fan since I was at least 9-10 years old in the late 80's early 90's. We are talking Detlef and Pooh Richardson days, young Reggie. My mother worked as security and an usher for a 2nd job and would find ways to sneak me into the games at MSA so that she wouldn't have to pay for a babysitter. I was 18 years old in the 2000 finals run, I made a promise to myself that if they ever made it again I would buy tickets. I became a season ticket holder during the Mike Dunleavy teams and throughout the Paul George era, all in hopes that I would see a team go from being one of the worst in the league to one of the best and yes eventually punch their ticket to the finals. Getting to the ECF finals twice during that era was magical, but it never materialized in to a finals run.

It had always been a childhood dream of mine to be a Season Ticket Holder and we did it for about 5-6 years. We decided to give up our season tickets when my wife became pregnant and we had our first daughter, 10 years ago now. I've only been to one or two games since then as young kids just steal all your time and attention. I am 43 now, This Haliburton era has been filled with amazing games, and this finals run lets me fulfill that childhood promise and the chance at a dream of seeing the Pacers win it all. Game 4 here we come! There is a sliver of hope in corner of my heart that the Pacers sweep and win this whole thing at game 4.

I just recently had a minor surgery and came down with a blood clot in my leg and had to go to the ER. Could have potentially died if I left it alone too much longer. I am on the mend now 2 weeks later, but tomorrow is never promised. Things happen in life that will up end your whole existence. If I have to wait another 25 years, I might not be around to see it. I'm gonna enjoy these moments like my life depends on it. These are the moments that make a life worth living; getting married to amazing woman, buying your first house, the birth of 2 beautiful daughters, seeing the Pacers go for a championship. Every once in a while you get a chance to see or experience something that you never thought possible!

[Pacergeek]

Let's sweep OKC!! We are soooooo overdue for a series sweep. When was the last time we swept anybody? The Hawks from over a decade ago in the first round? I can't remember!!

[vapacersfan]

Great to see you posting Peck

I started following the Pacers back in the late 90’s when I came to the U.S (I think I came in at the end of the Bulls series/ early Knicks so I really started following the team when it was Reggie, Jalen Rose, Croshere, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullins, etc.

Life has taken my wife and I around the world and now we have a 15 month old growing up in San Antonio so my “free time” is few and far between. I probably remember more Bluey and Spider-Man scenes than I do Pacers playoff moments anymore.

All of that said these kind of runs are magical. I wish I was in Indy right now but following this team from away is pretty darn cool