Indiana Pacers History Online Information and NBA Betting Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook

NBA Indiana Pacers History betting odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook

NBA Indiana Pacers History History The Brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills Nevertheless, the Pacers started off the 2004-05 season in extremely strong fashion–until the infamous events of November 19, 2004. Towards the end of a Pacers victory over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Ron Artest committed a hard foul against the Pistons' Ben Wallace, which Wallace took exception to. It escalated to a full-scale brawl, with fans and several Pacers taking part. Pistons fan John Green threw a cup of beer at Artest, causing him to charge into the stands.

Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal both got into fights with fans before the Pacers left the floor, and the game was called with 46 seconds left on the clock. Artest was suspended for the rest of the season without pay for his role in the 'basketbrawl.'

Several of the involved players were suspended by NBA Commissioner David Stern, but the hardest hit were Artest (suspended for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs), Jackson (suspended for 30 games), O'Neal (25 games), Wallace (6 games) and the Pacers' Anthony Johnson (5 games). (O'Neal's suspension was later reduced to 15 games by arbitrator Roger Kaplan, a decision that was upheld by U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels.) O'Neal was charged with two counts of assault and battery, while Artest, Jackson, Johnson and David Harrison were charged with one count each.

2004-05

After the brawl and riot that followed, the Pacers fell downward into the Central Division. They went from a legitimate title contender to a team that hovered around .500 in winning percentage. The Pistons eventually became the Central Division champions. Despite the difficulties with the suspensions and injuries, the Pacers earned a sixth seed in the playoffs with a record of 44-38. An important reason for their strong finish was the re-acquisition of Dale Davis, who had been released by New Orleans after being traded there by Golden State. He played the final 25 games of the regular season and every playoff game, contributing a strong presence at center. And Davis' signing coincided with an injury to Jermaine O'Neal that would knock him out for virtually the remainder of the regular season—indeed, O'Neal's first missed game due to his injury was Davis' first game back with the Pacers.

So despite the adversity they had gone through, the Pacers made the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 years. In the first round, Indiana defeated the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics in seven games, winning Game 7 in Boston by the decisive margin of 97-70.

The Pacers then advanced to the second-round against the Detroit Pistons, in a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals. The series featured games back at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the scene of the brawl that many assumed at the time had effectively ended the Pacers' season. After losing game 1, the Pacers won the next two games to take a 2-1 lead. However, the Pacers could not repeat their victories against the Pistons and lost the next 3 games, losing the series 4-2.

The final game (game 6) was on May 19, 2005; Reggie Miller, in his final NBA game, scored 27 points and received a huge standing ovation from the crowd. Despite Miller's effort, the Pacers lost, sending Miller into retirement without an NBA Championship in his 18-year career, all with the Pacers. Miller had his #31 jersey retired by the Pacers on March 30, 2006 when the Pacers played the Phoenix Suns.

The Pacers made a major move for the 2005-06 season by signing Šarunas Jasikevicius, the floor leader of two-time defending Euroleague champions Maccabi Tel Aviv.

2005-06

In 2005, the Pacers got off to an average start. On December 10, 2005, Ron Artest told a reporter for the Indianapolis Star that he wants to be traded, saying "the team would be better off without me". Various Pacers, including Jermaine O'Neal, soon denounced him, as O'Neal did not want to talk about it. On December 12, the Pacers placed Artest on their inactive list and began seeking a trade for the troubled star. On December 16, the NBA fined Ron Artest $10,000 for publicly demanding a trade, which is similar to "degrading the league".

After that, the team had gone on a 9-12 tailspin and was 22-22, a far cry from the beginning where people mentioned that the Pacers would be one of the NBA's elite. On January 24, 2006, it was said that Artest would be traded to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojakovic, when the trade was declined suddenly. The following day, however, the trade was accepted, and Indiana finally cut ties with the troubled All-Star. On February 1, 2006, they managed to beat the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers, keeping the high-scorer below his average. Jermaine O'Neal was also sidelined with a torn left groin and missed two months. The Pacers finished the season 41-41.

Despite the Artest saga and many key injuries the Pacers made the playoffs for the 14th time in 15 years. They also were the only road team to win Game 1 of a first-round playof series.. However New Jersey won game 2 to tie the series at 1-1 heading back to Indiana. In game 3 Jermaine O'Neal scored 37 points as the Pacers regained a 2-1 series lead. The Nets, however, won games four and five to take a 3-2 series lead. In Game 6 Anthony Johnson scored 40 points but the Pacers' season came to an end as the Nets won 96-90.

2006 Offseason--"Restoration" Project

The 2006 offseason saw big changes to the Pacers roster. They drafted Shawne Williams and James White. Additionally on July 1, 2006 they completed a sign-and-trade with starting small forward Peja Stojakovic to the New Orleans Hornets for a $100 million (sic) trade exception. The trade raised questions around the league, as Stojakovic was a free agent and did not need to be traded for. Some believe the Hornets made the trade so the Pacers could use the exception to re-acquire Al Harrington in a sign-and-trade, keeping the top free agent away from the Western Conference. On August 22 the Pacers completed the trade for Harrington and John Edwards in exchange for a future first round pick.

In July, forward Austin Croshere was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for guard/forward Marquis Daniels. The Pacers also made another trade with the Mavericks acquiring Darrell Armstrong, Rawle Marshall, and Josh Powell in exchange for Anthony Johnson.

The team lost Fred Jones and Scot Pollard via free agency, to the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively.

Another move saw the Pacers sign Euro League Player Maceo Baston who previously teamed with former Pacer Sarunas Jasikevicius on Israeli's premier team, Maccabi Tel Aviv.

However, the "restoration project" took a major image hit when player Stephen Jackson and some teammates decided to visit a strip club on October 6, 2006. Upon leaving the club, Jackson was involved in an argument during which he was hit by a car. In response, Stephen pulled a gun out and began shooting.

2006-07 Season- The Downward Spiral

The Pacers finished the 2006-2007 season on an up and down note at 35-47 and had an 11 game losing streak in the process. Injuries to star player Jermaine O'Neal and poor defensive efforts have led to the team's struggles. The April 15 loss to New Jersey Nets knocked the Pacers out of the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-1997 season.

On January 17, 2007, the Indiana Pacers traded Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell to the Golden State Warriors for forward Troy Murphy, forward/guard Mike Dunleavy, Jr., forward Ike Diogu, and guard Keith McLeod.

On April 25, 2007, the Indiana Pacers announced the firing of coach Rick Carlisle, with the Pacers' first losing record in ten seasons being the main reason for the coach's dismissal. Pacers' president Larry Bird noted that Carlisle had the opportunity to return to the Pacers franchise in another role. Later, Carlisle opted to not stay with the organization and is now broadcasting with ESPN and may return to coaching in the future. On May 31, 2007, Jim O'Brien was named the head coach of the Indiana Pacers. O'Brien made it clear that he intended to take the Pacers back to the playoffs in the 2007-2008 season. He also made it known that he favors a more uptempo, fast-paced style as opposed to Carlisle's slower, more meticulous style of coaching.

Season-by-season records

Season	W	L	%	Playoffs	Results
1990-91	41	41	.500	Lost First Round	Boston 3, Indiana 2
1991-92	40	42	.488	Lost First Round	Boston 3, Indiana 0
1992-93	41	41	.500	Lost First Round	New York 3, Indiana 1
1993-94	47	35	.573	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Indiana 3, Orlando 0 Indiana 4, Atlanta 2 New York 4, Indiana 3
1994-95	52	30	.634	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Indiana 3, Atlanta 0 Indiana 4, New York 3 Orlando 4, Indiana 3
1995-96	52	30	.634	Lost First Round	Atlanta 3, Indiana 2
1996-97	39	43	.476
1997-98	58	24	.707	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Indiana 3, Cleveland 1 Indiana 4, New York 1 Chicago 4, Indiana 3
1998-99	33	17	.660	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Indiana 3, Milwaukee 0 Indiana 4, Philadelphia 0 New York 4, Indiana 2
1999-2000	56	26	.683	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Lost NBA Finals	Indiana 3, Milwaukee 2 Indiana 4, Philadelphia 2 Indiana 4, New York 2 LA Lakers 4, Indiana 2
2000-01	41	41	.500	Lost First Round	Philadelphia 3, Indiana 1
2001-02	42	40	.512	Lost First Round	New Jersey 3, Indiana 2
2002-03	48	34	.585	Lost First Round	Boston 4, Indiana 2
2003-04	61	21	.744	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Indiana 4, Boston 0 Indiana 4, Miami 2 Detroit 4, Indiana 2
2004-05	44	38	.537	Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals	Indiana 4, Boston 3 Detroit 4, Indiana 2
2005-06	41	41	.500	Lost First Round	New Jersey 4, Indiana 2
2006-07	35	47	.426
2007-08	0	0	.000
Totals	1235	1275	.492
Playoffs	81	80	.503

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