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86-829: The Coliseum was home to the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association during some, but not all, of the team's tenure in North Carolina from 1969 through 1974. The Houston Mavericks relocated the franchise to North Carolina in 1969. The Cougars were a "regional franchise," playing "home" games in Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum, Greensboro Coliseum , the original Charlotte Coliseum and Raleigh's Dorton Arena and Reynolds Coliseum . Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown began his coaching career with

172-606: A 1984 draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for center Tom Owens , who had played for the Pacers during their last ABA season. Owens played one year for the Pacers with little impact and was out of the league altogether a year later. In 1983–84 , the Pacers finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, which would have given the Pacers the second overall pick in the draft—the pick that

258-567: A $ 3.2 million entry fee for each former ABA team. Since the NBA would only agree to accept four ABA teams in the merger, the surviving ABA teams also had to compensate the two remaining ABA franchises which were not a part of the merger, the Spirits of St. Louis and Kentucky Colonels . As a result of the merger, the four teams dealt with financial troubles. Additionally, the Pacers had some financial troubles, which dated back to their waning days in

344-679: A 33–17 record and swept the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers before falling to the Knicks in a six-game Eastern Conference Finals . Prior to the 1999–2000 NBA season , the Pacers traded forward Antonio Davis to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for first-round draft choice Jonathan Bender . In the 2000 NBA playoffs , after a 56–26 regular season, the Pacers survived the upset-minded Milwaukee Bucks in round one, handled

430-618: A 52–30 campaign in 1994–95 , giving them their first Central Division title and first 50+ win season since the ABA days. The team swept the Hawks in the first round , before another meeting with the rival Knicks in the Conference semifinals. This time, with the Pacers down six points with 16.4 seconds remaining in Game ;1, Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to help secure

516-798: A breakthrough 2003–04 season in which they finished 61–21, earning the best record in the NBA as well as a franchise record. O'Neal and Artest made the All-Star team , and Artest was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year ; the Pacers swept the Boston Celtics in the first round and squeezed by the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals. But the Detroit Pistons proved an impediment to Indiana's championship aspirations, as they defeated

602-436: A knee injury during a charity pick-up game that would require surgery. His expected rehabilitation was to last between four and six months, to be back just in time for training camp. In the 2010 NBA draft , the Pacers selected forward/guard Paul George with the 10th overall pick. In the second round, they drafted guard Lance Stephenson , as well as forward Ryan Reid . The draft rights to Reid were traded on draft night to

688-626: A parking lot adjacent to LJVM Coliseum, had a capacity of 8,200. Here are some notable games at the old Coliseum (Source: Wake Forest Media Guide ): Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Carolina in late 1969 after two unsuccessful seasons in Houston at

774-520: A season-ending ear injury, and without center Jeff Foster , the Pacers again fell into another season under .500 and missed the playoffs for four years in a row. Despite another disappointing season, the Pacers managed to sweep the waning Detroit Pistons for the first time in five years, and the abysmal New Jersey Nets . The team showed signs of life near the end of the season, winning nearly all of their last 14 games. In May 2010, after completing his rookie season, guard A. J. Price suffered

860-477: A 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 No. 31 jersey retired by the Pacers on March 30, 2006, when the Pacers played the Phoenix Suns . The team went on to draft Danny Granger 17th overall in the 2005 NBA draft . During the 2005–06 season ,

946-469: A swap that took place approximately 30 minutes before the trade deadline. On June 26, 2012, general manager David Morway officially resigned. The following day, president of basketball operations, Larry Bird stepped down. Bird and Morway were officially replaced by Donnie Walsh and Kevin Pritchard , respectively. Walsh returned to the organization after spending the previous three seasons in

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1032-537: 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 the New ;Orleans Hornets after being traded there by

1118-550: A then highly criticized trade as he sent Schrempf to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Derrick McKey and little known Gerald Paddio . But the Pacers won their last eight games of the season to finish with an NBA-era franchise-high 47 wins. They stormed past Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic in a first-round sweep to earn their first NBA playoff series win , and pulled off an upset by defeating

1204-619: A two-point victory. The Pacers beat the Knicks in seven games. They pushed the Magic to seven games before falling in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers duplicated their 52–30 record in 1995–96 , but were hurt severely by an injury to Reggie Miller's eye socket in April, from which he was not able to return until Game 5 of their first-round series against the Hawks . Miller scored 29 points in that game, but

1290-409: A winning record, and O'Brien's inability to change his style to better suit his talent available has hurt the team. Despite missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1980s, the 2007–08 season displayed many signs of growth in the team, especially towards the end of the season. Off-court legal distraction from Jamaal Tinsley , Marquis Daniels , and Shawne Williams in

1376-1172: Is based in Charlotte, and the latter team in Raleigh. Beginning in 2012, the Cougars' uniforms were worn by the Bobcats/Hornets under the NBA Hardwood Classics moniker. Most Valuable Player Coach of the Year Executive of the Year All-ABA First Team All-ABA Second Team All-Defensive Team All-Rookie Team All-Star Selections Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis . The Pacers compete in

1462-741: The ABA All-Star Game that season, and Cunningham was named the league's Most Valuable Player. Carolina went on to post a 57–27 record, which was the best in the ABA. The Cougars beat the New York Nets in their first-round playoff series 4 games to 1, but lost a close series to the Kentucky Colonels 4 games to 3 in the Eastern Division finals. There were many upset and disappointed fans in Greensboro when

1548-571: The Dallas Mavericks in 2008 (where he would win a championship in 2011). On May 31, 2007, Jim O'Brien was named Carlisle's successor. O'Brien made it clear that he intended to take the Pacers back to the playoffs in the 2007–08 season, but he did not in his tenure. He also made it known that he favored a more up-tempo, fast-paced style as opposed to Carlisle's slower, more meticulous style of coaching. Many people have taken note that this style, while exciting at times, failed to produce

1634-496: The Denver Nuggets before the season (though they did re-acquire Jackson at the trading deadline). The Pacers finished 39–43 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1989, after which coach Larry Brown stepped down. In the 1997–98 NBA season , Indiana native and former Boston Celtics great Larry Bird was hired as head coach. He led the Pacers to a 19-game improvement over the previous season, finishing 58–24–at

1720-479: The Detroit Pistons , who would go on to win their second consecutive NBA Championship . Reggie Miller became the first Pacer to play in the All-Star Game since 1976 on the strength of his 24.6 points-per-game average. Despite four straight first-round exits, this period was highlighted by a first-round series with the Boston Celtics in 1991 that went to Game 5. The next season, the Pacers returned to

1806-573: The EuroLeague Hall of Fame , and Peja Stojaković in the HEBA Basketball Hall of Fame . In early 1967, a group of six investors (attorney Richard Tinkham , John DeVoe, Chuck DeVoe, entrepreneur Lyn Treece, sports agent Chuck Barnes , and Indianapolis Star sports writer Bob Collins) pooled their resources to purchase a franchise in the proposed American Basketball Association . For their first seven years, they played in

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1892-506: The Golden State Warriors . 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. Despite the adversity they had gone through,

1978-634: The Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum . In 1974, they moved to the new Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis , where they played for 25 years. Early in the Pacers' second season, former Indiana Hoosiers standout Bob "Slick" Leonard became the team's head coach, replacing Larry Staverman . Leonard quickly turned the Pacers into a juggernaut. His teams were buoyed by the great play of superstars such as Mel Daniels , George McGinnis , Bob Netolicky , Rick Mount , Freddie Lewis and Roger Brown . The Pacers were

2064-583: The Indianapolis 500 's pace cars and with the harness racing industry. The Pacers have won three championships, in 1970 , 1972 , and 1973 , all in the ABA . They also reached the ABA Finals in 1969 and 1975 . The Pacers were NBA Eastern Conference Champions in 2000 . The team has also won nine division titles. Six Hall of Fame players– Reggie Miller , Chris Mullin , Alex English , Mel Daniels , Roger Brown , and George McGinnis —played with

2150-670: The National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference . The team was founded in 1967 as an original member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a member of the NBA in 1976 as a result of the ABA–NBA merger . They play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse . The team is named after the state of Indiana 's history with

2236-610: The New Orleans Hornets in a four-team, five-player deal. Troy Murphy was dealt to the New Jersey Nets in that trade. In the 2010–11 season , the team went 2–3 in the first five games. On November 9, in a home game against Denver, the team scored 54 points in the third quarter alone, shooting 20–21 in the process, on the way to a 144–113 rout of the Nuggets. Led by Mike Dunleavy's 24 points in

2322-530: The Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the rights to forward/center Magnum Rolle . The Pacers signed George to his rookie contract on July 1, 2010. Stephenson signed a multi-year contract with the team on July 22. Just before training camp, Rolle was signed, along with big man Lance Allred . Both were cut before the regular season began. On August 11, 2010, the Pacers acquired guard Darren Collison and swingman James Posey from

2408-649: The Philadelphia 76ers in the second round and finally broke through to the NBA Finals by virtue of a six-game East Finals victory over the New York Knicks . Their first NBA Finals appearance was against the Los Angeles Lakers , who ended Indiana's championship hopes in six games. However, the Pacers dealt Los Angeles their worst playoff defeat up to that time by a margin of 33 points in game five. The off-season brought sweeping changes to

2494-620: The Sam Houston Coliseum . The Carolina Cougars franchise began when future Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina Jim Gardner bought the Houston Mavericks and moved them to North Carolina in 1969. At the time, none of North Carolina's large metropolitan areas – Charlotte , the Piedmont Triad and the Triangle – was large enough to support a professional team on its own. With this in mind, Gardner decided to brand

2580-513: The Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum , and one game was played at Fort Bragg . Early on, the Cougars were not especially successful on the court, posting a 42–42 record in the 1969–70 season, a 34–50 record in 1970–71, and a 35–49 record in 1971–72. The 1969–70 Cougars managed to make the ABA playoffs but lost in the Eastern Division semifinals (first round) to a much stronger Indiana Pacers team. In spite of this,

2666-667: The 1974–75 Spirits. The Spirits were one of two teams that lasted until the very end of the league but not join the NBA; the other was the Kentucky Colonels (the Virginia Squires folded after the final ABA regular season ended but before the ABA–NBA merger due to their inability to meet a league-mandated financial assessment after the season ended.). At the time of the ABA–NBA merger, the Spirits' owners planned to move

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2752-632: The 2003–04 season. They finished the 2012–13 season with a 49–32 record, the third seed in the Eastern Conference, and beat the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. The Pacers then beat the New York Knicks in six games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004 to face the defending champs, the Miami Heat . The Pacers lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 22, 2013, in overtime 103–102. On May 24, 2013, in Game 2 of

2838-482: The 2007–08 season, Donnie Walsh , Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO & President, left the Indiana Pacers to join the New York Knicks . All of Walsh's basketball-related duties were given to Pacers' President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird . Walsh's business-related roles were given to co-owner Herb Simon and Jim Morris, who was promoted to President of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. During

2924-434: The 2009 off–season, the Pacers traded declining Jermaine O'Neal along with Nathan Jawai to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Roy Hibbert , T. J. Ford , Rasho Nesterović and Maceo Baston . Hibbert would go on to be a two-time all–star for the Pacers and was known as a defensive force with his shot-blocking abilities. During the 2009–10 season , Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough ( drafted in 2009 ) suffered

3010-414: The 8th seed from the Atlanta Hawks , and dramatic improvement in forwards Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy . Both Granger and Dunleavy were involved in the voting for Most Improved Player , with Dunleavy finishing in the top 10. The two were also the first Pacers players to score 1500 points each in a single season since Reggie Miller and Detlef Schrempf did it in the early 1990s. In April of

3096-477: The ABA; they had begun selling off some of their star players in the last ABA season. The new NBA teams also were barred from sharing in national TV revenues for four years. The Pacers finished their inaugural NBA season with a record of 36–46. Billy Knight and Don Buse represented Indiana in the NBA All-Star Game . However, this was one of the few bright spots of the Pacers' first 13 years in

3182-524: The All-Star break thanks in no small part to Ron Artest's multiple suspensions and family tragedies befalling Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley and Austin Croshere . O'Neal and Brad Miller both made the All-Star team, and the Pacers made a substantial improvement as they finished 48–34, but they suffered a loss to the underdog Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs . In the 2003 off-season,

3268-568: The Blazers used to select Sam Bowie while Michael Jordan was still available. As a result of the Owens trade, they were left as bystanders in the midst of one of the deepest drafts in NBA history—including such future stars as Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon , Sam Perkins , Charles Barkley , and John Stockton . Clark Kellogg was drafted by the Pacers in the 1982 and finished second in the Rookie of

3354-751: The Cougars as a "regional" team. Gardner sold the team after one season to Ted Munchak, who poured significant resources into the team. The Cougars were based in Greensboro and played most of their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum , the state's largest arena at the time. Games were also regularly played in Charlotte at the (original) Charlotte Coliseum and in Raleigh at Dorton Arena and Reynolds Coliseum . In early 1972, three regular season games were played in Winston-Salem at

3440-472: The Cougars decided to hold game 7 of the series in Charlotte. Of the 42 scheduled regular season home games, 25 were usually scheduled for Greensboro while only 12 were played in Charlotte. With Cougar management having the choice of city to play game 7, it mystified its Greensboro area fans with the choice to play such a pivotal game on a less familiar court. Game 7 was hotly contested but Kentucky prevailed, much to Cougar fans dismay. The 1973–74 Cougars started

3526-573: The Cougars had a good fan following, particularly in Greensboro. The 1971–72 team was coached by former NBA All-Star Tom Meschery , who had just retired from 10 years of NBA play with the San Francisco Warriors and the Seattle SuperSonics . In 1972–73, the Cougars hired retired ABA players Larry Brown and former Cougar Doug Moe as coaches. The 1972–73 Cougars were fairly talented and featured players Billy Cunningham , Joe Caldwell , and Mack Calvin . All three appeared in

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3612-798: The Cougars in 1972. Billy Cunningham was the ABA MVP for the Cougars in the 1972–73 season. Despite a strong fan base the Cougars were sold and moved to St. Louis in 1974, becoming the Spirits of St. Louis . The arena also hosted the Winston-Salem Polar Twins when they played in the Southern Hockey League and the Carolina/Winston-Salem Thunderbirds of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League . In addition, it

3698-516: The Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers were victorious by a score of 97–93. The game was clinched for Indiana after David West deflected a pass from LeBron James . The team headed home to Indianapolis, where they had been a perfect 6–0 in the playoffs. The Heat won Game 3 in Indianapolis on May 26, 2013, with contributions from role players Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen , and won 114–96. The Pacers bounced back in Game 4 with

3784-526: The Hawks came away with a two-point victory to put an early end to Indiana's season. This 1995–96 team did manage to go down in history as the only team to defeat the Chicago Bulls twice that year, a Bulls team which made history with a then all-time best 72–10 record. The Pacers could not withstand several key injuries in 1996–97 , nor could they handle the absence of Mark Jackson, who had been traded to

3870-529: The Knicks' front office. Pritchard was promoted by the Pacers after serving as the team's director of player personnel. In the 2012 NBA draft , the Pacers selected Miles Plumlee with the 26th pick and acquired Orlando Johnson , the 36th pick from the Sacramento Kings . The team also acquired key bench players Ian Mahinmi , Gerald Green , and D. J. Augustin . On April 7, 2013, the Pacers clinched their first Central Division championship since

3956-508: The NBA. During this time, they had only two non-losing seasons and only two playoff appearances. A lack of continuity became the norm for most of the next decade, as they traded away Knight and Buse before the 1977–78 season even started. They acquired Adrian Dantley in exchange for Knight, but Dantley (who was averaging nearly 27 points per game at the time) was traded in December, while the Pacers' second-leading scorer, John Williamson ,

4042-534: The Pacers for multiple seasons. Hall of Famers Adrian Dantley , Gus Johnson , and Tim Hardaway also played for the Pacers. The franchise has multiple Hall of Fame coaches in Bobby "Slick" Leonard , Jack Ramsay , and Larry Brown . Furthermore, former Pacers inducted into international Halls of Fame include Reggie Miller , Detlef Schrempf , and Peja Stojaković in the FIBA Hall of Fame , Šarūnas Jasikevičius in

4128-452: The Pacers in six games on their way to the NBA Championship . Al Harrington , a small forward who had established himself as one of the best sixth-men in the NBA, was dealt in the off-season to the Atlanta Hawks in return for Stephen Jackson after Harrington allegedly demanded that the Pacers start him or trade him. Nevertheless, the Pacers started off the 2004–05 season in extremely strong fashion–until November 19, 2004. Toward

4214-476: The Pacers made the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 years. In the first round, Indiana defeated the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics , winning Game 7 in Boston with a score of 97–70, just the third time the Celtics had dropped a Game 7 at home. The Pacers then advanced to the second round against the Detroit Pistons , in a rematch of the previous year's Eastern Conference Finals. The series featured games back at The Palace of Auburn Hills ,

4300-553: The Pacers managed to re-sign O'Neal for the NBA maximum and inked Reggie Miller to a modest two-year deal, but they could not afford to keep their talented center, Brad Miller. He was dealt to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Scot Pollard , who spent much of the following year watching from the bench and backing up Jeff Foster . The Pacers also signed Larry Bird as team president, and Bird wasted little time in dismissing coach Isiah Thomas and replacing him with Rick Carlisle . The Pacers responded to Carlisle extremely well and had

4386-401: 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. The Pacers finished the 2006–07 season as one of the worst seasons in team history. The turning point of the season would be an 11-game losing streak that started around

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4472-469: The Pacers traded Ron Artest to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Peja Stojaković . Despite the loss of Reggie Miller, the Artest saga, and many key injuries, the Pacers made the playoffs in 2006 for the 14th time in 15 years. They also were the only road team to win Game 1 of a first-round playoff 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

4558-408: The Pacers' lineup, as Rik Smits and coach Larry Bird retired, Chris Mullin returned to the Golden State Warriors , Mark Jackson signed a long-term contract with Toronto , and Dale Davis was traded to Portland for Jermaine O'Neal , who went on to average 12.9 points per game in his first year as a starter. It was a rebuilding year for the Pacers under the new head coach Isiah Thomas . However,

4644-422: The Pacers' role players such as Dale Davis , Derrick McKey , and a young Antonio Davis . Miller and Rik Smits both made the All-Star team that year, and in the playoffs , the Pacers breezed past the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks before falling to the Chicago Bulls in a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals . In the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season , the Pacers won the Central Division with

4730-408: The Pacers. The trade bolstered a team that had been floundering, and the Pacers managed to return to the playoffs , where they pushed the top-seeded New Jersey Nets to five games before losing Game 5 in double overtime. Jermaine O'Neal made his first of what would be several All-Star appearances in his Pacers career. The Pacers got off to a 13–2 start in 2002–03 but hit the wall after

4816-445: The Year voting, but the Pacers finished the 1982–83 season with their all-time worst record of 20–62 and won only 26 games the following season . After winning 22 games in 1984–85 and 26 games in 1985–86 , Jack Ramsay replaced George Irvine as coach and led the Pacers to a 41–41 record in 1986–87 and their second playoff appearance as an NBA team. Chuck Person , nicknamed "The Rifleman" for his renowned long-range shooting, led

4902-409: The added travel expenses incurred by the regional concept ultimately proved insurmountable. Munchak sold the Cougars to a consortium of New York businessmen headed by brothers Ozzie and Daniel Silna , who moved to St. Louis as the Spirits of St. Louis . However, the new owners assembled an almost entirely new team after moving to St. Louis; only a few players from the 1973–74 Cougars suited up for

4988-400: The all-star break. Injuries to Jermaine O'Neal and Marquis Daniels, a lack of a solid backup point guard, the blockbuster trade midway through the season that interrupted the team chemistry, poor defensive efforts, and being the NBA's worst offensive team were the main reasons leading to the team's struggles. The April 15 loss to New Jersey Nets knocked the Pacers out of the playoffs for

5074-450: The come from behind victory. The Knicks ultimately came back to win the next two games and the series. Miller was a tri-captain and leading scorer of the USA Basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championship . Mark Jackson joined the team in an off-season trade with the Los Angeles Clippers , giving the team a steady hand at the point guard position that had been lacking in recent years. The Pacers enjoyed

5160-425: The end of a Pacers victory over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills , the Pacers' Ron Artest committed a hard foul against Ben Wallace . Wallace retaliated with a hard push, threw a towel at Artest, and the situation escalated to a full-scale brawl , with fans and several Pacers taking part. While Artest laid atop the scorer's table trying to calm down and do an interview, Pistons fan John Green (who

5246-414: The final stages, and it had become apparent that a "regional" franchise would not be viable in the NBA. Although the Charlotte/Greensboro/Raleigh axis (the Piedmont Crescent or I-85 Corridor ) was beginning an unprecedented period of growth, none of these cities was big enough at the time to support an NBA team on its own. Additionally, several persons quoted in the book Loose Balls by Terry Pluto say

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5332-412: The first round, they were defeated by the No. 1 seed Chicago Bulls in five games. Despite a lopsided comparison in terms of the two teams' win–loss records, three of the four Pacers' losses were close, losing games 1–3 by an average of five points. The Pacers named Vogel their permanent head coach on July 7, 2011. They acquired George Hill from the San Antonio Spurs on draft night . After

5418-444: The first time since the 1996–97 season. On April 10, 2007, the Pacers announced that coach Rick Carlisle had been fired, 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 leave and took a broadcasting job with ESPN before returning to coach

5504-409: The involved players were suspended by NBA Commissioner David Stern . Artest was suspended for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, a total of 73 games—the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history. Other suspensions included Jackson (suspended for 30 games), O'Neal (25 games), Wallace (6  games), and the Pacers' Anthony Johnson (5 games) (O'Neal's suspension

5590-450: The lockout, and losing Mike Dunleavy Jr. to free–agency , the Pacers signed former two-time All-Star power forward David West to a two-year deal. These new players contributed to the Pacers' record of 21–12 at the All-Star break. The Pacers acquired another key piece in Leandro Barbosa from the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline, mid-season. At the end of the 2011–12 season , the team, led in scoring by Danny Granger , clinched

5676-399: The middle of the season did not help the Pacers struggles, and injuries to Tinsley and Jermaine O'Neal damaged the Pacers' already weak defense and left almost all point guard duties to recently acquired Travis Diener, who saw minimal minutes on his previous NBA teams. Despite this, and a 36–46 record, the Pacers had a very strong finish to the season, which included a desperate attempt to steal

5762-404: The most successful team in ABA history, winning three ABA Championships in four years. In all, they appeared in the ABA Finals five times in the league's nine-year history, which was an ABA record. The Pacers were one of four ABA teams that joined the NBA in the ABA–NBA merger in the 1976–77 season , along with the Denver Nuggets , New York Nets , and San Antonio Spurs . The league charged

5848-453: The period, the team set a franchise record for most points in a quarter and was only four points short of the all-time NBA record for points in a quarter (58) set in the 1970s. On January 30, 2011, the Pacers relieved Jim O'Brien of his coaching duties and named assistant coach Frank Vogel interim head coach. With a victory over the Washington Wizards on April 6, 2011, the Pacers clinched their first playoff berth since 2006. In

5934-466: The playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They finished with a 42–24 record, their best record since their 2003–04 season. On May 8, 2012, the Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic 105–87 to win their first playoff series since 2005 and would go on to play the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals . On May 15, 2012, they defeated Miami to tie the second-round series at 1–1. On May 17, they again beat Miami 94–75 to take

6020-409: The playoffs in 1992 and met the Celtics for the second year in a row. This time, the Celtics swept the Pacers in three games. Chuck Person and point guard Micheal Williams were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the off-season, and the Pacers got Pooh Richardson and Sam Mitchell in return. For the 1992–93 season , Detlef Schrempf moved from sixth man to the starter at small forward and

6106-431: 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 three 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

6192-435: The season strong, winning 17 of their first 22 games. Despite injuries and internal squabbles, the Cougars posted a 47–37 record but were swept in the Eastern Division semifinals 4 games to 0 by the Kentucky Colonels . 1973–74 turned out to be the Cougars' last season in North Carolina. Although they were moderately successful overall and had one of the most loyal fan bases in the ABA, talks toward an ABA–NBA merger were in

6278-778: The second head coach of the Hornets. Larry Brown , who coached the Cougars for two seasons and won Coach of the Year during his tenure, would eventually become the eighth head coach of Charlotte's NBA franchise. Two teams in other professional sports leagues include Carolina in their branding: the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League , and the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League . The former team

6364-559: The series lead 2–1. However, despite a hard-fought series between the two, the Heat won Game 6 to close the series at 4–2. The following season, Granger was sidelined by a knee injury and managed only to play five games. Granger made his return during the 2013–14 season ; however, he failed to regain his form of the previous seasons. Granger was then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for wing Evan Turner and forward Lavoy Allen in

6450-433: The team in scoring as a rookie and won NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Their first playoff win in NBA franchise history was earned in Game 3 of their first-round, best-of-five series against the Atlanta Hawks , but it was their only victory in that series, as the Hawks defeated them in four games. Reggie Miller from UCLA was drafted by the Pacers in 1987 , beginning his career as a backup to John Long . Many fans at

6536-471: The team still managed to return to the playoffs , where they lost to the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in four games. In the midseason of 2001–02 , the Pacers made a blockbuster trade with the Chicago Bulls that sent Jalen Rose and Travis Best to Chicago in exchange for Brad Miller , Ron Artest , Kevin Ollie and Ron Mercer . In the next few years, Miller and Artest would go on to be All-Stars for

6622-602: The team to Salt Lake City, Utah to play as the Utah Rockies ; instead, its players were dealt in the 1976 ABA dispersal draft . Professional basketball would return to North Carolina in 1988 when the Charlotte Hornets entered the NBA. Carl Scheer , who won Executive of the Year as a member of the Cougars, would later become the first executive of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. Cougars point guard Gene Littles would become an assistant coach, an executive, and

6708-413: The time disagreed with Miller's selection over Indiana Hoosiers ' standout Steve Alford . The Pacers missed the playoffs in 1987–88 , drafted Rik Smits in the 1988 NBA draft , and suffered through a disastrous 1988–89 season in which coach Jack Ramsay stepped down following an 0–7 start. Mel Daniels and George Irvine filled in on an interim basis before Dick Versace took over the 6–23 team on

6794-400: The time, the most the franchise had ever won as an NBA team, and tying the 1970–71 ABA Pacers for the franchise record. Chris Mullin joined the team in the off-season and immediately became a valuable part of the Pacers lineup—and starting small forward. Assistant coaches Rick Carlisle , in charge of the offense, and Dick Harter , who coached the defense, were key in getting the most out of

6880-468: The top-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the Conference semifinals. With the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals tied going into Game 5 in New ;York, and the Pacers trailing the Knicks by 15 points early in the fourth quarter, Reggie Miller scored 25 points—including five 3-point field goals. Miller also flashed the choke sign to the Knicks' celebrity fan, Spike Lee , while leading the Pacers to

6966-475: The way to a 28–54 finish. In February 1989, the team traded veteran center Herb Williams to the Dallas Mavericks for future NBA Sixth Man-of-the Year Detlef Schrempf . From 1989 to 1993, the Pacers would play at or near .500 and qualify for the playoffs; in 1989–90 , the Pacers parlayed a fast start into the team's third playoff appearance under coach Bob Hill . But the Pacers were swept by

7052-472: Was dealt in January. The early Pacers came out on the short end of two of the most one-sided trades in NBA history. In 1980, they traded Alex English to the Nuggets to reacquire former ABA star George McGinnis . McGinnis was long past his prime and contributed very little during his two-year return. English, in contrast, went on to become one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. The next year, they traded

7138-409: Was elected to his first All-Star game. Meanwhile, Miller became the Pacers' all-time NBA era leading scorer during this season (fourth overall). The Pacers returned to the playoffs with a 41–41 record, but lost to the New York Knicks in the first round, three games to one. Larry Brown was brought aboard as Pacers' coach for the 1993–94 season, and Pacers' general manager Donnie Walsh completed

7224-428: 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. After the brawl and suspensions that followed, the Pacers fell downward into the Central Division. They went from a legitimate title contender to

7310-410: Was sitting next to Wallace's brother) threw a cup of Diet Coke at Artest, causing him to charge into the stands. Stephen Jackson followed him into the stands while Jermaine O'Neal struck a fan who came onto the court. The game was called off with 45.9 seconds left on the clock, and the Pacers left the floor amid a shower of beer and other beverages that rained down from the stands. Several of

7396-761: Was the site of the MEAC men's basketball tournament from 1980 to 1982. Wake Forest moved its entire home basketball schedule to the Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem for the 1956–57 season, although the team did play two games in the facility one year earlier. The historic building was not popular with Deacon followers in its final years, but no one could argue with the success Wake Forest teams had here. The Demon Deacons won 250 games in Memorial Coliseum and lost only 94 for an impressive 72.7 winning percentage. The Coliseum, which has been leveled and replaced by

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