The NBA's Indiana Pacers franchise has existed for quite some time now. The Pacers joined the NBA back in 1976 due to the NBA-ABA merger, meaning they've been around for almost 50 years.
But during the Pacers' four-plus-decades of existence, the team hasn't won a single championship. They have gotten very close to winning a title, though, as the Pacers made the NBA Finals in the year 2000 and lost to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
The Pacers definitely aren't one of the most successful NBA franchises, but they have enjoyed their fair share of success over the years, especially during the 1990s and early 2000s, as during a 17-year season from the 1989-90 season to the 2005-06 season, Indiana missed out on the playoffs just once. And the current iteration of the Pacers is full of talented young players, such as Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Myles Turner, and Obi Toppin, just to name a few.
With all of that being said, let's rank the top 10 greatest teams in the lengthy history of the Indiana Pacers franchise:
10. 2004-05
The 2004-05 iteration of the Pacers, coached by Rick Carlisle, finished the regular season with a 44-38 record, the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference. Jermaine O'Neal stood out as the best player on that Pacers team, as he averaged 24.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game during the regular season. The Pacers won their first-round series against Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics in seven games but fell to the Detroit Pistons in six in round two.
9. 2011-12
The 2011-12 Pacers ended up with a 42-24 regular-season record in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign. This record was the third-best in the Eastern Conference, behind only the LeBron James-led Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. Danny Granger, an elite scorer in his heyday, was, without a doubt, the best player on this iteration of the Pacers. He averaged a team-high 18.7 points per game on 38.1% shooting from behind the three-point arc across 62 appearances during the regular season (all starts). The Pacers made quick work of their first-round opponent, the Orlando Magic, as they eliminated them in five games. But the Pacers were eliminated by the Heat in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as Miami's talent proved to be too much for Indiana to overcome.
8. 1993-94
Arguably the first great team that Pacers legend Reggie Miller was a part of, the 1993-94 Pacers, coached by Larry Brown, finished the regular season with 47 wins. Miller was the Pacers' top player by a wide margin, as he averaged 19.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 79 games played during the regular season. This Pacers squad went on to sweep the Orlando Magic in round one and beat the Atlanta Hawks in six games in round two before losing to Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks in seven in the Eastern Conference Finals.
7. 2013-14
The 2013-14 Pacers finished with the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference. They won a whopping 56 games, the fourth-most in the NBA that season, behind the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Paul George was only 23 years old at this time, but he had already established himself as the best player on the Pacers roster. He averaged 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game during the regular season. After beating the Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the first round of the playoffs and the Washington Wizards in six in round two, the Pacers faced off against LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana ended up losing the Eastern Conference Finals series in six games.
6. 2012-13
The best team of the Paul George-era Pacers, the 2012-13 iteration of the team won 49 games during the regular season. George may have been the best player on this team, but power forward David West was arguably the second-best player. He averaged 17.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game across 73 games played during the regular season. The Pacers eliminated the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks in six games in the opening two rounds of the postseason to secure an Eastern Conference Finals matchup against LeBron James and the Miami Heat. The Pacers lost this series against Miami, but they took the Heat to the brink of elimination, as they forced a Game 7.
5. 1994-95
The 1994-95 Pacers won 52 games during the regular season and finished with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, behind the Orlando Magic and the New York Knicks. Big man Rik Smits was probably the team's second-best player behind Reggie Miller, as he averaged 17.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game during the regular season while shooting 52.6% from the field. The Pacers swept the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs and then beat the New York Knicks in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Indiana then lost to the Orlando Magic in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
4. 1998-99
The 1998-99 iteration of the Pacers, coached by Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, ended the lockout-shortened regular season with a 33-17 record. This record was tied with the Miami Heat for the best in the Eastern Conference and was the fourth-best record in the entire NBA. Reggie Miller was starting to get a bit long in the tooth at this point, as he was 33 years old, but he was still as effective as ever. Miller averaged 18.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game across 50 appearances during the regular season (all starts). The Pacers made quick work of their first two postseason opponents, as they swept the Milwaukee Bucks in round one and the Philadelphia 76ers in round two. But Indiana ended up losing to the eighth-seeded New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
3. 2003-04
The 2003-04 Pacers won a league-best 61 games during the regular season. They were led by two-way star Ron Artest, who established himself as one of the best wings in the NBA at just 24 years old. He did a little bit of everything for this Pacers team, as he averaged 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game during the regular season. After sweeping the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and beating the Miami Heat in six games in round two, the Pacers faced off against the Detroit Pistons. The Pacers started off the Eastern Conference Finals by winning Game 1, but Indiana lost the series in six games.
2. 1997-98
The 1997-98 iteration of the Pacers finished with a fantastic 58-24 regular-season record, the second-best in the Eastern Conference, behind only Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and the Chicago Bulls. Point guard Mark Jackson was an underrated part of this Pacers squad, as he averaged 8.7 assists per game during the regular season and was arguably the best playmaker that Reggie Miller ever played with. The Pacers had no trouble defeating their first two playoff opponents — the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks — as they beat Cleveland 3-1 and New York 4-1. But the Pacers' season ended in the Eastern Conference Finals, as Indiana lost to Jordan and the Bulls in seven games.
1. 1999-00
The best Pacers team in franchise history, the 1999-00 squad won 56 games during the regular season. Jalen Rose was arguably the top player on this Pacers team, as he averaged a team-high 18.2 points per game on 47.1% shooting from the field during the regular season. What makes this iteration of the Pacers the best in franchise history is that they made it all the way to the NBA Finals. The Pacers lost to Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the championship series.
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