2006 Indiana Pacers: The End Of An Era

For over a decade, the Indiana Pacers had been on a run of success. A trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994 triggered a stretch that included six appearances in the conference finals and one NBA Finals trip. But in 2005, the infamous Malice in the Palace brawl that resulted in multiple suspensions, ruined the season and Indiana slipped from 61 wins in 2004 to 44 victories in 2005. The 2006 Indiana Pacers didn’t bounce back. While they made the playoffs, it was something of a pedestrian year and it signaled the end of an era.

Ron Artest (later to change his name to “Metta World Peace”) had been at the center of the Palace brawl. He was back in the fold and averaged 19ppg, but by the end of January, Artest was traded to the Sacramento Kings. Indiana got back Peja Stojakvoc, who would average 20 points/6 rebounds over his 40 regular season games as a Pacer until knee injuries limited him in the playoffs. Jermaine O’Neal averaged 20/9, but he also missed a lot of time from late January to early March and only played 51 games.

The only consistent player was Stephen Jackson, who knocked down 16ppg. Indiana played good defense, ranking fifth in the league for efficiency and that made them competitive. But a subpar offense was a major problem.

The Pacers got off to a decent start. They beat Miami and Cleveland at home. The Heat would eventually win the NBA title, while the Cavs had an emerging star named LeBron James who made his first playoff appearance this season. Indiana also knocked off playoff-bound Memphis and built a 15-9 record by Christmas.

With a record of 21-16, the Pacers began to stumble. A terrible 96-66 loss to Cleveland started a four-game losing streak and dropped them to seventh place in the race for eight Eastern Conference playoff spots.

Indiana, like other teams on the playoff fringe, benefitted from the fact that the East was clearly inferior to the West in this era. But that didn’t stop the Pacers from taking advantage of Western teams coming to Indy. They won four straight, nudging themselves to 28-25 and fifth in the East by the end of February.

After splitting ten games, Indiana was muddling along at 33-30, but in fine position to make the postseason. Then they hit the skids, thanks in no small part to a tough schedule stretch. The Pacers lost twice to the Detroit Pistons, who would get the 1-seed in the East. They lost to Miami. They lost to fellow fringe playoff teams in the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls.

Indiana’s record slipped all the way to 36-40. They were part of a four-team race—including the Bulls, Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers—for three playoff spots.

The schedule softened in the final week and a half, and the Pacers took advantage. They beat bad teams in New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Minnesota Timberwolves. With the 76ers playing themselves out of contention, it was enough for Indiana to wrap up a postseason berth. They finished 41-41 and were the 6-seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs.

New Jersey was the opponent in the first round. The Nets were just three years removed from consecutive NBA Finals appearances, and still had the leader of those teams, Jason Kidd, running the show. Kidd got support from 20ppg scorers in Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter. The Nets also played defense, ranking sixth in the league.

Indiana showed their playoff experience by going on the road and grabbing Game 1. Jackson scored 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds. As a team, Indiana outrebounded New Jersey 40-33. In a game that was close throughout, the Pacers won 90-88. Even though they lost Game 2, Indiana had gotten the needed road split.

Back home for Game 3, O’Neal went off and exploded for 37 points and 15 rebounds. Anthony Johnson, who averaged just nine points per game all year, game up with 25 points and eight rebounds of his own. Indiana shot 52 percent, controlled the glass, and won 107-95. An upset was now a real possibility.

But on Saturday afternoon’s Game 4, the Pacers didn’t have killer instinct. They only scored 15 points in the first quarter, fell behind by 19 after three quarters and lost 97-88. New Jersey was off the mat. While Game 5 was competitive throughout, Indiana was outrebounded and lost 92-86.

Anthony Johnson did all he could to stave off elimination at home in Game 6, pouring in 40 points. O’Neal scored 21. But Jackson had a rough night, going 2-for-10 from the floor and no one rebounded. A 96-90 loss ended the season.

More than the season was over. The entire era of Pacer success concluded. Indiana missed the playoffs each of the next four years. By the time they actually won a postseason series again in 2012, it was with a completely new cast that included Roy Hibbert. 2006 marked the clear end of a successful period in Indiana Pacers history.