The Pacers finally reached the stage in 2000 and ran into a rising empire in Los Angeles. The series ended 4 to 2, with Shaquille O’Neal named Finals MVP for a towering run that defined the spring. The images still sting in Indiana. The roar in Market Street. The sea of gold inside Conseco Fieldhouse. The feeling that this was the year at last, and that the window might not stay open long.
The box scores tell a clear story. Shaq’s numbers read like a cheat code. Kobe Bryant limped back from an ankle sprain and took over in overtime of Game 4. Indiana punched back with pride.
The team that finally got there
Indiana had battled New York and Chicago for most of the 90s and kept getting pushed off the cliff. In 2000, the Pacers broke through behind Reggie Miller’s shot making, Rose’s slashing, and Bird’s steady voice on the sideline. Conseco Fieldhouse had just opened in November 1999, and the city filled it with a sound that felt like college ball turned up to 11. The Pacers’ first and only NBA Finals trip of the modern era stood alone for a generation, until the return in 2025 put that drought in context.
They lost Game 1 and Game 2 in Los Angeles. They clawed back in Game 3 at home. The belief was real. So was the mountain they had to climb.
Shaq ruled the paint. Kobe closed the door
Shaquille O’Neal averaged 38.0 points and 16.7 rebounds for the series, a force that warped every plan. He lived at the rim and lived at the line. Indiana threw bodies at him. Fouls piled up. The glass tilted purple and gold.
Kobe’s night came in Game 4. He played 47 minutes, scored 28, and hit daggers in overtime with Shaq fouled out. That single night flipped the math of the series. It is one of those games you can still feel in your chest if you cared about either team.
“You do not get a ribbon for second place.” — Reggie Miller
The one that slipped away
Indiana’s proud response came in Game 5. The Pacers blew the doors off, 120 to 87, and sent the series back to Los Angeles with a message. Then Game 6 happened. The Lakers finished it, and confetti fell at Staples Center. Reggie walked off with that look only true competitors know.
Bird stepped away as coach after the season, just as he said he would. The roster shifted. The league moved. The memory stayed. For Pacers fans, 2000 still sits in the gut, both a badge of honor and a bruise that never fades.
