On this date in 2000: Indiana Pacers win most recent NBA Finals game
On this day 23 years ago, the Indiana Pacers toppled the Los Angeles Lakers 120-87 to win Game 5 of the 2000 NBA Finals.
That game, which took place on the court of Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, extended the series and cut into the Lakers lead. It was 3-2 LA after Game 5 with the series heading back to Los Angeles.
Jalen Rose was terrific for the Pacers that night, scoring 32 points in the win on 12/18 shooting. It was one of the best games of his terrific playoff run that season. He averaged 20.8 points per game that postseason and won the NBA's Most Improved Player award that year.
Indiana franchise icon Reggie Miller had 25 points and six assists in the win. Shaquille O'Neal dropped 35 points for the purple and gold, but the Pacers managed to hold Kobe Bryant to just eight points, which allowed them to cruise to victory.
The Lakers would go on to win Game 6 and win the series. To this day, that Game 5 win on June 16, 2000 is the Pacers most recent win in an NBA Finals game. They have come up just short of reaching the Finals on multiple occasions in the years since.
Back then, Indiana's head coach was Larry Bird. He would go on to work in the team's front office, and he is now back consulting with the franchise again. He can now be seen watching the team's pre-draft workouts in the St Vincent Center.
"Obviously, you see Larry Bird on the sideline and it grabs your attention," Connecticut guard and draft prospect Andre Jackson Jr said. in early May.
The Pacers hope to ascend back into a contending team shortly. They have playoff goals next season and hope to win a game in the postseason for the first time in over five years.
"Next year, we want to be in the playoffs... that's 100% the goal going into next year," Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton said in April. That's the next step on Indiana's hopeful return to the NBA Finals.
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