1999–2000 Indiana Pacers season

The 1999–2000 Indiana Pacers season was the 24th season for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association, and their 33rd season as a franchise.

Season summary

Off-season This was the Pacers' first season playing at their new arena, the Conseco Fieldhouse. During the off-season, the team acquired rookie small forward, first-round draft pick and high school basketball star Jonathan Bender from the Toronto Raptors, and acquired rookie center, and first-round draft pick Jeff Foster out of Texas State University from the Golden State Warriors.

Regular season The Pacers played around .500 in winning percentage with a 7–7 start to the regular season, but then won 15 of their next 17 games, which included a seven-game winning streak between December and January, and later on held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. The team won 11 of their 13 games in February, and won nine of their final eleven games of the season. The Pacers finished in first place in the Central Division with a 56–26 record, which earned them the first seed in the Eastern Conference in the NBA playoffs, and guaranteed home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The team also posted a franchise-best 25-game winning streak at home at the Conseco Fieldhouse during the regular season.

Jalen Rose, who played the previous three seasons off the Pacers' bench, became the team's starting small forward replacing Chris Mullin in the starting lineup, averaging 18.2 points and 4.0 assists per game, and was named the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year. In addition, Reggie Miller averaged 18.1 points per game, and led the Pacers with 165 three-point field goals, while Rik Smits provided the team with 12.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, Dale Davis contributed 10.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, and Mark Jackson provided with 8.1 points and 8.0 assists per game. Off the bench, Austin Croshere played an increased role as the team's sixth man, averaging 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while Travis Best contributed 8.9 points and 3.3 assists per game, Sam Perkins averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and second-year forward Al Harrington provided with 6.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at The Arena in Oakland in Oakland, California, Miller and Davis were both selected for the 2000 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was Miller's fifth and final All-Star appearance, and the first and only All-Star appearance for Davis. Rose and Miller both finished tied in 13th place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Croshere finished in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting.

The Pacers finished tenth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 752,145 at the Conseco Fieldhouse during the regular season.

NBA playoffs In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2000 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Pacers faced off against the 8th–seeded Milwaukee Bucks, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Ray Allen, All-Star forward Glenn Robinson, and Sam Cassell. The Pacers took a 2–1 series lead before losing Game 4 to the Bucks on the road, 100–87 at the Bradley Center. With the series tied at 2–2, the Pacers won Game 5 over the Bucks at home, 96–95 at the Conseco Fieldhouse, in which Miller scored 41 points, as the Pacers defeated the Bucks in a hard-fought five-game series.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, and also for the second consecutive year, the team faced off against the 5th–seeded Philadelphia 76ers, a team that featured All-Star guard Allen Iverson, Tyrone Hill, and defensive shot-blocker Theo Ratliff. The Pacers took a 3–0 series lead, but then lost the next two games to the 76ers, which included a Game 5 home loss at the Conseco Fieldhouse, 107–86; Miller was suspended for Game 5 due to his altercation with 76ers center Matt Geiger in Game 4. However, the Pacers won Game 6 over the 76ers on the road, 106–90 at the First Union Center to win the series in six games.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers then faced off against their arch-rivals, the 3rd–seeded New York Knicks, who were led by All-Star guard Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell and Patrick Ewing; it was the third consecutive year, and the sixth time in the last eight years that the Pacers played against the Knicks during the NBA playoffs. The Pacers won the first two games over the Knicks at the Conseco Fieldhouse, before losing the next two games on the road, as the Knicks won Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, 91–89 to even the series at 2–2. However, the Pacers managed to win the next two games, including a Game 6 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 93–80 to win the series in six games, and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

In the 2000 NBA Finals, the Pacers faced off against the top–seeded Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by the trio of All-Star center, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Shaquille O'Neal, All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, and Glen Rice. The Pacers lost the first two games on the road at the Staples Center, as the Lakers took a 2–0 series lead. However, the Pacers managed to win Game 3 at home, 100–91 at the Conseco Fieldhouse, but then lost Game 4 at home to the Lakers in overtime, 120–118. The Pacers won Game 5 at the Conseco Fieldhouse, 120–87, but then lost Game 6 to the Lakers at the Staples Center, 116–111, thus losing the series in six games.

Aftermath Following the season, Larry Bird resigned as head coach after three seasons with the Pacers. Meanwhile, Davis was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, Mullin was released and later re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Golden State Warriors, Jackson signed with the Toronto Raptors, and Smits retired after twelve seasons in the NBA with the Pacers.

The Pacers would not return to the NBA Finals again until the 2024–25 season, where they lost in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals.

Offseason

NBA draft

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 26 Vonteego Cummings PG Pittsburgh

Roster

Regular season The Pacers began a new era by moving into Conseco Fieldhouse after 25 years at Market Square Arena. They would start the season with a 7-7 record but finished with a 56-26 record, good enough to win their 2nd straight division title. The Pacers even won 25 straight games at their new arena.

Season standings

Game log

1999–2000 Indiana Pacers season

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