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1999–2000 Indiana Pacers season

NBA professional basketball team season

Herbert Simon
Melvin Simon (lost to Lakers 2–4)

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

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, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. The team finished in first place in the Central Division with a 56–26 record, highlighted by a franchise-best 25-game winning streak at home, which was worthy of 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.

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 finished second on the team in scoring averaging 18.1 points per game, and leading them with 165 three-point field goals, while Rik Smits provided with 12.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and Dale Davis contributed 10.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Austin Croshere played an increased role as the team's sixth man, averaging 10.3 points per game off the bench, while Travis Best contributed 8.9 points and 3.3 assists per game also off the bench, Mark Jackson provided with 8.1 points and 8.0 assists per game, and Sam Perkins averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 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.

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. With the series tied at 1–1, the Pacers won Game 3 over the Bucks on the road, 109–96 at the Bradley Center to take a 2–1 series lead, but then lost Game 4 on the road, 100–87 as the Bucks evened the series. The Pacers then 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, losing Game 5 at home, 107–86 at the Conseco Fieldhouse. 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 home 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 won Game 5 at home, 88–79, and then won Game 6 over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 93–80 to win the series in six games, and reach 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 then defeated the Lakers in Game 5 at the Conseco Fieldhouse, 120–87. However, the Pacers then lost Game 6 to the Lakers at the Staples Center, 116–111, thus losing the series in six games. 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.

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. Following the season, Larry Bird resigned as head coach after three seasons, while 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 playing twelve seasons in the NBA with the Pacers.

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1999 NBA draft

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

Roster

Larry Bird
Rick Carlisle
Dick Harter

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

Regular season

Playoffs

3–2
-
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
1
May 6, 2000
2:30p.m. EST
Philadelphia
W 108–91
Miller,
Rose (40)
Croshere (11)
Jackson (10)
Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
1–0
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
2
May 8, 2000
7:00p.m. EST
Philadelphia
W 103–97
Rose (30)
Rose (7)
Jackson (14)
Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
2–0
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
3
May 10, 2000
7:00p.m. EST
@ Philadelphia
W 97–89
Miller (29)
Davis (17)
Jackson (8)
First Union Center
20,823
3–0
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
4
May 13, 2000
2:30p.m. EST
@ Philadelphia
L 90–92
Smits (20)
Davis (11)
Jackson (7)
First Union Center
20,675
3–1
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
5
May 15, 2000
7:00p.m. EST
Philadelphia
L 86–107
Smits (15)
Davis (8)
Jackson,
Rose (6)
Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
3–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
6
May 19, 2000
5:30p.m. EST
@ Philadelphia
W 106–90
Miller (25)
Davis (11)
Jackson (11)
First Union Center
20,969
4–2
-
-
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
1
May 23, 2000
7:30p.m. EST
New York
W 102–88
Croshere (22)
Davis (16)
Jackson (13)
Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
1–0
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
2
May 25, 2000
7:30p.m. EST
New York
W 88–84
Rose (24)
Davis (16)
Jackson (5)
Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
2–0
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
3
May 27, 2000
2:30p.m. EST
@ New York
L 95–98
Rose (26)
Davis (16)
Jackson,
Rose (6)
Madison Square Garden
19,763
2–1
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
4
May 29, 2000
4:30p.m. EST
@ New York
L 89–91
Miller (24)
Davis (11)
Jackson (7)
Madison Square Garden
19,763
2–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
5
May 31, 2000
8:00p.m. EST
New York
W 88–79
Best (24)
McKey (9)
Jackson (7)
Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
3–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
6
June 2, 2000
6:00p.m. EST
@ New York
W 93–80
Miller (34)
Davis (16)
Best,
Jackson (4)
Madison Square Garden
19,763
4–2
-
-
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
1
June 7, 2000
8:00p.m. EST
@ L.A. Lakers
L 87–104
Jackson (18)
Davis (8)
Jackson (7)
Staples Center
18,997
0–1
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
2
June 9, 2000
8:00p.m. EST
@ L.A. Lakers
L 104–111
Rose (30)
Davis (10)
Jackson (8)
Staples Center
18,997
0–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
3
June 11, 2000
6:30p.m. EST
L.A. Lakers
W 100–91
Miller (33)
Davis (12)
Jackson (6)
Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
1–2
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
4
June 14, 2000
8:00p.m. EST
L.A. Lakers
L 118–120 (OT)
Miller (35)
Davis (8)
Jackson (7)
Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
1–3
- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
5
June 16, 2000
8:00p.m. EST
L.A. Lakers
W 120–87
Rose (32)
Croshere (9)
Jackson (7)
Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
2–3
- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
6
June 19, 2000
8:00p.m. EST
@ L.A. Lakers
L 111–116
Rose (29)
Davis (14)
Jackson (11)
Staples Center
18,997
2–4
-

Game officials

Preseason

Regular season

Indiana Pacers	year=1999–2000	border=2}};"
2	11–4–1999
4	11–9–1999	Matt Boland, No. 7 Bernie Fryer, No. 57 Greg Willard
8	11–16–1999
12	11–25–1999
14	11–28–1999	No. 7 Bernie Fryer, Monty McCutchen, No. 57 Greg Willard
15	11–29–1999	No. 41 Ken Mauer, Violet Palmer, Leroy Richardson
17	12–3–1999	No. 17 Joe Crawford, Michael Smith, No. 51 Mark Wunderlich
18	12–7–1999
21	12–14–1999
23	12–17–1999	No. 43 Dan Crawford, Derek Richardson, Bill Spooner
24	12–18–1999
25	12–21–1999	No. 19 James Capers, No. 17 Joe Crawford, No. 51 Mark Wunderlich
26	12–25–1999	Ted Bernhardt, No. 13 Mike Mathis, Michael Smith
29	12–30–1999
33	1–9–2000	No. 25 Hugh Evans, No. 8 Luis Grillo, No 37 Blaine Reichelt
35	1–14–2000	Hank Armstrong, No. 43 Dan Crawford, Jim Kinsey
37	1–17–2000
38	1–19–2000
40	1–22–2000	No. 27 Dick Bavetta, Dee Kantner, No. 49 Tom Washington
42	1–25–2000	No. 29 Steve Javie, No. 37 Blaine Reichelt, No. 32 Eddie F. Rush
43	1–29–2000	No. 24 Mike Callahan, Rodney Mott, No. 35 Jack Nies
45	2–4–2000	Tim Donaghy, Bill Kennedy, No. 13 Mike Mathis
47	2–7–2000	Gary Benson, No. 17 Joe Crawford, No. 41 Ken Mauer
49	2–16–2000
50	2–17–2000
51	2–19–2000	No. 29 Steve Javie, Bill Kennedy, No. 41 Ken Mauer
53	2–23–2000
56	2–29–2000
57	3–2–2000	No. 8 Luis Grillo, No. 29 Steve Javie, Bill Kennedy
58	3–3–2000	Gary Benson, No. 45 Joe Forte, David Jones
61	3–9–2000	Derek Richardson, Leroy Richardson, No. 32 Eddie F. Rush
63	3–12–2000	No.27 Dick Bavetta, Kevin Fehr, No. 51 Mark Wunderlich
67	3–18–2000
68	3–21–2000	No. 43 Dan Crawford, No. 14 Derrick Stafford, George Toliver
69	3–23–2000
70	3–26–2000	Tony Brothers, No. 26 Bob Delaney, Joe DeRosa
72	3–31–2000
73	4–2–2000
76	4–9–2000
77	4–10–2000	No. 17 Joe Crawford, No. 28 Tommy Nunez, Michael Smith
78	4–12–2000
79	4–14–2000	Marc Davis, No. 20 Jess Kersey, No. 15 Bennett Salvatore
80	4–16–2000
81	4–17–2000	No. 6 Jim Clark, Sean Corbin, No. 25 Hugh Evans

Playoffs

Indiana Pacers	year=1999–2000	border=2}};"	Game
1	[Eastern Conference First Round](2000-nba-playoffs)	4–23–2000	No. 27 Dick Bavetta, No. 35 Jack Nies, No. 12 Don Vaden
2	[Eastern Conference First Round](2000-nba-playoffs)	4–27–2000	No. 34 Ronnie Nunn, No. 15 Bennett Salvatore, No. 14 Derrick Stafford
3	[Eastern Conference First Round](2000-nba-playoffs)	4–29–2000	No. 25 Hugh Evans, No. 41 Ken Mauer, No. 51 Mark Wunderlich
4	[Eastern Conference First Round](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–1–2000	No. 43 Dan Crawford, No. 24 Mike Callahan, No. 6 Jim Clark
5	[Eastern Conference First Round](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–4–2000	No. 17 Joe Crawford, No. 29 Steve Javie, No. 32 Eddie F. Rush
1	[Eastern Conference Semifinals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–6–2000	No. 31 Terry Durham, No. 10 Ron Garretson, No. 41 Ken Mauer
2	[Eastern Conference Semifinals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–8–2000	No. 17 Joe Crawford, No. 26 Bob Delaney, No. 45 Joe Forte
3	[Eastern Conference Semifinals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–10–2000	No. 43 Dan Crawford, No. 8 Luis Grillo, No. 42 Hue Hollins
4	[Eastern Conference Semifinals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–13–2000	No. 34 Ronnie Nunn, No. 15 Bennett Salvatore, No. 12 Don Vaden
5	[Eastern Conference Semifinals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–15–2000	No. 27 Dick Bavetta, No. 29 Steve Javie, No. 49 Tom Washington
6	[Eastern Conference Semifinals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–19–2000	No. 25 Hugh Evans, No. 7 Bernie Fryer, No. 32 Eddie F. Rush
1	[Eastern Conference Finals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–23–2000	No. 17 Joe Crawford, No. 34 Ronnie Nunn, No. 42 Hue Hollins
2	[Eastern Conference Finals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–25–2000	No. 31 Terry Durham, No. 7 Bernie Fryer, No. 10 Ron Garretson
3	[Eastern Conference Finals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–27–2000	No. 43 Dan Crawford, No. 35 Jack Nies, No. 26 Bob Delaney
4	[Eastern Conference Finals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–29–2000	No. 29 Steve Javie, No. 32 Eddie F. Rush, No. 13 Mike Mathis
5	[Eastern Conference Finals](2000-nba-playoffs)	5–31–2000	No. 27 Dick Bavetta, No. 25 Hugh Evans, No. 41 Ken Mauer
6	[Eastern Conference Finals](2000-nba-playoffs)	6–2–2000	No. 17 Joe Crawford, No. 15 Bennett Salvatore, No. 12 Don Vaden
1	[NBA Finals](2000-nba-finals)	6–7–2000	No. 43 Dan Crawford, No. 31 Terry Durham, No. 35 Jack Nies
2	[NBA Finals](2000-nba-finals)	6–9–2000	No. 17 Joe Crawford, No. 32 Eddie F. Rush, No. 15 Bennett Salvatore
3	[NBA Finals](2000-nba-finals)	6–11–2000	No. 25 Hugh Evans, No. 7 Bernie Fryer, No. 10 Ron Garretson
4	[NBA Finals](2000-nba-finals)	6–14–2000	No. 27 Dick Bavetta, No. 29 Steve Javie, No. 34 Ronnie Nunn
5	[NBA Finals](2000-nba-finals)	6–16–2000	No. 43 Dan Crawford, No. 35 Jack Nies, No. 15 Bennett Salvatore
6	[NBA Finals](2000-nba-finals)	6–19–2000	No. 17 Joe Crawford, No. 25 Hugh Evans, No. 10 Ron Garretson

Player statistics

Regular season

POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
PG	82	0	1,691	142	272	76	5	733	20.6	1.7	3.3	.9	.1	8.9
SG	81	81	2,987	239	187	85	25	1,470	36.9	3.0	2.3	1.0	.3	18.1
PG	81	81	2,190	296	650	76	10	660	27.0	3.7	8.0	.9	.1	8.1
PF	81	14	1,885	516	89	44	60	835	23.3	6.4	1.1	.5	.7	10.3
PF	81	0	1,620	289	68	31	33	537	20.0	3.6	.8	.4	.4	6.6
SF	80	80	2,978	387	320	84	49	1,457	37.2	4.8	4.0	1.1	.6	18.2
C	79	79	1,852	401	85	20	100	1,018	23.4	5.1	1.1	.3	1.3	12.9
C	74	72	2,127	729	64	52	94	743	28.7	9.9	.9	.7	1.3	10.0
PF	50	0	854	159	38	25	9	328	17.1	3.2	.8	.5	.2	6.6
SG	47	2	582	76	37	28	9	242	12.4	1.6	.8	.6	.2	5.1
SF	32	0	634	135	35	29	13	139	19.8	4.2	1.1	.9	.4	4.3
SF	24	1	130	21	3	1	5	64	5.4	.9	.1	.0	.2	2.7
C	19	0	86	32	5	5	1	43	4.5	1.7	.3	.3	.1	2.3
C	18	0	114	32	4	3	9	37	6.3	1.8	.2	.2	.5	2.1

Playoffs

POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
SF	23	23	964	101	78	16	11	479	41.9	4.4	3.4	.7	.5	20.8
C	23	23	714	263	17	11	31	190	31.0	11.4	.7	.5	1.3	8.3
PG	23	23	634	86	178	19	2	187	27.6	3.7	7.7	.8	.1	8.1
PF	23	2	490	109	19	9	16	216	21.3	4.7	.8	.4	.7	9.4
PG	23	0	463	57	66	19	4	204	20.1	2.5	2.9	.8	.2	8.9
PF	23	0	417	73	10	4	6	110	18.1	3.2	.4	.2	.3	4.8
SF	23	0	352	79	14	7	4	47	15.3	3.4	.6	.3	.2	2.0
SG	22	22	892	53	60	23	10	527	40.5	2.4	2.7	1.0	.5	24.0
C	22	21	461	78	21	10	20	241	21.0	3.5	1.0	.5	.9	11.0
C	10	0	47	16	0	0	2	12	4.7	1.6	.0	.0	.2	1.2
SG	9	1	90	14	5	6	1	31	10.0	1.6	.6	.7	.1	3.4
SF	9	0	21	3	0	1	0	12	2.3	.3	.0	.1	.0	1.3

NBA Finals

Lakers' backup center John Salley became the first player in NBA history to play on three different championship-winning franchises, as he won titles in 1989 and '90 with the Detroit Pistons and 1996 with the Chicago Bulls.
This was the Lakers first NBA Finals in the new Staples Center.
After closing out game 6, fans rioted outside Staples Center by making bonfires, tipping cars, breaking windows of cars and buildings, and vandalizing businesses around the area. Overall, they caused $1 million in damages. In Lakers' championship run the following year, the LAPD came out in bigger force after the Lakers won and prevented the same thing from happening again.
Staples Center, which was a first-year building in 2000, had a very tricky shooting background and opposing teams often had difficulty shooting there. Pacers coach Larry Bird wanted to have a shoot-around in the arena the day before Game 6 to help his team shoot more consistently because they shot very poorly in Games 1 and 2. However, the Pacers couldn't practice in the building because of an Arena Football game. Bird was very upset about this, and his team had to go down to the Lakers practice facility in El Segundo.
The two arenas in this series, Conseco Fieldhouse and Staples Center, were both first-year arenas.

Summary

The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.

Team	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4*	Game 5	Game 6	Wins
Los Angeles (West)	104	111	91	120	87	116	4
Indiana (East)	87	104	100	118	120	111	2

Aspects

Although the Lakers were one of the more talented teams in the NBA the previous year, they failed to win a single game against the San Antonio Spurs in the 1999 NBA Playoffs. Twenty-four days after being swept by the eventual league champion, the Lakers signed Phil Jackson as head coach. Jackson, famous for coaching Michael Jordan and the six-time champion Chicago Bulls, would build his triangle offense around Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. general manager Jerry West surrounded O'Neal and Bryant with effective role players such as Glen Rice, Ron Harper (who had experience with Jackson's triangle offense as part of the '96–'98 Bulls), and A.C. Green (member of the last two Lakers championship teams).

Along with these starters, the Lakers also possessed a strong bench. Robert Horry not only had championship experience with the Houston Rockets but also was a threat on the perimeter and a defensive star. Derek Fisher was a defensively minded point-guard with the ability to shoot well from long range. Rick Fox, acquired after being released by the Boston Celtics, was the Lakers' sixth man. With a healthy O'Neal, the Lakers dominated the regular season, with winning streaks of 11, 16, and 19 en route to a 67–15 record, tying the 1992 Chicago Bulls and 1986 Boston Celtics as the fifth best record in NBA regular season history.

Although many expected the Lakers to reach the Finals, the road would be a rocky one. In the first round, the Lakers won the first two games against the Sacramento Kings, only to drop the next two games in Sacramento. The Lakers then defeated Sacramento in Game 5, 113–86, to face the Phoenix Suns in the conference semi-finals. The Lakers clobbered the Suns, winning the series 4–1 (with their only loss coming in Game 4). In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Rasheed Wallace earned two technical fouls and was ejected; the Lakers took advantage of Wallace's absence and secured victory. The Trail Blazers stormed back in the next game, giving the Lakers their worst home loss of the season in a 106–77 shellacking. This setback did not affect Los Angeles, as they assembled a 3–1 series lead by winning the next two games in Portland. The Lakers underestimated the Trail Blazers, however. Led by former Jackson linchpin Scottie Pippen, Portland won back-to-back elimination games and forced a series-deciding Game 7. Amid several controversial foul calls by referee Dick Bavetta against members of the Trail Blazers, Portland relinquished a 75–60 fourth quarter lead. Rallying back with a 25–4 run, the Lakers won the game and secured a berth in the NBA Finals.

In the 1997–1998 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls narrowly defeated the Pacers, 4 games to 3, in the Eastern Conference finals. The 1998–1999 NBA season began with a lockout but saw Indiana return to the Eastern Conference finals, where they fell to the New York Knicks. The 1999–2000 NBA season brought several major changes to the Pacers. It was their first season at Conseco Fieldhouse, as well as their first since 1993 without center Antonio Davis, who was traded for the rights to the No. 5 overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. Jalen Rose replaced Chris Mullin in the starting line up, winning the NBA Most Improved Player award, while Austin Croshere replaced him as the sixth man.

The Pacers started the season 7–7 but eventually finished with an Eastern Conference best 56–26 record, including a franchise-best 25 game win streak at home. The Pacers, like the Lakers, struggled in the playoffs. They needed a clutch Travis Best three-pointer to dispatch the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Indiana faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round and took the series in six games, earning a trip to the Eastern Conference finals. The Pacers would face their rival Knicks, winning a memorable six-game series in a reversal of fortunes from years past. With the victory, Indiana advanced to the first NBA Finals in franchise history, becoming the second former ABA team to do so.

Game 1

Wednesday, June 7, 2000, 9:00 at the Staples Center.

The Lakers dominated from the start. The Lakers shot 15-for-20 (75%) in the first period while the Pacers shot only 7-for-20 (35%). Miller would miss all of his shots in the first quarter to give the Lakers a 15-point lead. Croshere came off the bench to keep the Pacers alive in the 2nd quarter, scoring 9 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in the quarter. Although the Pacers attempted a comeback in the 2nd quarter, they were still down by 12. In the 3rd quarter, it would be Jackson who led the Pacers to a comeback, cutting the Lakers lead by 2. Miller also hit his first field goal in the 3rd quarter, though it would be his last. The Lakers handled the Pacers in the final quarter, with a 13–2 run winning by 17 points. O'Neal scored 43 points and grabbed 19 rebounds.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200006070LAL.html

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Indiana	18	25	28	16	87
Los Angeles	33	22	22	27	104

Game 2

Friday, June 9, 2000, 9:00 at the Staples Center.

Los Angeles and Indiana were evenly matched for the first quarter, both scoring 28. However, Los Angeles suffered a major setback when Kobe Bryant left the game in the 2nd quarter due to a sprained ankle and did not return. Jalen Rose later admitted that he intentionally stuck out his foot when Kobe shot a jumpshot in order to trip him when he landed. Ron Harper went in for Bryant and scored 21 points for the game. Desperate to try to gain the lead, Larry Bird resorted to the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy. Shaq shot 39 free throws, making only 18, an NBA record for most free throws attempted. Despite this low percentage, Shaq made 9 of 16 in the 4th quarter to keep a Lakers lead. The Pacers cut the lead to 99–96 and were looking to foul Shaq, but when Shaq got the ball he passed to Robert Horry who converted not only the layup, but the foul shot as well giving them a 102–96 lead en route to a 111–104 Lakers victory.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200006090LAL.html

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Indiana	28	21	20	35	104
Los Angeles	28	24	21	38	111

Game 3

Sunday, June 11, 2000, 7:30 at the Conseco Fieldhouse.

Taking advantage of Kobe Bryant's ankle injury, Indiana restored a semblance of parity to the proceedings. Kobe's absence was felt as the Pacers had an 11–2 run in the first quarter to take an 8-point lead. Austin Croshere once again had another huge 2nd quarter, scoring 8 points as the Pacers shot 61% from the field. The Lakers tried to make a run to get back into the game, but upon doings so, Indiana answered with 12 straight points and led by 17. The Lakers were desperate and attempted another run to get within 3 points, but Reggie Miller nailed all his free throws at the end of the game to give Indiana a 9-point win.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200006110IND.html

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Los Angeles	15	27	22	25	91
Indiana	23	30	26	21	100

Game 4

Wednesday, June 14, 2000, 9:00 at the Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Pacers took a quick 9–2 lead due to Rik Smits hitting his first four shots. Kobe Bryant attempted to play with his sore ankle but only managed to score 6 points in the first half. Even though Bryant and O'Neal were in foul trouble in the first half (each picking up his third with 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter), Indiana could not take advantage and did not extend their lead. This would be a problem as Kobe Bryant scored 10 points and the Lakers took a 62–60 lead due to a Glen Rice three-pointer. The game remained close going into the fourth quarter, when O'Neal and Reggie Miller scored 14 and 13 points respectively, sending the game into overtime. Midway through overtime, O'Neal committed his sixth foul but 21-year-old Bryant delivered three clutch shots, as the Lakers were able to overcome back-up center John Salley's inability to effectively defend Smits. Smits and Miller scored all 14 of Indiana's OT points, but it was not enough to overcome as Miller missed a last-second three-pointer, and L.A. was able to pull one out in Indianapolis.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200006140IND.html

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	OT	Total
Los Angeles	23	28	29	24	16	120
Indiana	33	21	23	27	14	118

Game 5

Friday, June 16, 2000, 9:00 at the Conseco Fieldhouse.

Reggie Miller and the Pacers dominated the game from the start in what would be Larry Bird's last game as a coach in the state of Indiana. Reggie Miller came out and made 5 straight shots including a 4-point play. The Pacers hit their first 6 three-point shots in the game. The Pacers would have a 20-point lead in the 2nd quarter, and eventually won by 33 – it was the worst Lakers NBA Finals loss since the 148–114 loss to Boston in the 1985 NBA Finals, known as the "Memorial Day Massacre."

With their loss in Game 5, the Lakers record in close-out games dropped to 3–6 in the 2000 NBA Playoffs (the other losses coming in Games 3 and 4 in the first round against Sacramento, Game 4 in the series against Phoenix, and Games 5 and 6 versus Portland). As a result, the series returned to California.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200006160IND.html

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Los Angeles	28	17	22	20	87
Indiana	39	25	22	34	120

Game 6

Monday, June 19, 2000, 9:00 at the Staples Center.

After the two teams traded blows in the first quarter, Mark Jackson concluded the period with a turn-around half-court shot at the buzzer to give the Pacers a 26–24 advantage. They would not relinquish their lead until the fourth quarter. In the first half, the Pacers would lead by as many as twelve points. However, the Lakers chipped away and entered intermission trailing 56–53. Indiana, however, added two more points to their lead, and entered the final period in a position to force a decisive seventh game.

In the fourth quarter, the momentum shifted. The Lakers got four timely three-pointers from Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, and Rick Fox. The turning point occurred on a play where Brian Shaw stole the ball from Jalen Rose, leading to a fast break where Shaquille O'Neal hit an off-balance shot to give the Lakers the lead. The Pacers never led after that point.

The Lakers would build a seven-point lead, but the Pacers fought back to tie the score at 103. After a timeout, the Lakers scored six unanswered points to regain control. The Pacers made one final valiant effort, but it fell short and the Lakers clinched their first championship in twelve years. Shaquille O'Neal led all scorers with 41 points and also pulled down 12 rebounds. He was awarded the Finals MVP.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200006190LAL.html

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Indiana	26	30	28	27	111
Los Angeles	24	29	26	37	116

Awards, records, and honors

Jalen Rose, NBA Most Improved Player Award
Reggie Miller, NBA All-Star Game
Dale Davis, NBA All-Star Game

References

Pacers on Basketball Reference

References

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