Rik Smits

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The Pacers have had but a single team reach the NBA Finals, the one that lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in 2000. Simple logic, then, would seem to identify it as the best in the franchise's NBA history.

Simple logic, however, tends to ignore the nuances of a story.

The recent documentary on the Chicago Bulls' 1998 championship team, "The Last Dance," served the dual purpose of resurrecting the memory of the Pacers team from that season — at least for their fans. It pushed the Bulls to the absolute limit in the Eastern Conference finals, jumping to a 20-8 lead in Game 7 at the United Center before missed free throws and rebounds cost them a trip to the Finals.

That Pacers team earned the sincere respect of Chicago coach Phil Jackson and his players. Jackson opened his postgame press conference by paying tribute to the Pacers. A relieved Jordan, recorded in the locker room following the game, said, "That's the hardest we've worked in 13 years." And Scottie Pippen put it succinctly in his postgame press conference.

"I can't say that the best team won," he said.

That '98 Pacers team could be the best in the franchise's NBA history. But it also could be the one that reached the Finals two years later. Fate and timing are factors beyond the control of players and coaches and often weigh as heavily in the outcome of games and seasons as raw talent — at all levels.

It's not difficult to find Indiana University basketball fans who consider the 1975 team that lost to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament better than the one that went undefeated and won the national championship in '76. The 1960 Muncie Central High School team is one of the best ever to come out of Indiana — it won its regular season games by an average of 32 points — but suffered its only loss of the season in the final game of the state tournament and therefore isn't remembered among Indiana's legendary high school teams. And imagine how the Butler team of 2010 would be remembered if Gordon Hayward's halfcourt heave at the buzzer of the championship game with Duke had been an inch or two more accurate.

One shot, one injury, one untimely loss, one referee's whistle...all can have a huge impact on a team's place in history. The one that wins the most games in the regular season or advances the furthest in the postseason isn't necessarily the best in its class, but it seems obvious one of these two Pacers teams remain the best in franchise history. The teams that reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004, 2013, and 2014 had superior athleticism and perhaps even superior talent, but lacked the experience and hard-earned maturity of the teams from 1998 and 2000.

But which of those was best? Certainly, it's not an important issue in times such as these but the question is at least timely. The '98 team was revived by the Jordan documentary and we're in the 20-year anniversary of the 2000 team, so parsing them is as good a topic of discussion as any during a pandemic lockdown.

Proponents of the Pacers team that reached the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals over the one that took things a step further in 2000 have plenty of ammunition for their argument.

The '98 team won 58 games, two more than the 2000 team. Once it adjusted to first-year coach Larry Bird and his staff, it practically breezed through the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs before colliding with the Bulls. The 2000 team, on the other hand, relied on its uncommon experience and cohesion to get through a less joyful regular season. It barely escaped its first-round matchup with Milwaukee, needing a clutch 3-pointer from Travis Best and 41 points from Reggie Miller in the series' ultimate game to avoid elimination on its homecourt. It then defeated Philadelphia and New York, neither of whom were nearly as imposing as Chicago had been in '98, to reach the Finals.

Despite all that, statistical analysis gives an edge to the 2000 team. Here's the breakdown, and here's a spoiler alert, too: there is no obvious answer to this question.

The Pacers teams of 1998 and 2000 had nine players in common: Travis Best, Austin Croshere, Dale Davis, Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Derrick McKey, Chris Mullin, Jalen Rose, and Rik Smits.

As for the remainder of the roster, the 2000 team's bench included Sam Perkins, Zan Tabak, Al Harrington, and rookies Jonathan Bender and Jeff Foster. Those five replaced Antonio Davis, Fred Hoiberg, Mark Pope, Mark West, and Etdrick Bohannon from the 1998 team.

Ask the players who filled a roster spot on both teams which was superior, and the results are appropriately mixed.

"I always thought the '98 team was better," Smits says. "I don't remember why, but I recall thinking that way. I was feeling over the hill by the time I retired (after the 2000 playoffs)."

"I think that 2000 team beats that '98 team, all things considered," Best says. "Jalen and myself were better, and Austin Croshere as well."

Rose, who played off the bench in '98, was a starter and the leading scorer in 2000. But he leans toward the superiority of the '98 squad after pausing to think it through.

"The '98 team was better," he says. "You had both Davis brothers and Rik Smits still playing productive. You have Heavy D (McKey), too. That's a throwback frontline. Look at that size, that height."

Jackson, meanwhile, doesn't care to offer an opinion. Doesn't have one, actually.

"I don't think it's fair," he says. "If you told me to name the rosters of both teams, I couldn't do it. They were both great teams and both capable of winning a championship — and should have."

Best, Rose, and Croshere provide the strongest argument for the superiority of the 2000 team, given their significant improvement over the previous two seasons. Croshere, a rookie who was injured and didn't dress for the 1998 playoffs, had become a valuable reserve who brought versatility to the frontline. Best, a third-year backup point guard in 1998, split time with Jackson at point guard in the 2000 playoffs, playing the second and fourth quarters of most games.

Rose who averaged 18.2 points and earned Most Improve Player honors in 2000, represented the only change in the starting lineup from the 1998 team, replacing Mullin at small forward, and averaged nearly seven more points than Mullin had two years earlier.

They weren't the only ones to show improvement, however. Jackson, who was 35 years old by the time the playoffs began in 2000, and Dale Davis (31) also performed better than in '98.

Davis was selected to the All-Star game for the only time in his career in 2000. His greatest improvement came at the foul line. Motivated by his 3-of-10 performance in that Game 7 loss to Chicago in 1998, he hired a shooting coach and reconstructed his shot. He made just .465 of his free throw attempts in 1998 and .685 in 2000. That enabled him to score 59 more points from the foul line in 2000 than in '98, a significant number given all the close games a team plays over the course of the season.

Jackson shot a better percentage in all categories in 2000 than in 1998 and had virtually the same scoring average despite playing 2 1/2 fewer minutes. His efficiency ratio, which measures overall performance, also was slightly improved in 2000.

Comparing Miller's seasons is more complicated. He showed decline during the 2000 regular season, shooting less accurately than in 1998, but performed better in the 2000 postseason than in '98 — and that's the more relevant comparison. He averaged four more points, shot better from the field and had a significantly better efficiency ratio in the 2000 playoffs. He also played the lead role in the close-out game in each of the first three rounds, scoring 41 points against Milwaukee, 25 against Philadelphia, and 34 against New York. He suffered a nightmarish 1-of-16 shooting performance in Game 1 of the Finals against the Lakers but averaged 27.8 points in the remaining five games.

The other three holdovers from the 1998 team showed various degrees of decline in 2000. Smits' ongoing foot problems had been solved but other body parts were breaking down. Playing five fewer minutes per game in 2000 than in '98, his scoring average dropped nearly four points and his shooting percentages slumped as well.

Mullin (36) and McKey (33) also were breaking down physically and would retire after the 2000-01 season, when they played for other teams. Mullin played in just 47 games and averaged 5.1 points in 2000. He had occasional flashes of production, such as in the final regular season road game at Philadelphia when he started for one of only two times that season (Miller and Jackson were given the night off) and scored 21 points while hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers. He wasn't a significant factor in the playoffs, however.

McKey played in just 57 regular season games in 1998 but had enough left to be a significant factor in the playoffs in non-scoring ways. He played in just 32 regular season games two years later and averaged 4.3 points.

So, that's six players in the improved column for the 2000 team and three in the declined category. And while scoring isn't the only measuring stick for a player, the 2000 "remainders" who hadn't played for the Pacers in the 1998 playoffs contributed 3.8 more points per game than the players in '98 who weren't still with the team in 2000.

For many, the comparison of the two teams comes down to Antonio Davis and Sam Perkins. Davis was a valuable reserve in 1998, averaging 9.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in 26.7 minutes. Perkins, 38 years old in 2000, averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds over 20 minutes.

Davis was such a respected player that Pacers general manager Donnie Walsh was able to trade him for the fifth pick in the draft following the 1999 lockout season. Davis went on to have an All-Star season in Toronto and earned a max contract.

Perkins, however, brought another legitimate 3-point threat to the Pacers, which enabled them to keep pace with the league trend. He hit 89 of them in 2000 at a 41 percent clip, and that weapon is one of the major differences between the two teams. The 1998 Pacers ranked ninth in made threes and second in accuracy. The 2000 group ranked first in both categories.

(As an indication of how the league has changed over the past couple of decades, this season's Pacers team averages 27.5 3-point attempts per game, which is still short of coach Nate McMillan's goal of 30. The 2000 team averaged 18.1 attempts. The 1998 team averaged 12.5.)

The 2000 Pacers also were the NBA's best foul-shooting team (they had been sixth in '98) and were a better rebounding team than in '98, although still not a good one. They ranked 20th in total rebounds, seven spots higher than in '98.

Antonio Davis was key piece on the 1998 Pacers team, but his departure from Indiana cleared minutes for emerging young players like Austin Croshere in the 2000 run to the NBA Finals. (Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

It's a common argument that Walsh should not have traded Antonio Davis for the draft pick that brought Jonathan Bender before the 1999-2000 season. Davis, obviously, would have contributed more than the teen-aged Bender in the 2000 season, and on the surface it seems his bulk and experience might have helped contain Shaquille O'Neal when the Pacers met the Lakers in the Finals.

O'Neal was at the peak of his career in 2000. He averaged 30.6 points in the Finals and was unstoppable everywhere but the foul line, where he hit just 39 percent of his attempts. Would Antonio Davis have fared any better than Smits, Dale Davis, or Perkins against the agile 325-pound O'Neal?

He would have liked to try, at least. He watched the 2000 Finals on television as a member of the Toronto Raptors, wishing then and still today he had never left the Pacers. He weighed between 240-250 pounds, hardly enough to match O'Neal's bulk and strength, but perhaps he could have fronted O'Neal, made him run the floor, done whatever was necessary to help wear him down.

"I think I could have been a tremendous help," he says. "It wasn't necessarily how much you weigh, because you can't physically try to match up with Shaq. That wasn't my thing. But I know I'm in heckuva good shape and if I can keep a body on you and wear you down so come the fourth quarter we can even the playing field a little bit, then I've got a shot.

"At least that's how I saw it," Davis adds, laughing. "That's what I told myself."

Perkins weighed 10 to 20 more pounds than Antonio Davis and got his turns leaning on O'Neal. Walsh recalls Perkins doing as good a job as anyone with the impossible chore and offers this bottom line to the argument.

The argument for retaining Antonio Davis also ignores the fact the Pacers had a logjam at the "four" position that needed to be addressed. The Davises and Croshere had shared the role in 1999, and all were frustrated enough by their lack of playing time to air gripes publicly. Antonio, remember, asked for a trade after that season so he could become a starter. To bring all three back for another season likely would have only heightened their frustration and damaged team chemistry.

Besides, Croshere and Perkins brought needed versatility to the offense by providing 3-point threats that spread the floor. Croshere averaged 15.2 points and 6 rebounds in the 2000 Finals, setting himself up to be one of the NBA's premier free agents that summer. Would Antonio Davis have contributed more than that? And it's not as if Davis' hypothetical contributions can be added to that 2000 team like bonus stats. If he were playing, Dale Davis and Croshere would have played and contributed less.

"With Dale and Antonio, you had two excellent players but there was a lot of redundancy," Croshere says. "I was significantly different than Antonio and complemented Rik and Dale in a different way."

Perkins did the same, adding a laid-back style of veteran leadership that was readily accepted in the locker room.

"Sam brought a lot to the table," Best says. "He was another guy who could play center, another guy who could knock down the three. He was so professional, so efficient."

Croshere adds another what-if to the mix. The 2000 team might have been better, he says, but perhaps the 1998 team would have been better suited to compete against the Lakers.

The primary advantage of the 1998 Pacers over the 2000 version might lie with intangibles. The '98 team was the first under coach Larry Bird, and spent the season in something resembling honeymoon bliss. The players were thrilled that Bird had come out of retirement to coach them and flourished in his trusting, uplifting approach.

The 1999-2000 season, however, was more of a grind. Bird announced before it began that it would be his last. That and the fact he was coaching his third season with the team removed some of the glow from the romance. That group won 56 games largely because of its superior experience and ingrained cohesion. It seemed in some respects on autopilot.

"I do remember there being some issues at times with the 2000 team," Croshere says.

Which is not to say the culture had turned sour. It just wasn't as great as in '98.

"I was in the NBA for 12 years," Croshere says. "The first three years (with the Pacers) were probably the most professional teams I was part of. By NBA standards that 2000 team had an incredible locker room. Maybe you noticed things here and there, but from the perspective of a 12-year career, that 2000 team was a great one to be part of."

Selecting one of these two teams over the other amounts to acts of extreme deconstruction and analysis. Both were great, both barely fell short of winning a championship, both had admirable intangibles. Arguments and counter arguments can be made all day, in either way.

"I'll tell you the truth," Walsh says. "I know you need something to write about, but I wonder why you're asking me all this."

And perhaps that's the larger point. These two teams provided the peak moments in a seven-year span that began in 1994 in which the Pacers reached the conference finals five times. The core of those teams barely changed in that period, recalling an era vastly unlike today when rosters turn over frequently because of free agency.

"We don't live in that world anymore," Croshere says. "It's a different landscape now. You're going to continue to see great teams, but it's hard to imagine fans can fall in love with a core group of players that will be together for the next six or seven years."

Prefer the 1998 Pacers team? Fine. Like the 2000 team better? OK. Better yet, appreciate the entire collection.

Have a question for Mark? Want it to be on Pacers.com? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag.

Mark Montieth's book on the formation and groundbreaking seasons of the Pacers, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," is available in bookstores throughout Indiana and on Amazon.com.

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

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1998 or 2000? What is the Best Pacers Team in NBA Franchise History?

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Rik Smits' Memorial Day Miracle

Editor's Note: In anticipation of Sunday's episode of "The Last Dance," which will feature the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and the Chicago Bulls, Mark Montieth spoke to many of the 1997-98 Pacers about that season and the series with the Bulls. This section chronicles the seven-game series with Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Read Part 1 »

Eliminating New York sent the Pacers into the Eastern Conference Finals against Chicago, which had won the two previous championships and three in a row from 1991-93. The two teams had split their four regular season games, each team winning once on the other's home court. The Bulls had started slowly while Scottie Pippen held out, but finished strong to win 62 games, four more than the Pacers. Chicago appeared to be in the final phase of its 1990s dynasty, on the verge of breaking up. The Pacers felt confident they derail their last title run.

Austin Croshere, forward: I wasn't on the playoff roster because I broke the fifth metatarsal in my left foot in a three-on-three drill during early pre-game warmups. I already had a stress fracture. But as a rookie you might tell them that your foot hurts, but you don't want to be the guy who says you can't go. So, on a benign cut, that bone broke.

I remember Mark West being really excited because that meant he would be active for the playoffs. I was like, "Gee, thanks, Mark!" I played no role on the team anyway, so it wasn't going to matter.

Rick Carlisle, assistant coach: I thought Larry Bird did as great a job as a coach can do, coming in to coach a veteran team that the majority of people thought had run its course. A lot of people look at that team and say it surpassed expectations, but in that locker room, for all of us, we thought we were the better team.

PHOTO GALLERY: Looking Back at the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals »

Fred Hoiberg, guard: We did have a lot of confidence going into that series. Obviously, it's a whole different animal in the playoffs, you're going against one of the greatest dynasties of all time. But Larry had instilled a lot of confidence in that team.

Travis Best, guard: We were of the mindset everything was setting itself up for us to knock off the dynasty. It was our turn. Indiana had been knocking on the door for a few years, so I just remember thinking this was our time.

Mark Jackson and the Pacers weren't lacking confidence heading into the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals. (Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

Chicago won the first two games in the series at the United Center, each by six points. The Pacers came back to win Game 3 at Market Square Arena behind Reggie Miller's 28 points. He sprained his ankle in the third quarter and had to go to the locker room for treatment but scored 13 points in the final 4:11 to lead a 107-105 victory.

It was one of his classic playoff moments but was overshadowed two days later in Game 4. Running up from the baseline, Miller bumped into Michael Jordan, turned left, caught Derrick McKey's inbound pass and in one motion swung to his left and hit a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left that turned out to be the difference in a 96-94 victory.

While MSA went berserk and Miller ran to the other end of the court and jumped up and down on his sprained ankle, the national television cameras caught Bird standing in front of the bench with no expression, aware of the remaining time on the clock. Austin Croshere, equally bald as his healthier teammates, could be seen jumping up and down in the second row of the bench.

Croshere: I don't even have a memory of it. The only reason I know about it is because of the video. The video has become the memory for me. I've told my kids, I'm going to be in one of these episodes (of "The Last Dance"). I'm sure they'll pan to that.

Mark Jackson, guard: To see Reggie come off open and have the opportunity to take and make a shot was special. To see it drawn up and executed was a thing of beauty. And to hear that arena go absolutely nuts was special.

Dan Burke, video coordinator: We had that set with several options. You still see that set. I call it Y. Rick (Carlisle) had that already, and Larry liked the spread part of it.

Antonio Davis, forward: Big players make big shots. He made a big shot.

It's clear as day there was a little push. Was it a shove? It was a good no-call to me. Like Jordan in the Finals against Bryon Russell (later in the playoffs). It was a good no-call.

Mark Pope, forward: I have to go do these speaking things and one of my favorite topics is when Reggie hits that shot. The camera zooms in on coach Bird and he's stone-faced.

He had this ability to refuse to indulge in the emotion of the moment. All of us want to indulge in that moment and lose our minds. He was the only person in that building who was looking at 0.7 seconds on the clock. He was thinking, we've got a game to win.

People were screaming, ripping off their clothes, running around, and spilling drinks on one another, but that's when a leader should be at his very best. When everybody else has indulged in the moment, he stayed with the task at hand to lead our group.

In his first season as a head coach, Larry Bird nearly guided the Pacers to the NBA Finals. (Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

Two factors at the end of that game often get overlooked, both involving Derrick McKey.

His perfectly timed and placed inbound pass over Scottie Pippen enabled Miller to hit the shot without interrupting his motion. Then he defended Jordan on the Bulls' last possession, forcing a miss. McKey always made inbound passes in clutch moments. He, for example, also made the pass leading to Rik Smits' game-winning shot in Game 4 of the 1995 playoff series against Orlando.

After Miller's shot, Jordan barely missed an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer with McKey trailing him with a distracting hand in his face.

McKey had torn his Achilles tendon at the end of the previous season and did not play in a game this season until Dec. 23. He then suffered what was reported as a strained quad muscle in his right knee in Game 2 of the second-round series against New York, one that forced him to sit out Game 4 after attempting to play in Game 3. But the injury was worse than that.

Derrick McKey, forward: We didn't know what it was. I didn't get an MRI, it just felt like really bad tendinitis. In the playoffs you don't practice that much anyway, so I got treated between games and did the best I could to get ready. By the end of each game the pain had come back and was getting worse, but I could made it work.

I was on one leg trying to guard Scottie and Michael. I could defend going one way better than the other. The way I could defend better was to their strong (right) hands.

I had surgery right after the season was over with. I had the same surgery (Victor) Oladipo had. Mine didn't tear off the bone like Oladipo, but it was shredded. My tendon was shredded. When they did the surgery, they cut it off and reattached it.

Best: I know he played hurt all year. For him to give us what he had was impressive. He was such a diverse player in what he brought; he was a glue piece for us.

Antonio Davis: To me, Derrick was as valuable as Reggie. In my book, a lot of this stuff wouldn't happen without him. He was a coach's dream. He could do so many different things.

There were so many times Derrick would say stuff to me in practice and I would automatically do it from that point on. The way I posted up, the way I defended...little things. He was so talented and knew about every aspect of the game.

He was playing on a torn quad. I was like, "Man, you're crazy." That was Derrick.

Derrick McKey played hurt in the 1998 playoffs. (Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

Croshere: He was always in my corner, pulling me aside, telling me things about people I was guarding.

Jackson: Timely suggestions. He didn't say a lot, but he had nuggets all through that season and would tell you what he saw.

Donnie Walsh, general manager: He was a very underrated player. He was a pro's pro, that's what he was.

McKey: I (threw inbound passes) a lot in Seattle, too. I was used to it.

I just made sure where my (outlet) guy was I could throw it to if I got in any trouble with the first option. Someone like Dale (Davis) or Antonio who was athletic enough to get the ball if I needed to throw it in the air.

When Reggie came off, I saw him become open. Scottie was on me so I had to wait a little bit so I could see under his hand and get Reggie that pass in rhythm. Sometimes you have to give him a ball fake or a look-off. That might give me a little window I need to make the pass. Give it to him in rhythm and in the slot where he can go right into the shot.

If Reggie can get us to that point, then it's my job to go out and play defense and not put it on him defensively. He guarded Michael a lot anyway, but at the end of the game they put the closer in. I'm not a Mariano Rivera guy, though, I'm more of a Lee Smith guy.

Reggie Miller's game-winning 3-pointer over Michael Jordan in Game 4 remains one of the most celebrated shots in franchise history. (Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

A brief skirmish between Miller and Bulls guard Ron Harper in front of the Bulls' bench late in Game 4 led to backup forward Jalen Rose being suspended for Game 5 in Chicago because he ran off the bench. The Pacers were never in that one, losing 106-87. Bird said the team "quit on me."

But when the series resumed in Game 6 back in Indianapolis, the Pacers responded with a 92-89 victory. Best — playing the entire fourth quarter — beat Steve Kerr to hit a runner high off the backboard with 33.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a two-point lead. After Jordan hit two foul shots to tie the game, Best got a step on Jordan, drew a foul, and hit two foul shots with 8.5 seconds left. They proved to be the game-winning points once Jordan slipped while trying to drive on McKey from the left wing on the Bulls' final possession.

Best: I just remember being out there and thinking, I've got to be aggressive. I've got to look for the shot when it's there and I can't wait for anybody else to get it done. You have to try to make it happen. I was feeling pretty good, the fourth quarter came and I was able to knock down some threes and there were a lot of pressure situations late in the game where if you can't get the ball to Reggie you have to make something happen.

Walsh: Travis was a guy Chicago didn't know what to do with. They didn't have the quickness to deal with him. I remember one game Michael took himself out and they put Kerr in the game. On the first play Travis faked out Kerr completely and drew a foul and Jordan looked at him and started laughing. Like, I know what you're going through.

He was a little guy but he was built like a football player. You've got to be like that to go in there.

Burke: He came up at the biggest times, every year I was around him. Another glue guy. Just a good soul. We had a lot of that.

And so it was off to Chicago for Game 7. The Pacers had not won there in three games in the series and had been beaten badly in Game 5 but still managed to convince themselves they would win the game as they headed to the United Center. Bird had them get taped and dressed at the hotel. There was a practical element to that, assuring they would have ample pregame time if traffic delayed their arrival at the arena. But the players took it as a statement: "We're coming to play."

Jalen Rose, forward: Chicago is one of the places you actually get a police escort, so you don't have to worry as much about being late. They know the importance of these games, so they made sure we got to the arena.

I really believe that was a high school, AAU manipulation thing Larry had for the team. As a youngster I used to sleep in my uniform, sleep with the ball, the night before a game because I wanted to be ready to play. It was that kind of mindset.

Jackson: We laughed (about dressing at the hotel). We were like a high school team, like, This is going to win us the game. We're ready to play as soon as we step off the bus. We looked at it like, "This is genius."

Burke: We had a police escort, with sirens. You felt the intensity on the bus. There are always rides that are quiet, and that one was quiet. There was something thick in the air on that bus ride. That's what they worked for that whole year, to win that game.

McKey: We were confident. You get to that point there's not any more secrets. There's not going to be anything new. We had beat them three games and they beat us three games. We split during the regular season, too. We were thinking, "Why not?" I think we played like it. We knew and they knew it. They may not admit it, but we had 'em. A play here and there, like in any game.

Pope: I feel like I remember this so clearly. Coach talked to us about his first Finals experience when he played for Boston and what a magical experience that was. And as he did on rare occasions he was incredibly emotional talking about it.

The journey is so long, right? But there you are one game away from dethroning the most dominate teams of the last 50 years. I just remember walking out of the locker room having this emotional moment, thinking, "If we're not ready to go play this game, man, we'll never be ready, ever."

It was one of those moments I felt Coach Bird just let us see inside his very rare self and what made him this kind of ultimate competitor. And it was freaking awesome.

The Pacers' confidence became visible to all when the game started, as they took a 20-8 lead in the first quarter. They led 27-19 after the first quarter, but the Bulls came back to take a three-point lead at halftime and led by as many as eight points late in the third quarter.

The Pacers regrouped, however. Rose hit consecutive shots to force at tie at 69 and then Smits' three-point play with 8:54 left in the game gave them a 72-69 lead midway through the period. The Pacers still were holding a three-point lead when Smits and Jordan lined up for a jump ball with 6:39 left at the Bulls' end of the court. Smits was unable to control the tip to a teammate and Pippen grabbed it. Jordan missed a shot, but Pippen grabbed the offensive rebound, which led to Kerr's 3-pointer that tied the game.

Antonio Davis hit a short jumper on their next possession to give the Pacers their final lead. The Bulls scored the next six points to take control, but the Pacers were still within two points with less than two minutes remaining. They failed to score the rest of the way, however, and lost 88-83.

Bird later blamed himself for not calling timeout before the jump ball to get his players lined up better, but there were plenty of other issues. The Pacers shot 48 percent from the field while the Bulls shot just 38 percent, but the Pacers were outrebounded 50-34 and gave up 22 offensive rebounds. That allowed the Bulls 20 more shot attempts, negating the shooting percentages. The Pacers also hit just 23-of-37 free throws. Dale Davis hit just 3-of-10, which inspired him to work with a shooting coach over the summer and make a dramatic improvement the following season.

Rose: (The jump ball) ain't why we lost. We lost because they had Michael Jordan. When you're on the losing team of course you feel like, "I could have done more."

Jackson: That's Larry taking one for the team. I've seen guys lined up right and wrong and win or lose jump balls. We just got a bad bunce. We lost the game. You can always go to 50 things and say, This is why we won or lost.

Rik Smits, center: I'll have to look at that jump ball again. But we were getting our butts kicked on the glass.

Jackson: If they jump 10 times, Rik wins nine.

McKey: Hustle plays. A lot of little stuff. You've got to play defense and you've got to rebound to win.

Smits: The frickin referees took over. They started calling fouls. It was like we were getting screwed. The usual.

Chris Mullin, forward: Larry always said you want Game 7 on your home court. That was something he always emphasized.

Carlisle: It was a very special group. We were very close, but it was the home court deal. We played a strong game and they outlasted us in the end. That's where it really gives you an edge in a Game 7, at the end of a close game.

Hoiberg: After the game, Larry told everybody to leave the locker room. He just wanted the players and staff in there. It was somber. We felt we had a golden opportunity and we let it slip away.

There were a lot of tears in that locker room. I remember Jerry Krause coming in and trying to congratulate us, but nobody wanted to hear it. It was a nice gesture. But it was a tough locker room

Rose: Rose: I remember being one of the first people to leave the locker room because the media wasn't coming to talk to me. I'm mad that we lost like everybody else. I had made (two) shots to tie the game. I remember somebody being at the free throw line and thinking, "Larry's about to let me close!" He took me out (with 7:13) left and I'm thinking, "He's going to give me a quick blow, he's putting Derrick in there for some defense. Cool." I'm sitting there on the edge of my seat, watching the clock, watching the clock, waiting to go back in. But I didn't get back in.

I get on the bus and Larry's sitting there with a cold one. He's looking at me like Mean Joe Greene looking at that little kid (sympathetically, in the commercial). I could tell he felt bad. Right away I think, "All good, Legend. We'll be back next year. No problem."

You think that's going to happen more often.

The information wasn't what it is now. If we knew how intimately they were disrespecting their general manager, that they represented a high level of dysfunction but were able to overcome that...I didn't realize they were smoking cigars on airplanes and all that. I'm watching that documentary thinking, "We should have beat them."

Life went on, of course. The Pacers reached the Finals two years later, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. It could be argued the 1998 playoff team was superior to that one and would have had a better chance to win the championship over Utah as Chicago did, but that can be debated either way.

What matters now is that each of the Pacers from the 1997-98 team are alive and well and leading happy lives, a further reflection of the maturity they showed during their playing careers.

Reggie Miller, Mark Jackson, Jalen Rose, and Austin Croshere have broadcasting careers.

Fred Hoiberg is the head coach at Nebraska and Mark Pope is the head coach at Brigham Young.

Chris Mullin, formerly the head coach at St. John's, is back living in the Bay Area and working again for his original NBA team, the Golden State Warriors.

Antonio Davis has moved back to his hometown, Oakland, and runs a transportation and logistics company with his brother.

Mark West is the Vice President of Player Relations for the Phoenix Suns.

Rik Smits, Dale Davis, Derrick McKey, and Travis Best are retired and living in Arizona, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Springfield, Mass. respectively, although Smits has begun to live part of the year in Indianapolis again.

"The world moves on," Walsh said. "I look at these kids and they're doing stuff you can't believe."

running-at-the-bulls-an-oral-history-of-the-1997-98-pacers-part-2

Running at the Bulls: An Oral History of the 1997-98 Pacers (Part 2)

Throughout the Pacers' history as an NBA franchise, all 43 seasons of it, eight teams have reached the Eastern Conference finals. One of them stands above the rest for intrigue and what-ifs, even more than the one that played for the championship in 2000.

The group that took Chicago to seven games in 1998 and nearly unplugged the Bulls' title run at the United Center in Game 7 might have been the best of them all. It's open to debate, of course, and there's no definitive answer, but that season stands out for its fresh enthusiasm, chemistry, veteran leadership, and raw talent.

It fell just one game and six points short of advancing to the Finals, where it would have had a legitimate opportunity to win the championship Chicago ultimately won. Instead it had to settle for a lot of happy memories and the knowledge it came closer than any other to knocking out a Bulls team with a healthy Michael Jordan once they began winning championships in 1991.

The season is as much discussed and fondly remembered today as any in the NBA, including the team that beat New York two years later to reach the Finals. Larry Bird shook up the league by jumping into the head coach's seat and defied the doubters by winning Coach of the Year honors. His players on the whole were thrilled to have him as their coach and responded to his calm, trusting approach with the enthusiasm of Little Leaguers.

That Pacers team is back in the news this weekend because it will be featured in the next episode of "The Last Dance," ESPN's Michael Jordan-centric documentary on the Bulls' sixth and final championship. There will be plenty of highlights to show from the seven-game series in which the home team won each game, but the entire season was a highlight for Pacers players and fans — until it ended so abruptly and agonizingly on May 31 in the United Center.

The team was coming off a disappointing 1996-97 season, Larry Brown's last, in which it failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1989. The core of the team had been to the conference finals twice under Brown, however, so it had tasted success. It was in a sense in a dead heat against Father Time. Returnees Reggie Miller (32 years old), Mark Jackson (32), Rik Smits (31), and Derrick McKey (31) had passed the threshold of 30, as had trade acquisition Chris Mullin (34) and free agent signee Mark West (37). Antonio Davis (29), Dale Davis (28), Travis Best (25), and Fred Hoiberg (25) were beyond their break-in period.

Jalen Rose had been cast off by Denver after two years and spent a frustrating season riding Larry Brown's bench with the Pacers. He was in need of career rehab but showed the potential of a player who had been drafted 13th overall. Even the two rookies were experienced. First-round draft pick Austin Croshere (22) had played four years at Providence and second-round pick Mark Pope (25) was coming off a five-year collegiate career that included a transfer and a season in Istanbul, Turkey.

That group won a then-NBA franchise record 58 games and breezed through the first two rounds of the playoffs before meeting the Bulls in the conference finals in a classic seven-game series.

The 1997-98 season unofficially began for the Pacers in May, when Larry Bird was introduced as the next head coach at a press conference at Market Square Arena that was attended by media from around the nation. It was a homecoming of sorts for the Indiana basketball legend who needed no introduction to anyone except as a coach, given the skepticism surrounding his hire. Was this a publicity stunt to sell tickets after a losing season?  Was it a hopeless grab at nostalgia?

Fact is, Bird won over everyone once he met them, players included, with the thought he had put into the job and his sincerity about executing it.

Donnie Walsh, general manager: I had observed Larry for a long time as a player and I knew the personality and everything that made him go. And it was all really positive. And then when I met with him...there was one meeting I had that lasted two hours. I asked him, "Tell me what you would do with this team, Larry." He took me from the first practice to the finals of the NBA, and I mean in detail. So, I knew then he could do it. I thought it was a home run.

He just gives off the vibe. I checked it to myself a lot, just to reassure myself. Every time I did, I thought, "Yeah, he's got it."

Fred Hoiberg, guard: I went to the press conference. Reggie was there, too, and maybe someone else. We were in town and working out that day.

I was excited. He was a guy I idolized growing up. Just watching those great Celtics teams as a kid and seeing a guy from a small town go in and at times completely dominate the league...and now I get the opportunity to play for him.

Donnie Walsh introduces Larry Bird as head coach of the Pacers in a press conference at Market Square Arena. (Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

Travis Best, guard: I was elated. The Larry Brown situation was not one of the best for me my first two years. His expectations of me were the total opposite of what kind of player I was. Had he been there for another couple of years, I probably would not have re-signed with the Pacers after my contract was up. The last year had left a bad taste in everybody's mouth. At that point everybody had tuned him out. Guys were ready to start fresh.

When Larry Bird was hired? To hear that? He was one of my favorite players, a guy who played professionally in the same state where I grew up, where I watched every game before cable was popular. I grew up watching those Celtics teams. To hear he was going to be coaching us, I was elated.

The very first time I talked to him he started our relationship on the best note I could have asked for. He said he had watched film, had watched me, he liked the decisions I made. He said I had the green light in terms of looking to score but thought I could pass the ball as well. He wanted me to be more aggressive and come to camp in tip-top shape. That was huge for me to hear because offensively I felt I had taken a step back under Larry Brown.

Rik Smits, center: Anything after Larry Brown was easy. I liked Larry as a person but he was a bear to deal with on the basketball court. Nothing was ever good enough. It was obvious we were ready for a change and Bird was the complete opposite. He knew what it was like for the players. He realized the situation we were in. He said, "I'm going to get you in the best possible shape. You know what you're doing on the court." He didn't try to teach us like Larry Brown used to do. It was a good fit at that time. Everybody was excited about it.

Antonio Davis, forward: Larry Brown was a stickler for doing things the "right way," but you always felt it was a moving target. You were thinking, "What is the right way? Every time you come in here you explain the right way differently." At times you wanted to throw your hands up and say, 'Man, I don't want to hear that today."

Best: I didn't even know what that meant. I had been hearing that for two years.

Antonio Davis: Don't get me wrong, I loved Larry Brown. But he was a control freak. He wanted to control every single possession.

Mark Jackson, guard: Larry Brown is a Hall of Fame coach, a brilliant basketball mind, but he had a different style of coaching than Larry Bird. Both did incredible jobs for the Pacer organization, but Larry Brown was going to stop and talk and make corrections, then make more corrections. His style was trying to max out our ability. It did work, but it ran its course.

Both guys trusted me; the difference was, with Larry Bird, anything we decided to run, he still had ultimate trust in a quarterback audibling at any point. Larry Bird just had a different approach and it was a much-needed vibe for us.

Bird got his whistle wet coaching the Pacers rookie and free agents in a mini-camp, then took a team to the Atlanta suburbs for Summer League play. His debut there was national news but the group representing the Pacers didn't perform particularly well. Jalen Rose participated as a show of good faith after a frustrating season under Brown but arrived late and didn't play well. Erick Dampier, the previous year's first-round draft pick, had borrowed a van the previous night and then overslept the next morning, arriving late for a morning shootaround. He was traded to Golden State the following month for Chris Mullin. Bird insisted the two events weren't connected. But a warning had been sounded.

Dan Burke, video coordinator: That trade was probably already in the works, but from the outside it looked like, "You're late, ok, if you don't want to be here we'll send you somewhere else." That stuff was built into our discipline.

Larry's thing was, you be on time. And on time for him was 15 minutes early.

Chris Mullin, forward: Golden State was on a different trajectory and I had an open dialogue with them. They were going to rebuild. I wasn't 100 percent against rebuilding, but I wanted to know if I was going to be here when I retired. I was willing to bite the bullet and go through it, but it didn't seem to be working out.

When Larry got the job, it became really appealing to me. Those guys (Miller and Jackson) were my age and I knew them really well. I had known Donnie forever, and he had been with them so long. He's a New Yorker through and through. I had heard stories about him since I was a kid with (coach Lou) Carnesecca. It was really appealing.

That team hadn't changed a lot. They had been together trying to get to that next level. It was like walking into a well-oiled machine I just had to fit in and find a way to contribute and hopefully take it a step further.

The Pacers took their training camp to Orlando for the first time that season, preparing for the season at the Disney World complex. The players stayed in their private bungalows and each had a golf cart for transportation. There, Bird backed up his promise to make them the best-conditioned team in the NBA. The players responded with enthusiasm to his demands, and bonds were formed quickly. But for the rookies, it was an eye-opener.

Burke: When Larry got hired, we had that rookie/free agent camp right away. Our first practice was at Market Square, and Reggie showed up to watch that first practice. He saw Larry's commitment to conditioning and that sent a message right away. From what I understand, Reggie contacted some of his teammates and said, "Boys, we better come in shape."

That started the attitude of training camp: This isn't some novelty, hiring Larry Bird. This guy is all business and he's going to expect your best effort. We're here to win.

We had a lot of new guys on the team then. Just the freshness of something different and being by ourselves (in Orlando). That brought a lot to it. Watching veterans like Chris Mullin and Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson — they loved it. It was basketball. They liked being together, it was obvious. It was work, but I never felt like these guys thought it was work. Larry's practices, we worked. It was "do your job." That was Larry's battle cry and that's what everybody did.

Best: There was enthusiasm, there was energy; guys were willing to run through a brick wall for him. We wanted to win, not only for ourselves and the city and the fans, but for Larry as well.

Hoiberg: It was a fun camp. Larry Bird's practices were as demanding as any coach I've played for. He always wanted us to be the best-conditioned team and that was a huge part of his philosophy; that we would be in better shape than the opponents. Not a lot of NBA teams flat-out run sprints. He would get us on the line, and we would run a lot. It wasn't fun at the time, but It certainly paid off.

Mullin: We worked our (butts) off, no question.

Dan Burke: It was for them. It was for the players. That's what I learned from Larry. Larry had won championships. It wasn't about winning one as a coach, it was winning one for these guys. That was obvious the way he coached them and managed them. He was definitely, 'I've had my time.' He wanted them to have theirs.

Contrary to the productivity and spirit of training camp, the Pacers lost their preseason opener at the University of Dayton to Cleveland. Even worse, Croshere broke his left wrist when he was smacked on a rebound attempt two minutes and four points into his debut. He would miss the next six weeks and not play against until Nov. 20.

Eleven days later, another notable preseason event occurred. Travis Best and Dale Davis missed the team's 3 p.m. flight to Nashville for a game against Charlotte. They were on the tarmac, walking toward the airplane, when the stairs went up, the door was closed and locked and the plane pulled away. Best contends it was only 2:50, but apparently that wasn't early enough. Davis picked up the tab for their commercial flight to Nashville, via Atlanta.

In both cases, Bird displayed the toughness he was trying to instill in the team.

Austin Croshere, forward: I went over to the sideline and told (trainer) David Craig I thought I might have broken my hand. He looked at it and said, "Yeah, you broke your hand." And Bird said, "Go make your ------- free throws." I made my free throws and then left the game.

Best: I guess we needed to get there a little sooner. We thought we had another 10 minutes. We didn't think much of it. It was an odd thing to see the team pull the stairs up and pull off. Me and Dale, we put our tail between our legs and had to buy our own ticket.

Mullin: I remember David Craig saying, "Coach, what do you want to do?" Larry said, "What time is it?" David told him. And Larry said, "Let's go then."

That was the last time anyone was late. That was the last time in my three years with the Pacers anything was askew. In the NBA, that's insane. It's impossible. That was a tight ship."

Mark West, center: I thought that was great. He was saying, "I don't care what your status is." The rules were for everybody, not for the few.

Mark Pope, forward: I'll never forget Ike (Dale Davis) standing there by the side of the plane as we started to roll out. I thought, "This is something."

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