Wonderful Day for Pi: The Best Indiana Pacers Performances on Pi Day
By Ben Gibson
With March 14th being Pi Day, we take a look back at a few of the best performances by Indiana Pacers on this date.
Some of us (math nerds) enjoy the humor that comes from today’s date, 3/14, known as Pi Day, and a few Indiana Pacers over the years have come up big on this day. Unfortunately, though, it should be noted that the Pacers are 7-12 on Pi Day over the years.
If you haven’t caught on the joke yet, March 14th = 3-14 = 3.14, or pi. If you need further explanation, go to PiDay.org.
So who are those Pacers players who, once could say, got the biggest piece of the pi(e)? Let’s take a look with a little help from Basketball-Reference.
Chuck Person — 1989
40 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists vs the Detroit Pistons
It came in a 129-117 loss to the Detroit Pistons, but Person balled out that day during the best season of his career. In a season where he averaged 21.6 points, he almost doubled that on Pi Day.
Person went 14 of 25 from the field and 3 of 4 from deep, as well as an impressive 10 of 12 from the foul line. It ended up as the sixth highest scoring performance of his career, and one of three 40+ point nights for Person that season.
Steve Stipanovich — 1985
34 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist vs the Los Angeles Clippers
Stipanovich scored his 34 points slightly more efficiently than Person, going 14 of 23. Of course, Stipanovich was a 6’11” center, so he probably should be taking and making some easier shots. He did make 6 of his 9 free throws as well.
Like Person, this game also came during the highest scoring season of his career, but also like Person, the outburst came in a loss. Unlike Person, however, this was a career-high in points for Stipanovich.
On this day in 1985, Stipanovich certainly earned himself some pi(e).