An All-Star History of the Indiana Pacers

1997-2002: The Transition Years

Things started to get a little better for the Pacers near the end of the decade. In 1998, both Reggie Miller and Rik Smits were selected to the squad, marking the first time since the ABA era that the Pacers had placed multiple All-Stars into the game. Both Reggie and Rik played solid games in 1998, scoring 14 and 10 points, respectively. Joining them was Larry Bird, who coached the East to a convincing 21-point victory against their Western foes.

Reggie also competed in his fifth and final 3-point shootout, entering the contest as the prohibitive favorite. Too bad he submitted his worst-ever performance, only connecting on 12 threes and finishing dead last in the competition.

Two years later, Dale Davis would join Reggie in the All-Star Game and he managed to pull down 8 rebounds in only 14 minutes of game action. Again, Reggie would shoot poorly, only going 1-of-7 from the field.

2001 marked the start of a new era for the Pacers as talented youngster Jonathan Bender represented the Pacers in the dunk contest. I always thought Bender got the raw end of the deal from the judges. He threw down a pretty sick Dominique-like two-handed tomahawk BEFORE dunking from the free throw line LEFT-HANDED. Most likely, he was penalized because of his length, as it’s much less impressive when 7-footers throw down the types of dunks that he connected on.

In 2002, Jermaine O’Neal and Jamaal Tinsley performed well, representing Indiana in both the actual All-Star game and the Rising Stars competition. JO played decently in 17 minutes of action, but Tinsley really showcased his court vision and leadership by dropping 10 dimes in only 18 minutes of gameplay in the uber-selfish Rising Stars game.

(In retrospect, it’s a little too easy to forget how awesome a young Jamaal Tinsley really was. Bill Simmons wrote this masterpiece after his wondrous 23-assist performance in 2003.)

Next: Passing the Torch