At the beginning of the season, the outlook for the Indiana Pacers wasn’t exactly bright in the eyes of many fans.
The Paul George injury remain the focal point of despair, and then they learned that George Hill, David West, and C.J. Watson would both start the season on the sideline with significant injuries.
The team started out poorly, dropping five straight to hit 1-6 after an opening night victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. They managed to win back-to-back games to climb to 3-6, but the injury bug started to bite even harder — and it knew just where to hit.
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Rodney Stuckey suffered from a sore foot and the Pacers lost to Denver. C.J. Miles was hit with migraines. Ian Mahinmi hurt his foot. Roy Hibbert sprained his ankle. On and on it went.
It wasn’t all bad though, and Indiana kept it exciting until the end.
Throughout February, they played the best offense in the league and on the 27th they beat the Cavaliers at home, 93-86, to spark a seven-game win streak that ended with a loss to Boston. Unfortunately, that loss at Boston started a six-game losing streak that ended with a win against Washington thanks to George Hill’s game-winning layup.
After losses to Brooklyn and Boston, their direct rivals for the 8-seed, the Pacers knew they had to win out completely – and they almost did.
They beat Charlotte and Miami at home and New York and Detroit away before outlasting both Oklahoma City (and Russ!) and Washington, though it was an uuugggllyyy game. The last game of the year came away to Memphis and the Pacers’ undefeated streak in the FloJo’s was on the line. They weren’t able to get it done and fell 95-83, ending their hopes of a postseason run with PG13.
Things weren’t great for Indiana, but it’s safe to say they exceeded the expectations of many — especially given all the injuries. Though it’s difficult to pick the best moments, we think these are the best games of the 2014-15 Indiana Pacers season.
Next: Game #5
Chicago Hope
Indiana 99, Chicago 90 – November 15, 2014
It may not have seemed significant at the time, but this was one of the first “prove yourself” games that the Indiana Pacers suffered through this year. In Chicago, on a cold November night, the Pacers took on the Bulls without four of the biggest contributors the team had all year – Rodney Stuckey, David West, George Hill, and C.J. Watson – and of course, Paul George.
The starting five that night was Roy Hibbert, Luis Scola, Solomon Hill, Donald Sloan, and Chris Copeland, a lineup that was used for just over 18 minutes total this season, according to Basketball Ref.. For the Bulls, All-Stars Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler were surrounded by Kirk Hinrich, Mike Dunleavy, and 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah.
From the tip, Hibbert missed a jumper, Gasol missed a jumper, Sloan turned it over, then Dunleavy put the first points of the game on the board – a midrange jumper assisted by Kirk Hinrich.
Then the Pacers took control – and maintained it.
Sloan ignited the Pacers offense with a 4-point play, the first points of the game for Indiana, and from there they never looked back. Chicago would tie it up a couple more times, but the Bulls were never able to regain the lead, even with all of their big players except D-Rose.
Great win boys!
— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) November 16, 2014
Luis Scola and A.J. Price — who was signed with an emergency injured player exception since the team was so banged up — both had nights to remember. Scola went 10-for-12 from the field in a 21-point, 11-rebound performance, and Price — who was drafted by the Indiana Pacers but hadn’t played with the team since 2012 — gave the team a major bonus off the bench, adding 21 points on 7-for-11 from the field.
It was his second 20-plus point game in the past four nights, and the Pacers needed them all in what was a four-point game entering the fourth quarter.
The Pacers waived Price in late November after some of the injured players returned and not picked up by the team again. But there is no question that his performance that night in Chicago helped lead the team to a morale-boosting win back when the goal of making the playoffs seemed impossible.
Next: Game #4
Rolling With the Pacers
Indiana 103, Cleveland 99 – February 6, 2015
Lebron James returned to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time as a Cleveland Cavalier on this night in early February.
The Cavs were riding a 12-game winning streak that had turned around their season. They now sat at 31-20 after starting the year 19-20, and had just dominated the Clippers the night before.
After that game, Lebron sported his tight-fit t-shirt splattered with the letters ‘RWTW’ on the front. ‘RWTW’ = Roll With The Winners.
The Pacers got the message and decided it would be their night to make a statement. They pulled out a 4-point win to end the Cavaliers streak and jumpstart what would be the best stretch of their year. It was their second straight victory and became part of a run in which Indiana would win 11 of 13 games.
All five Pacers starters were in double figures that night as they put a halt to what would have been a franchise-tying record 13th-straight win for Cleveland. David West posted 20 points and 13 boards on 9-of-15 shooting, but it was the play of George Hill that made headlines.
Forget his 3-8 shooting, forget the 4 turnovers, and ignore the fact that he posted the lowest +/- differential of anyone on the team that night (-5).
Hill was the star.
With just over a minute and a half to play, the Pacers trailed Cleveland by just a point. Then in steps the hometown hero.
Hibbert came to set a screen on Kyrie Irving, but Cleveland’s All-Star point guard tried to push through it to prevent an uncontested three. The Duke grad ended up doing the worst thing you can when leading by less than four – he fouled a jumpshooter. To top it off, Hill sank the off-balanced 3-pointer with just one hand as he fell away from the basket.
Hill took 15 free throws that night and made 12, but the shot he took from the charity stripe on that four-point play was his biggest.
Indiana ended up grinding out a four-point win, 103-99. The result moved the Pacers to 19-32 overall, but was more about knocking off a rival in a late-game situation than it was improving their record.
“Roll With The Winners,” the shirt said. That night, the Indiana Pacers were the ones rolling, and Kyrie Irving remained winless in Indiana.
Next: Game #3
Hometown Hero Gives ‘Em a Roadshow
Indiana 103, Washington 101 – March 25, 2015
Going into this game, it was difficult to believe that the Pacers could still be a playoff team. They had lost six straight, dating back to March, when they dropped a heartbreaker to the Celtics, despite George Hill’s 30 points, 8 assists, and 5 boards.
Hill was again in the hero role against Washington, recording 29 points, 9 assists, and 7 boards while playing 43 of 48 minutes. The point guard took the reins on offense, hitting on 12-of-24 shots, and finding his way to the rim for a game winning lay-in with just 2.7 seconds left on the clock.
The Pacers outscored Washington 33-25 in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to Hill, who went on a personal 10-1 run in the final 4:18.
Like last season’s playoff series with Washington, Roy Hibbert went missing again, scoring 0 points on 0-of-6 shooting in 17 minutes. But outside of the big fella, the other four Pacers starters all reached double-digits in scoring. Perhaps unappreciated though, was the Pacers’ bench.
Much maligned — and rightly so — for years as the team’s Achille’s heel, the reserves often sparked the team this season. And against Washington, they scored 35 points compared to the 32 bench points of Washington. In theory, that 3-point Pacers bench advantage ended up separating a win from a loss in a 2-point game.
The win moved Indiana to 31-40 and stopped a losing streak that very well could have taken them out of playoff contention. Amidst all the talk of Paul George’s return to practice, George Hill stole the spotlight in a thriller in D.C.
Next: Game #2
Stopping Superman
Indiana 116, Oklahoma City 104 – April 12, 2015
In the words of Mark Jackson, “Mama, there goes that man.”
Russell Westbrook was that man on this fateful Sunday when the Thunder star poured in an incredible performance — even for him in a year full of them.
The Indiana Pacers needed to win out to make the playoffs, but Oklahoma City’s MVP candidate was in the midst of a string of triple-doubles and in no mood to relent.
The Thunder were fighting for their playoff lives as well, and Russ dropped a Fieldhouse record and a career-high 54 points, combined with 9 rebounds and 8 assists, on 21-of-43 (48.8%) shooting. Ridiculous.
One problem though: He got hit with a tech late in the game. A rescinded, completely undeserved technical foul, yes, but a technical that helped the Pacers to push a 93-88 lead to a 100-88 lead all within 45 seconds.
Don’t underestimate Westbrook, though.
He made it close, almost too close.
After OKC got it down to 102-91, Russ completely took over, starting with a mid-range jumper with an and-one attached. Then Dion Waiters blocked a Scola attempt, and Russ hit a 3-pointer. 102-97. Then Stuckey missed a three and Westbrook took the rebound and went coast-to-coast to lay it in, making it 102-97. The UCLA alum had just dropped six straight points on Indiana in a minute and a half. Ridiculous Russ strikes again.
He would go on to score another 4 points, to reach 54, but Indiana did everything right to combat down the stretch. After the Westbrook lay-in and a timeout, Roy Hibbert came out and slammed it home (an actual dunk where both feet left the ground!) to make it 104-99. Then George Hill scored 4 points in response to a Westbrook three-pointer.
With exactly a minute on the clock, Westbrook was fouled but made only 1-of-2 freebies to make it 108-104 in favor of the Indiana Pacers. C.J. Miles delivered the dagger – a 3-pointer from the corner to put Indiana up 111-104.
To add to the fun, Paul George came off the bench to play 14 minutes, totaling 8 points and 6 rebounds.
The final score was 116-104 after free throws, but the Indiana Pacers were keen to show their home crowd they planned on fighting for everything, including the 8-seed, until the end.
In the end, neither team made the playoffs, each finishing 9th in their respective conferences. But nobody knew that then, and both teams threw everything they had at one another.
It was a standstill heavyweight fight with both squads going blow for blow. And on their home court, the Pacers won the belt that night.
Next: Game #1
Guess Who’s Back?
Indiana 112, Miami 89 – April 5, 2015
How do you sum up the return of a one of the best two-way players in the league? How do you capture the emotional resonance of a player overcoming a tragic injury? How do you recount the importance of a comeback by a player who owns the heart of every fan in the city?
You can’t do anything, really, but sit back and enjoy the show.
I’m talking about, of course, the return of Paul George.
Since suffering the devastating injury to his right leg in August, fans from all across the globe have been waiting for PG24 to return.
Unfortunately, they will never see that player again.
No, they’ll get PG13.
With 5:33 left in the first quarter, Paul George entered from the scorer’s table dawning the #13 jersey that has become his new trademark. In 15 minutes off the bench, George scored 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting while adding 2 boards and 2 assists.
While Indiana held a comfortable lead throughout, George helped seal the deal in the fourth when he made two 3-pointers before exiting the game for good to raucous applause.
Lost in the entire PG hubbub, however, were the performances of Luis Scola, Solomon Hill, and C.J. Miles.
Scola came off the bench to finish with 23 points and 12 rebounds, a major help to the starters who didn’t all perform to the highest of standards – except Miles and Solomon Hill.
Solo isn’t a rookie anymore, but it felt like he is at times because the only actual rookie who got minutes this season was Damjan Rudez — and he is 28-years-old. That day though, Solo played like a vet, racking up 19 points and 6 boards on 6-for-10 shooting, including 3-5 from deep. C.J. Miles also dropped 17 points on the strength of 5 triples. Though the return of PG was the top priority, these guys definitely deserve some of the credit in the win.
Still, it difficult to put into words what a player like Paul George means to the Pacers, to the state of Indiana, and to fans around the world. His unexpected rise to stardom is the reason the team was a title contender for the past two years.
And though he still has a lot of rust to shake off, his triumphant return was the biggest spark of hope that the Pacers can make it back to those heights again soon.
Yes, Paul George’s return was great for everybody that night — except, of course, the Miami Heat.
Next: The 10 Best Coaches in Pacers History
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