8p9s Roundtable: Did the 2000 Pacers Stand a Chance vs. Shaq and Kobe?

What was the best moment of the Finals?

Gibson: Game 5 as a whole. The Pacers hammered Los Angeles 120-97, held Kobe to 8 points, and looked like they were going to push the Lakers to a Game 7 if they could handle Game 6 on the road. It looked like that until the fourth quarter of Game 6 when the Lakers pulled away.

Donahue: For me, it was being in the Fieldhouse to watch the Indiana Pacers win Game 3. I had seen the Pacers win an ABA Finals game in 1973, but much of the experience sailed over my 7-year old head. By the time I sat in Section 217 at the age of 34, I had learned how rare this experience truly was. Going from sitting in a nearly empty Market Square Arena — watching the likes of Granville Waiters, Brad Branson, and Devin Durrant — to where I was sitting on that June day meant so much to me.

Furr: The fourth quarter of Game 4. Pacers fans had been waiting to see Reggie Miller on the big stage, and he delivered, scoring 13 in the fourth and seeming to trade buckets with Shaq. I never thought for a moment the Pacers would lose that game, despite the OT. With Kobe hurt and Shaq fouled out, I thought the Pacers would take Game 4 and ride the momentum to a Game 5 victory and a 3-2 series lead, leaving them only needing one win in L.A. to secure the Pacers first NBA title.

Washburn: Reggie scoring 33 in Game 3 as the Pacers threatened to even up the series. There was just so much optimism at that exact moment, as Kobe had sprained his ankle, and we didn’t know how long he would be out. Unfortunately, he came back in Game 4 and did that annoying thing where he took over the game in OT, and — all at the same time — the entire basketball world realized, “Uh oh.”

Next: Playoff Highlights