If the New York Knicks were the rival of the Indiana Pacers in the 90s, then the Miami Heat were the biggest nemesis to the Indiana Pacers in the 2010’s. There are multiple reasons that this mutual dislike of each other has developed over the last decade or so.
They have a long playoff history in the last ten years that includes the Pacers being often on the losing end of the deal. Additionally, there have been player disagreements that have arisen between the two franchises before.
Here we overview a brief history to the uninitiated.
The rise of Lance Stephenson and the building of a conference foe in 2013
In 2013, the two teams met again in the playoffs, except in the Conference Finals this time. While the Pacers no longer were a long-shot upstart team, they were still the underdogs. Danny Granger have moved on in the summer and Paul George had become the unquestioned leader of the team. Additionally, the rise of electric guitar-playing Lance Stephenson seemed to really bother LeBron James, sparking a decade of internet memes. Yet, the Miami Heat were too much to overcome.
Another chance at redemption, the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals
The Pacers would get another crack at the Miami Heat in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals. Paul George had emerged as a superstar and was gaining the respect of elite players around the league as a two-way threat. The Pacers had taken the Heat to 7 games the year before and were hoping to finish the job this year. However, the Heat again spoiled the Pacers plans at a title. It would be years before this matchup would become revitalized as Paul George would struggle with health and LeBron eventually moved on to Cleveland.
A rivalry renewed? Butler and Warren altercation.
It appeared during the season of 2020 that the heated matchups of the past might renew as Butler and Warren had a midseason yelling match. It ended with Butler acting like Warren as a nobody. It set the stage for a heated postseason matchup.
The Heat destroy the injury-riddled Pacers in the bubble in 2020
The 2020 playoffs were a crazy time for the Indiana Pacers. If healthy, this series would have been much closer. But as it was, Victor Oladipo was coming off of an injury (and asking to play with the Heat?), Sabonis was struggling with injuries, and the Pacers were a shell of the team that had been competitive with the Heat all season. The Heat won the series 4 to nothing, and thus, the matchup tension has gone cold since.
Can Tyrese Haliburton be the one to overcome the Miami nemesis and lead the Pacers to the promised land?
Well….that’s why we play the games.
Go Pacers.