The Indiana Pacers have had a successful 2024 up to this point. While their current 12-15 record and standing as the No. 8 seed in the East leaves a lot to be desired for fans, the Pacers have had a good calendar year regardless.
As the end of 2024 nears, now is a good time to reflect on some of the Pacers' most important moments of the year as they look to grow and perform even better in 2025.
1. The Pascal Siakam trade
On January 17, one month after losing in the NBA Cup Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pacers swung a big trade that catapulted them into legitimate playoff contenders. In a trade with the Toronto Raptors, the Pacers landed one-time NBA champion Pascal Siakam in exchange for Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis Jr., Jordan Nwora, and multiple picks.
Siakam proved very quickly that he was a good fit in Indiana, and this became especially true during the team's playoff run. In the offseason, Siakam signed a four-year, $188.9 million contract and will likely be a part of the Pacers' future as they aim to become title contenders.
2. Game 7 win over the New York Knicks in the playoffs
After defeating the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks in six games in the first round of the playoffs, nobody expected the Pacers to repeat their magic and beat the New York Knicks in the next round. The Knicks were the No. 2 seed and looked like one of the most complete teams in basketball. Regardless, the Pacers eliminated New York in a Game 7 victory in Madison Square Garden.
Winning a playoff series is always an impressive feat. Doing so against arguably your biggest rivals in their home is even better. The Pacers overcame a 2-0 series deficit and proved their resilience against the Knicks, catching the eyes of NBA fans everywhere.
3. Eastern Conference Finals vs. Boston Celtics
After eliminating the Knicks in the second round, the Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014. Ultimately, they lost to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in a four-game sweep. However, everybody would tell you that the Pacers played much better than the record books would show.
Indiana gave Boston their toughest run of the postseason, a sentiment Joe Mazzulla later shared as well. In the four games, all but one of them were decided by five or fewer points. The Pacers were competitive and put the league on notice against the team that went on to win it all. For a team that was just the No. 6 seed, the Pacers made a lot of fans proud.
4. Tyrese Haliburton wins Olympic gold
In a bit of a controversial move, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was selected to represent Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Though he made a minimal impact, Haliburton won a gold medal with Team USA. Haliburton became the first Pacer to do so since Paul George in 2016.
As the star of the Pacers, this achievement proved that Haliburton was just getting started. At 24 years old, the sky is the limit for the Wisconsin native. He only has one Olympic gold medal for now, but there are reasons to believe he will add more gold to his collection when all is said and done.