2004–05 Indiana Pacers season
| 2004–05 Indiana Pacers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Rick Carlisle |
| General manager | Larry Bird |
| Arena | Conseco Fieldhouse |
| Results | |
| Record | 44–38 (.537) |
| Place |
Division: 3rd (Central) Conference: 6th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish |
East Conference Semifinals (eliminated 2-4) |
|
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | FSN Midwest, WTTV |
| Radio | WIBC |
The 2004–05 Indiana Pacers season was the 29th season completed by the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Offseason
NBA Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | David Harrison | C |  United States | Colorado |
| 2 | 60 | Rashad Wright | G | United States | Georgia |
Summary
Before the regular season began, the Indiana Pacers were considered a favorite in the Eastern Conference to possibly reach the NBA Finals, due to a very deep, talented roster including established names such as Reggie Miller, Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, etc.
Al Harrington, a combination forward who had established himself as one of the best sixth-men in the NBA in the past two years, was dealt in the offseason to the Atlanta Hawks in return for swingman Stephen Jackson after Harrington allegedly demanded that the Pacers start him or trade him.
Roster
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The Brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills
The Pacers started off the 2004-05 season in extremely strong fashion– until the infamous events of November 19, 2004.
Towards the end of a blowout over the Detroit Pistons (who had eliminated the Pacers in the previous year's Eastern Conference Finals) at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Pacers' Ron Artest committed a hard foul against Ben Wallace. Wallace retaliated by pushing Artest, and Artest ran over to the scorer's table and laid atop it in order to prevent himself from being provoked into an altercation with Wallace. Pistons fan John Green threw a cup of beer at Artest, causing Artest to charge into the stands. The situation escalated to a full-scale brawl, with fans and several Pacers taking part. Stephen Jackson followed Artest into the stands while Jermaine O'Neal struck a fan who came onto the court. Jamaal Tinsley picked up a long-handled dustpan in order to use as a weapon, although he was never forced to use it. The game was called a Pacers victory with 45.9 seconds left on the clock and the score 97-82, and the Pacers left the floor amid a shower of beer and other beverages that rained down from the stands. Artest was suspended for the rest of the season without pay for his role in the 'basketbrawl.'
Several of the involved players were suspended by NBA Commissioner David Stern, but the hardest hit were Artest (suspended for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs), Jackson (suspended for 30 games), O'Neal (25 games), Wallace (6 games) and the Pacers' Anthony Johnson (5 games) (O'Neal's suspension was later reduced to 15 games by arbitrator Roger Kaplan, a decision that was upheld by U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels). O'Neal was charged with two counts of assault and battery, while Artest, Jackson, Johnson and David Harrison were charged with one count each.
Artest's suspension was the longest in NBA history for any suspension unrelated to substance abuse issues, keeping Artest out of a record 73 regular season games and 13 playoff games.
The aftermath
After the brawl and the consequences that followed, the Pacers fell downward in the Central Division. They went from a legitimate title contender with a record of 7-2, to a team that hovered around .500 in winning percentage, while the Detroit Pistons eventually became the Central Division champions with a 54-28 record. In addition to all the players rendered unavailable due to suspensions, the Pacers also struggled with several injuries to key players. In one game, the Pacers were forced to activate and dress an injured Jeff Foster even though the coaching staff had no intention of letting him play, just so that they could meet the NBA's requirement that each team has at least eight active players at the start of the game; if they did not activate an eighth player, they would have been forced to forfeit the game. Meanwhile, Fred Jones played 40 or more minutes in six consecutive games, simply because the Pacers did not have any shooting guards in reserve due to an injury to Reggie Miller. Despite the difficulties with the suspensions and injuries, the Pacers earned a sixth seed in the playoffs with a record of 44-38, due to strong play by many talented members of the Pacers' deep bench, including Jones, Anthony Johnson, and Austin Croshere, and a resurgence by Miller, whose career had been dwindling in recent years. Despite Miller's resurgence, he announced in February 2005 through his sister Cheryl Miller that he would be retiring from basketball at the conclusion of the 2004-05 season.
Throughout the season, the Pacers signed several different players to replace the bench players who had been promoted to starters, including Michael Curry, Marcus Haislip, and others. In a blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks on January 4, 2005, Jermaine O'Neal scored a career high in points, with 55. During the fourth quarter, however, he asked to be removed from the game out of respect for Reggie Miller, because he did not wish to break Miller's franchise record of 57 points, which was set during the 1992-93 NBA season. An important reason for their strong finish was the re-acquisition of Dale Davis in March, who had been released by the New Orleans Hornets after being traded there by the Golden State Warriors. He played the final 25 games of the regular season and every playoff game, contributing a strong presence at center. However, Davis' signing coincided with an injury to Jermaine O'Neal that would knock him out for virtually the remainder of the regular season—indeed, O'Neal's first missed game due to his injury was Davis' first game back with the Pacers.
So despite the adversity they had gone through, the Pacers made the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 years. In the first round, Indiana defeated the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics in seven games, winning Game 7 in Boston by the decisive margin of 97-70.
The Pacers then advanced to the second-round against the Detroit Pistons, in a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals. The series featured games back at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the scene of the brawl that many assumed at the time had effectively ended the Pacers' season. After losing game 1, the Pacers won the next two games to take a 2-1 lead. However, the Pacers could not repeat their victories against the Pistons and lost the next 3 games, losing the series 4-2.
The End of An Era
The Pacers' last game of the playoffs was on May 19, 2005, at home; Reggie Miller, in his final NBA game, scored 27 points and received a huge standing ovation from the crowd. Despite Miller's effort, the Pacers lost, sending Miller into retirement without an NBA Championship in his 18-year career, all with the Pacers. Next season, Miller was honored by the Pacers during halftime of a game against the Phoenix Suns on March 30, 2006, when his #31 jersey was retired and he was presented with a Bentley Continental GT.
After the 2004-05 season, the Pacers completed a major overhaul of their roster, including moving Ron Artest, Anthony Johnson, Fred Jones, Austin Croshere, James Jones, and others over the next year.
Indeed, the Indiana Pacers' 2004-05 campaign, with the retirement of Reggie Miller and the Pacers' last winning season record until 2012, marked the end of an era in Pacers basketball.
Standings
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Detroit Pistons | 54 | 28 | .659 | – | 32–9 | 22–19 | 8–8 |
| x-Chicago Bulls | 47 | 35 | .573 | 7 | 27–14 | 20–21 | 8–8 |
| x-Indiana Pacers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 10 | 25–16 | 19–22 | 9–7 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 12 | 29–12 | 13–28 | 7–9 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 30 | 52 | .366 | 24 | 23–18 | 7–34 | 8–8 |
Playoffs
East First Round
(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
April 23 8:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 82, Boston Celtics 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–18, 11–39, 25–29, 26–16 | ||
| Pts: Stephen Jackson 25 Rebs: Dale Davis 10 Asts: Anthony Johnson 5 |
Pts: Raef LaFrentz 21 Rebs: Paul Pierce 9 Asts: Gary Payton 7 | |
April 25 7:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 82, Boston Celtics 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–22, 17–20, 17–27, 18–10 | ||
| Pts: Reggie Miller 28 Rebs: Anthony Johnson 7 Asts: Anthony Johnson 7 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 32 Rebs: Pierce, Walker 7 each Asts: Paul Pierce 5 | |
April 28 7:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 76, Indiana Pacers 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 19–31, 21–16, 17–28 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 19 Rebs: Antoine Walker 9 Asts: Gary Payton 6 |
Pts: Reggie Miller 33 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 11 Asts: Anthony Johnson 8 | |
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bill Kennedy, Tom Washington |
April 30 7:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 110, Indiana Pacers 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 25–27, 22–16, 32–16 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 30 Rebs: Jefferson, Pierce 7 Asts: Paul Pierce 8 |
Pts: Stephen Jackson 24 Rebs: James Jones 9 Asts: Anthony Johnson 7 | |
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Michael Smith, Mike Callahan |
May 3 7:30 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 90, Boston Celtics 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 27–21, 20–23, 20–20 | ||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 19 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 10 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 7 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 27 Rebs: Davis, Pierce, Walker 7 each Asts: Davis, Payton, Pierce, Walker 3 each | |
FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Ken Mauer, Monty Mccutchen, Ron Garretson |
May 5 6:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 92, Indiana Pacers 89 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 29–16, 21–19, 14–22, Overtime: 8–5 | ||
| Pts: Antoine Walker 24 Rebs: Al Jefferson 14 Asts: Paul Pierce 6 |
Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 26 Rebs: Dale Davis 14 Asts: Anthony Johnson 4 | |
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Bill Spooner, Scott Foster, Steve Javie |
May 7 7:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 97, Boston Celtics 70 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 13–12, 29–18, 33–20 | ||
| Pts: Stephen Jackson 24 Rebs: Jeff Foster 12 Asts: Jermaine O'Neal 6 |
Pts: Antoine Walker 20 Rebs: LaFrentz, Jefferson, Pierce 7 each Asts: Gary Payton 7 | |
| Indiana wins the series, 4–3 | ||
FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Bob Delaney, Dan Crawford, Greg Willard |
- Regular season series
Indiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series:
Last Playoffs meeting: 2004 Eastern Conference First Round (Indiana won 4–0)
East Conference Semifinals
(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
May 9 8:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 81, Detroit Pistons 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 18–29, 19–20, 24–24 | ||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 22 Rebs: Jeff Foster 13 Asts: Johnson, Miller 3 each |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 28 Rebs: Ben Wallace 15 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Jess Kersey, Jim Clark |
May 11 8:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 92, Detroit Pistons 83 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–33, 22–17, 28–19, 24–14 | ||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 22 Rebs: Jeff Foster 20 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 12 |
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 16 Asts: Chauncey Billups 10 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson, Sean Corbin |
May 13 6:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 74, Indiana Pacers 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–17, 17–25, 17–16, 29–21 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 23 Rebs: Ben Wallace 14 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 6 |
Pts: Reggie Miller 17 Rebs: Jeff Foster 12 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 6 | |
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe Forte, Tom Washington |
May 15 2:30 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 89, Indiana Pacers 76 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–13, 26–21, 25–22, 17–20 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 29 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 12 Asts: Richard Hamilton 7 |
Pts: Stephen Jackson 23 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 13 Asts: Anthony Johnson 6 | |
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Bob Delaney, Luis Grillo, Steve Javie |
May 17 7:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 67, Detroit Pistons 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 14–19, 11–27, 21–17 | ||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 14 Rebs: Dale Davis 9 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 5 |
Pts: Ben Wallace 19 Rebs: Tayshaun Prince 12 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Eddie F. Rush, Jack Nies, Joe Crawford |
May 19 7:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 88, Indiana Pacers 76 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 20–25, 23–17, 26–16 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 28 Rebs: B. Wallace, R. Wallace 11 each Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
Pts: Reggie Miller 27 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 11 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 10 | |
| Detroit wins the series, 4–2 | ||
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner, Ken Mauer |
Last Playoffs meeting: 2004 Eastern Conference Finals (Detroit won 4–2)
Awards and records
Additions
Subtractions
Depth chart
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