Indiana is known for its basketball, and the Pacers represent the state in the NBA. However, that basketball history hasn’t always translated to playoff success.
While the Pacers haven’t seen a large amount of success in their history, they have threatened for the top spot many times. Whether it was the Reggie Miller years in the 1990s or the Paul George teams in the early 2010s, Indiana has had opportunities to win the NBA Finals.
That doesn’t mean, though, that the Pacers have gotten the job done, as opportunities to win it all don’t come often. Indiana has had one of the toughest times breaking through in the NBA since joining the league in the NBA-ABA merger.
Here’s a breakdown of the Pacers’ NBA playoff history.
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Have the Pacers won an NBA championship?
Since joining the NBA in 1975, the Pacers have not won an NBA championship, and have only made the NBA Finals once in the last 50 years. They are one of ten active teams in the NBA who have now won the championship in their existence.
However, Indiana did win three championships with the ABA between 1967 and 1975. During the ABA’s eight years in existence, the Pacers led all teams with both five championship appearances and three championships overall before the ABA merged with the NBA in 1975.
When was the last time the Pacers made the NBA Finals?
The Pacers have only made one NBA Finals in their history, which came at the end of the 1999-2000 season against the Lakers. That year, Indiana beat the Knicks in the conference finals but lost to Los Angeles, who won its first championship in the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal era.
Indiana is only 1-8 all-time in the Eastern Conference Finals, which is the worst record among all teams among teams that have made at least three conference finals. Seven teams overall haven’t the NBA Finals, but those teams have made the conference finals at most twice in their histories, with some never even reaching the round.
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Pacers NBA playoff history
The Pacers playoff history peaked in the 1990s, when Reggie Miller led the team to the postseason in all but one year of the decade. That concluded with the team’s lone NBA Finals appearance in 2000, as Indiana lost to the Lakers in six games.
Here is a look at Indiana’s full playoff history since joining the NBA.
| Year | Playoff result |
| 2023-24 | Lost Eastern Conference Finals |
| 2019-20 | Lost First Round |
| 2018-19 | Lost First Round |
| 2017-18 | Lost First Round |
| 2016-17 | Lost First Round |
| 2015-16 | Lost First Round |
| 2013-14 | Lost Eastern Conference Finals |
| 2012-13 | Lost Eastern Conference Finals |
| 2011-12 | Lost Eastern Conference Semifinals |
| 2010-11 | Lost First Round |
| 2005-06 | Lost First Round |
| 2004-05 | Lost Eastern Conference Semifinals |
| 2003-04 | Lost Eastern Conference Finals |
| 2002-03 | Lost First Round |
| 2001-02 | Lost First Round |
| 2000-01 | Lost First Round |
| 1999-00 | Lost NBA Finals |
| 1998-99 | Lost Eastern Conference Finals |
| 1997-98 | Lost Eastern Conference Finals |
| 1995-96 | Lost First Round |
| 1994-95 | Lost Eastern Conference Finals |
| 1993-94 | Lost Eastern Conference Finals |
| 1992-93 | Lost First Round |
| 1991-92 | Lost First Round |
| 1990-91 | Lost First Round |
| 1989-90 | Lost First Round |
| 1986-87 | Lost First Round |
| 1980-81 | Lost First Round |
