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The 2004–05 NBA season was the Pacers' 29th season in the National Basketball Association, and 38th season as a franchise.[1] The Pacers finished third in the Central Division with a 44–38 record. This season also marked the final season for All-Star guard Reggie Miller. (See 2004–05 Indiana Pacers season#Regular season)

Quick Facts Indiana Pacers season, Head coach ...
2004–05 Indiana Pacers season
Head coachRick Carlisle
General managerLarry Bird
ArenaConseco Fieldhouse
Results
Record44–38 (.537)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Central)
Conference: 6th (Eastern)
Playoff finishConference Semifinals
(lost to Pistons 2–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionFSN Midwest, WTTV
RadioWIBC
< 2003–04 2005–06 >
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Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 2004 NBA draft
More information Round, Pick ...
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
129David HarrisonC United StatesColorado
260Rashad WrightG United StatesGeorgia
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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

More information Players, Coaches ...
Indiana Pacers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
SF 91 Artest, Ron (S) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 244 lb (111 kg) 1979–11–13 St. John's
SF 24 Bender, Jonathan 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 1981–01–30 Picayune Memorial HS (MS)
PF 44 Croshere, Austin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1975–05–01 Providence
PF 32 Davis, Dale 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1969–03–25 Clemson
C 54 Edwards, John 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1981–07–31 Kent State
C 10 Foster, Jeff 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1977–01–16 Texas State
PG 4 Gill, Eddie 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1978–08–16 Weber State
C 13 Harrison, David 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1982–08–15 Colorado
SF 1 Jackson, Stephen 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1974–04–05 Butler CC
PG 8 Johnson, Anthony 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1974–10–02 College of Charleston
SG 20 Jones, Fred 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1979–03–11 Oregon
SF 33 Jones, James 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1980–10–4 Miami (FL)
SG 31 Miller, Reggie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1965–08–24 UCLA
PF 7 O'Neal, Jermaine 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1978–10–13 Eau Claire HS (SC)
C 62 Pollard, Scot 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 278 lb (126 kg) 1975–02–12 Kansas
PG 11 Tinsley, Jamaal 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1978–02–28 Iowa State
Head coach
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 2012–10–10

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Regular season

The Malice at the Palace

Main article: Malice at the Palace

The Pacers started off the season in an extremely strong fashion, but they took an unexpected turn at the end of a November 19 game against the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons.

Towards the end of a blowout over the 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.[2]

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 the previous 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.

Season standings

More information W, L ...
Central Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Detroit Pistons 5428.659–32–922–198–8
x-Chicago Bulls 4735.573727–1420–218–8
x-Indiana Pacers 4438.5371025–1619–229–7
Cleveland Cavaliers 4240.5121229–1213–287–9
Milwaukee Bucks 3052.3662423–187–348–8
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More information #, Team ...
Eastern Conference
# Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Miami Heat5923.720–
2 y-Detroit Pistons5428.6595
3 y-Boston Celtics4537.54914
4 x-Chicago Bulls4735.57312
5 x-Washington Wizards4537.54914
6 x-Indiana Pacers4438.53715
7 x-Philadelphia 76ers4339.52416
8 x-New Jersey Nets4240.51217
9 Cleveland Cavaliers4240.51217
10 Orlando Magic3646.43923
11 New York Knicks3349.40226
12 Toronto Raptors3349.40226
13 Milwaukee Bucks3052.36629
14 Charlotte Bobcats1864.22041
15 Atlanta Hawks1369.15946
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Record vs. opponents

More information Team, ATL ...
2004-05 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MEM MIA MIL MIN NJN NOH NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA WAS
Atlanta –1–31–30–40–41–10–21–30–21–10–30–21–10–20–41–21–10–31–11–31–31–30–20–20–20–20–21–20–20–4
Boston 3–1–4–02–21–20–20–21–31–11–11–22–01–11–11–23–11–11–32–03–13–01–31–11–10–20–22–03–12–03–1
Charlotte 3–10–4–0–40–40–21–12–10–22–00–30–20–20–21–30–41–10–41–11–33–10–30–20–21–10–20–21–21–10–4
Chicago 4–02–24–0–2–21–11–12–21–10–22–20–21–12–01–32–22–00–41–14–03–02–10–22–01–10–21–13–02–01–2
Cleveland 4–02–14–02–2–1–11–12–22–00–21–31–11–12–00–32–21–11–32–01–33–10–31–12–00–20–20–23–12–01–2
Dallas 1–12–02–01–11–1–2–11–13–12–21–11–22–24–02–02–02–22–04–02–01–11–11–24–03–11–33–12–03–02–0
Denver 2–02–01–11–11–11–2–1–12–21–22–02–12–24–01–12–02–21–14–01–11–11–10–43–11–22–22–22–02–22–0
Detroit 3–13–11–22–22–21–11–1–2–02–02–22–02–00–22–12–21–12–12–03–03–13–11–11–11–11–11–13–11–14–0
Golden State 2–01–12–01–10–21–32–20–2–1–21–10–41–31–30–22–01–20–22–21–11–11–12–22–23–10–32–21–12–11–1
Houston 1–11–10–22–02–02–22–10–22–1–1–13–02–23–11–11–11–22–03–11–12–02–02–24–02–22–23–11–12–21–1
Indiana 3–02–13–02–23–11–10–22–21–11–1–0–21–12–03–12–22–02–21–12–21–30–41–12–00–21–10–22–12–02–2
L.A. Clippers 2–00–22–02–01–12–11–20–24–00–32–0–2–21–31–11–11–31–13–11–11–11–10–42–20–40–42–11–12–21–1
L.A. Lakers 1–11–12–01–11–12–22–20–23–12–21–12–2–0–30–22–02–11–13–01–11–10–20–42–11–30–41–31–11–30–2
Memphis 2–01–12–00–20–20–40–42–03–11–30–23–13–0–1–12–03–12–03–11–11–12–02–23–10–33–10–32–03–00–2
Miami 4–02–13–13–13–00–21–11–22–01–11–31–12–01–1–4–01–13–02–04–04–02–21–11–12–01–10–23–12–04–0
Milwaukee 2–11–34–02–22–20–20–22–20–21–12–21–10–20–20–4–1–12–11–12–12–10–40–20–20–20–21–12–21–11–3
Minnesota 1–11–11–10–21–12–22–21–12–12–10–23–11–21–31–11–1–2–04–01–11–12–01–34–03–11–21–30–23–11–1
New Jersey 3–03–14–04–03–10–21–11–22–00–22–21–11–10–20–31–20–2–2–03–11–33–10–21–11–10–20–22–22–01–3
New Orleans 1–10–21–11–10–20–40–40–22–21–31–11–30–31–30–21–10–40–2–1–10–21–10–42–11–20–40–30–22–21–1
New York 3–11–33–10–43–10–21–10–31–11–12–21–11–11–10–41–21–11–31–1–1–23–10–21–10–21–10–21–32–02–1
Orlando 3–10–31–30–31–31–11–11–31–10–23–11–11–11–10–41–21–13–12–02–1–2–20–21–11–11–11–12–22–02–2
Philadelphia 3–13–13–01–23–01–11–11–31–10–24–01–12–00–22–24–00–21–31–11–32–2–0–21–10–20–21–13–11–12–1
Phoenix 2–01–12–02–01–12–14–01–12–22–21–14–04–02–21–12–03–12–04–02–02–02–0–3–02–21–22–12–03–11–1
Portland 2–01–12–00–20–20–41–31–12–20–40–22–21–21–31–12–00–41–11–21–11–11–10–3–1–31–21–31–12–20–2
Sacramento 2–02–01–11–12–01–32–11–11–32–22–04–03–13–00–22–01–31–12–12–01–12–02–23–1–1–31–31–12–12–0
San Antonio 2–02–02–02–02–03–12–21–13–02–21–14–04–01–31–12–02–12–04–01–11–12–02–12–13–1–2–21–12–21–1
Seattle 2–00–22–01–12–01–32–21–12–21–32–01–23–13–02–01–13–12–03–02–01–11–11–23–13–12–2–2–03–10–2
Toronto 2–11–32–10–31–30–20–21–31–11–11–21–11–10–21–32–22–02–22–03–12–21–30–21–11–11–10–2–2–01–3
Utah 2–00–21–10–20–20–32–21–11–22–20–22–23–10–30–21–11–30–22–20–20–21–11–32–21–22–21–30–2–0–2
Washington 4–01–34–02–12–10–20–20–41–11–12–21–12–02–00–43–11–13–11–11–22–21–21–12–00–21–12–03–12–0—
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Game log

Playoffs

More information 2005 playoff game log, Game ...
2005 playoff game log
First Round: 4–3 (home: 1–2; road: 3–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 23 @ Boston L 82–102 Stephen Jackson (25) Dale Davis (10) Anthony Johnson (5) FleetCenter
18,624		 0–1
2 April 25 @ Boston W 82–79 Reggie Miller (28) Anthony Johnson (7) Anthony Johnson (7) FleetCenter
18,624		 1–1
3 April 28 Boston W 99–76 Reggie Miller (33) Jermaine O'Neal (11) Anthony Johnson (8) Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345		 2–1
4 April 30 Boston L 79–110 Stephen Jackson (24) James Jones (9) Anthony Johnson (7) Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345		 2–2
5 May 3 @ Boston W 90–85 Jermaine O'Neal (19) Jermaine O'Neal (10) Jamaal Tinsley (7) FleetCenter
18,624		 3–2
6 May 5 Boston L 89–92 (OT) Jermaine O'Neal (26) Dale Davis (14) Anthony Johnson (4) Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345		 3–3
7 May 7 @ Boston W 97–70 Stephen Jackson (24) Jeff Foster (12) Jermaine O'Neal (6) FleetCenter
18,624		 4–3
Conference Semifinals: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 9 @ Detroit L 81–96 Jermaine O'Neal (22) Jeff Foster (13) Johnson, Miller (3) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076		 0–1
2 May 11 @ Detroit W 92–83 Jermaine O'Neal (22) Jeff Foster (20) Jamaal Tinsley (12) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076		 1–1
3 May 13 Detroit W 79–74 Reggie Miller (17) Jeff Foster (12) Jamaal Tinsley (6) Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345		 2–1
4 May 15 Detroit L 76–89 Stephen Jackson (23) Jermaine O'Neal (13) Anthony Johnson (6) Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345		 2–2
5 May 17 @ Detroit L 67–86 Jermaine O'Neal (14) Dale Davis (12) Jamaal Tinsley (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076		 2–3
6 May 19 Detroit L 79–88 Reggie Miller (27) Jermaine O'Neal (11) Jamaal Tinsley (10) Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345		 2–4
2005 schedule
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Player statistics

Ragular season

More information Player, POS ...
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Fred JonesSG 77142,268242196613181329.53.12.5.8.410.6
James JonesSF 75241,33017457312837117.72.3.8.4.44.9
Austin CrosherePF 73221,82737598481764725.05.11.3.7.28.9
Eddie GillPG 7331,0211128359526914.01.51.1.8.13.7
Reggie MillerSG 66662,10515614650597431.92.42.2.8.114.8
Anthony JohnsonPG 63361,747179302591553227.72.84.8.9.28.4
Jeff FosterC 61431,59455043461242626.19.0.7.8.27.0
Stephen JacksonSF 51491,806250119641495335.44.92.31.3.318.7
Scot PollardC 491786520518302419117.74.2.4.6.53.9
Jermaine O'NealPF 44411,5303888225881,06834.88.81.9.62.024.3
David HarrisonC 431476013513165526417.73.1.3.41.36.1
Jamaal TinsleyPG 40401,301160257811261632.54.06.42.0.315.4
Dale Davis†C 252573022224193317229.28.91.0.81.36.9
John EdwardsC 25113919334295.6.8.1.1.21.2
Michael CurrySF 1872492715543013.81.5.8.3.21.7
Marcus HaislipPF 90106153223211.81.7.3.2.23.6
Tremaine FowlkesSF 80568020197.01.0.0.3.02.4
Ron ArtestSF 77291452212617241.66.43.11.7.924.6
Jonathan BenderSF 7093144123613.32.0.6.1.35.1
Britton JohnsenSF 6187104101214.51.7.7.2.02.0
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  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Pacers only.

Playoffs

More information Player, POS ...
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Jermaine O'NealPF 13134761042973420836.68.02.2.52.616.0
Stephen JacksonSF 1313472502925620936.33.82.21.9.516.1
Reggie MillerSG 1313430402010119333.13.11.5.8.114.8
Dale DavisC 1313311815966923.96.2.4.7.55.3
Anthony JohnsonPG 13431638661359124.32.95.11.0.47.0
Jeff FosterC 1302459656127718.87.4.4.5.95.9
Fred JonesSG 1302342313825318.01.81.0.6.24.1
James JonesSF 1302142710775216.52.1.8.5.54.0
Austin CrosherePF 1008817041258.81.7.0.4.12.5
Jamaal TinsleyPG 9924730511437827.43.35.71.6.38.7
Scot PollardC 906711110137.41.2.1.1.01.4
Eddie GillPG 70454510246.4.6.7.1.03.4
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Awards and records

Additions

PlayerAcquiredFormer teamPosition
Michael CurrySigned as free agentToronto RaptorsSG
Dale DavisSigned as free agentGolden State WarriorsC
John EdwardsSigned as free agentrookieC
Tremaine FowlkesSigned as free agentDetroit PistonsSF
Eddie GillSigned as free agentPortland Trail BlazersPG
Marcus HaislipSigned as free agentMilwaukee BucksPF
David HarrisonDraft selectionrookieC
Stephen JacksonTradeAtlanta HawksSF
Britton JohnsenSigned as free agentOrlando MagicSF

Subtractions

PlayerDepartedNew teamPosition
Kenny AndersonSigned as free agentAtlanta HawksPG
Jamison BrewerSigned as free agentNew York KnicksPG
Primož BrezecExpansion draftCharlotte BobcatsC
Al HarringtonTradeAtlanta HawksPF
  • An NBA team is normally not allowed to carry more than 12 active players and three inactive players on its roster at any time during the season, but the Pacers were granted an exception to this rule by the NBA due to the Pacers' unusually high number of injured and suspended players.

References

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