Decades of hope come down to one game as Pacers chase first NBA title

The Indiana Pacers are one game away from the chance to make franchise history and win the team’s first NBA title.

After tying the series up Thursday night, the Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder will have one last winner-take-all game. Game 7 is tonight in Oklahoma City at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

For former players, staff and fans it’s a long time coming. They point to the team’s long history as a well documented blueprint that reflects the popular slogan - in 49 states it’s just basketball, but this is Indiana.

American Basketball Association Legacy

While the team has not won an NBA title yet, the Pacers did have national success in the 1970s while playing in the American Basketball Association (ABA).

The Indiana men’s basketball team won three ABA championships — in 1970, 1972 and 1973.

Darnell Hillman, known as Doctor Dunk, was a player on the Pacers when they won in  ‘72 and ‘73.

Hillman said in 1972 when they won the ABA championship on the road, thousands of fans eagerly waited to welcome the team back to Indiana.

“[We] flew into Indy airport,” Hillman said. “It was 4,000 people at our gate. They wouldn’t even let us off the plane.”

The team had to get off the plane on the tarmac where sheriff vehicles took them to the Pacers office at the time.

“Red lights and sirens from the airport all the way to 38th in College,” Hillman said. “And when we arrived there, there’s another 5,000 people there in the intersection, so they had to close that intersection off. And we had a big celebration of winning the championship.”

Hillman said what makes the Pacers so special then and now is the teamwork on the court.

“These guys like each other,” Hillman said. “They play for each other. There’s no selfishness with the ball. They pass the ball to the open man and they move without the ball. That has been real big. I’ve been real impressed with that.”

Since retiring from playing the game, Hillman has stepped into his role in the Pacers community relations department and coordinates youth camps and clinics. Hillman believes the team can win the championship, something he’d like to see before he walks away from the game.

Last NBA Finals appearance in 2000

In 1976 four ABA teams including the Pacers joined the NBA as part of a merger agreement. It would be decades before the team would play for a national championship trophy.

In 2000, the Indiana men’s basketball team had their chance with Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, Rik Smits and Dale Davis going up against the Los Angeles Lakers that included Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

Dr. John Abrams was a ball boy with the team from 1974 through ‘76 and later became the team’s eye doctor.

“Reggie and I grew up together here, and to see that team be put together with the pieces they had and the components they had, and to be a really true team and get to the finals was an amazing time,” Abrams said.

The Pacers lost the series to the Lakers 4-2, but Abrams remembers the excitement the Finals brought then.

“It was great for the city, although it’s been 25 years, so it’s a distant memory, but it’s hard not to forget those games,” he said.

Now 25 years later the Pacers are knocking on the door for the championship title. Abrams said the current team reminds him of the 2000 team with Miller.

“We’ve got an incredible team where guys love one another,” Abrams said. “They hang out with one another. They like playing with one another. We don’t have anybody that just doesn't seem to fit as a puzzle.”

Fans: The sixth man on court

The NBA Finals have drawn in thousands of Indiana Pacers fans to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to cheer on their team — the first time in 25 years. The older fans recall the countless years waiting for another chance at the championship and younger fans getting to experience it all for the first time.

One thing that connects them is the firm belief that the Pacers, the designated underdogs this series, could go against the odds.

Rohan Bhatt said he flew about 24 hours from New Zealand to see the Pacers play in the Finals. He said after being just shy of making the Finals last year, he believes this is the team’s year.

“They went to the conference finals last year, and everyone thought it was a fluke, and they’re ready to prove that it wasn’t,” Bhatt said.

Pacers fan Nick Culves said what’s stood out to him this season is the team’s relentless determination.

“For me, it’s their heart,” Culves said. “They never quit. They just keep coming, whether they’re ahead or whether they’re behind, they just keep playing hard.”

Andrew Will and Taylor Judd said they used to skip school to make the drive to see the Pacers play. Will said the two have been waiting for this moment all their lives.

“This is, like, being able to go to a finals game is a mountain top moment for us,” Will said. “I mean, when he called and he said, ‘Dude, I went ahead and did it and got tickets,’ I could have cried.”

For fans like Judd, he sees his role at the games to support the team from his seat giving them an unofficial additional player on the court.

“We’re the sixth man. The Pacers fans are the sixth man,” Judd said.

The supportive relationship between the fans and team is mutual. Pacers guard T.J. McConnell reflected on how the crowd's encouragement propelled the team to a Game 6 victory.

“I love it here,” McConnell. “I love these fans, I love this organization.”

Can the Pacers pull off one more win and take the national title? All will be determined over the course of 48 minutes of play time tonight.

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05.