If you’re a Pacers fan, the phrase "so close, yet so far" isn't just a cliché. It’s a lifestyle. Honestly, being a basketball fan in Indiana is basically a masterclass in handling high-level stress followed by "what if" scenarios. If you are asking when was the last time pacers went to the finals, the answer actually just changed recently, and it came with a side of absolute heartbreak.
Most people—especially the ones who haven't been glued to their TVs lately—will tell you it was 2000. They’ll talk about Reggie Miller, Larry Bird on the sidelines, and a massive showdown with Shaq and Kobe. But if you’re looking at the history books today, in early 2026, the real answer is actually 2025.
Yeah, it happened. Last year.
The 2025 NBA Finals: The Run Nobody Saw Coming
Let's talk about the most recent trip first. Before the 2024-25 season, the Indiana Pacers were basically seen as a "fun, fast, but maybe too young" team. Tyrese Haliburton was cooking, Pascal Siakam was settling in, and the depth was surprisingly deep. But nobody—literally nobody—pegged them as the team to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals.
They fought through a brutal East, taking down heavyweights like the Knicks and the Celtics (revenge for that 2024 sweep, kinda) to secure their spot. It was electric. Indianapolis was basically one giant blue-and-gold party for three weeks.
In the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers faced off against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a clash of the young titans. Two small-market teams that rebuilt the right way, standing on the biggest stage in basketball.
It went the distance. Seven games.
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Game 7 was one of those nights where the air feels heavy in the arena. Every possession felt like a war. Ultimately, the Thunder took the title with a 103-91 victory, leaving Indiana as the runner-up for the second time in franchise history. It was gut-wrenching. Seeing Haliburton and Turner walk off that court after coming within one win of the franchise's first NBA title (they have three ABA titles, but those are from the early 70s) was tough for anyone in the 317 area code to watch.
When Was the Last Time Pacers Went to the Finals Before 2025?
Before that wild 2025 run, you have to go all the way back to the turn of the millennium. The year 2000. It was a completely different era of basketball. No one was shooting 40 threes a game. Instead, the game lived in the post and in the clutch moments of superstars like Reggie Miller.
That 2000 team was special.
They were led by Larry Bird, who was serving as the head coach back then. Imagine having a top-three player of all time just chilling on your bench in a suit, calmly telling you how to destroy opponents. It worked. The Pacers finished the regular season with 56 wins and finally got past their "big brother" hurdle, the New York Knicks, in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Matchup: Indiana vs. The Lakers Dynasty
In the 2000 NBA Finals, the Pacers ran into a buzzsaw. That buzzsaw was named Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. This was Shaq at his most terrifying. He was averaging 38 points and nearly 17 rebounds a game in that series. Rik Smits, Indiana’s "Dunking Dutchman," did everything he could, but Shaq was basically a cheat code.
Despite the mismatch down low, the Pacers didn't just roll over.
Reggie Miller was doing Reggie Miller things. Jalen Rose was emerging as a star, actually leading the team in scoring for a good chunk of that run. They even handed the Lakers their worst playoff loss in years during Game 5, a 120-87 blowout in Indianapolis that forced the series back to L.A.
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The Lakers eventually closed it out in Game 6, winning 116-111. It was the start of the L.A. three-peat, but it was also the peak of the Reggie Miller era.
Why the Gap Between Finals Appearances Was So Long
Twenty-five years. That’s how long Pacers fans had to wait between the 2000 Finals and the 2025 Finals. It wasn't because they were bad, though. That’s the crazy part. The Pacers have actually been one of the most consistent teams in the NBA for decades.
- The 2004 Heartbreak: This was arguably their best team ever. 61 wins. Ron Artest (Metta Sandiford-Artest), Jermaine O’Neal, and Stephen Jackson. Then the "Malice at the Palace" happened. A brawl in Detroit basically ended their championship window in a single night.
- The Paul George Era: In 2013 and 2014, the Pacers were the only team that truly scared LeBron James and the "Heatles" in Miami. They pushed Miami to seven games in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals.
- The 2024 Near-Miss: Just a year before they finally made it back, the Pacers made the ECF in 2024. They got swept by the Celtics, but three of those four games were decided in the final seconds. It was the "proof of concept" for the 2025 run.
What Most People Get Wrong About Indiana’s History
A lot of casual fans think the Pacers have zero rings. Technically, in the NBA, that’s true. But you can't talk about Indiana basketball without mentioning the ABA days.
The Pacers were the dynastic powerhouse of the American Basketball Association. They won championships in 1970, 1972, and 1973. Players like George McGinnis and Mel Daniels were legends. When the ABA merged with the NBA in 1976, the Pacers were one of the four teams brought over (along with the Spurs, Nets, and Nuggets).
The struggle since then has been about proving that a small-market team can win it all without a "superteam" of free agents. They build through the draft and smart trades. That’s how they got Reggie. That’s how they got Paul George. That’s how they got Tyrese Haliburton.
What Really Happened with the 2025 Roster?
The 2025 team felt different because it was built on speed. They led the league in pace. In the Finals against OKC, they tried to outrun the youngest team in the league.
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Haliburton averaged a double-double through the playoffs. Pascal Siakam provided that veteran "I’ve been here before" energy (having won with Toronto in 2019). Myles Turner, the longest-tenured Pacer, finally got his moment in the sun, proving he was more than just a shot-blocker by hitting massive threes throughout the series.
The loss in Game 7 of the 2025 Finals still stings, but it repositioned the Pacers as a premier franchise. They aren't just "happy to be there" anymore.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you're trying to keep track of the Pacers' trajectory, keep these three things in mind. First, the 2025 Finals run has fundamentally changed how the front office approaches the trade deadline; they are now perennial "buyers." Second, the rivalry with the Knicks and Celtics is at an all-time high, making those regular-season matchups must-watch TV for seeding purposes.
Finally, if you want to understand the soul of this team, go back and watch Game 3 of the 2000 Finals or Game 4 of the 2025 Finals. Both games show a team that refuses to quit, even when the oddsmakers have completely written them off.
The next step is simple: watch the health of the Haliburton-Siakam duo. As long as those two are on the floor together, the question won't be "when was the last time," but rather "when is the next time."