2004–05 Indiana Pacers season

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)

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 @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionFSN Midwest, WTTV
RadioWIBC

Offseason

NBA Draft
Main article: 2004 NBA Draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
129David HarrisonC United StatesColorado
260Rashad WrightG United StatesGeorgia

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
Roster listing
Indiana Pacers roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
F 91 Artest, Ron (S) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 244 lb (111 kg) 1979–11–13 St. John's
F 24 Bender, Jonathan 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 1981–01–30 Picayune Memorial HS (MS)
F 44 Croshere, Austin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1975–05–01 Providence
F 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
F/C 10 Foster, Jeff 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 236 lb (107 kg) 1977–01–16 Texas State
G 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
F 1 Jackson, Stephen 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1974–04–05 Butler CC
G 8 Johnson, Anthony 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1974–10–02 College of Charleston
G/F 20 Jones, Fred 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1979–03–11 Oregon
F 33 Jones, James 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1980–10–4 Miami
G/F 31 Miller, Reggie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1965–08–24 UCLA
F/C 7 O'Neal, Jermaine 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 226 lb (103 kg) 1978–10–13 Eau Claire HS (SC)
C 62 Pollard, Scot 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1975–02–12 Iowa State
G 11 Tinsley, Jamaal 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1978–02–28 Iowa State
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 2012–10–10

Regular season

The Malice at the Palace

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.[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
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
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

Record vs. opponents
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—

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
FleetCenter, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Tim Donaghy
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
FleetCenter, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Jack Nies, Joe Forte, Scott Wall
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Attendance: 18,345
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner, Ken Mauer

Last Playoffs meeting: 2004 Eastern Conference Finals (Detroit won 4–2)

Player statistics

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

  1. 2004-05 Indiana Pacers
  2. "5 Players, 7 Fans Charged in Brawl". Los Angeles Times. December 9, 2004. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
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