When was the last time the Indiana Pacers made the NBA Finals?

The Indiana Pacers have reached the 2025 NBA Finals, where they will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After defeating the New York Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, Indy is in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.

In that 1999/00 season, when Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose led the Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and New York Knicks to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.

That Lakers team was led by the legendary duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and they beat Indy in six games.

Miller led the team in scoring with 24.3 points on 41.3 percent shooting overall and 37.5 percent from three while playing 42.0 minutes per game. Rose, who averaged 43.3 minutes per contest, scored 23.0 points per game with 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

The backcourt excelled on both ends, as they held Bryant to 15.6 points per game. But, O'Neal crushed the Pacers on the interior, averaging 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.7 blocks, and 1.0 steal while shooting 61.1 percent from the field.

Indiana Pacers 2024/25 NBA Playoffs results

Round	Opponent	Series Score
First Round	Milwaukee Bucks	4-1
Conference Semifinals	Cleveland Cavaliers	4-1
Conference Finals	New York Knicks	4-2

The Pacers had a successful regular season on the way to the 2000 Finals, finishing 56-26 to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Rose won the Most Improved Player Award after replacing Chris Mullin in the starting lineup.

The 2000 Finals are the franchise's only appearance at that stage in the NBA. Before the NBA-ABA merger in 1976, Indiana was one of the ABA's premier franchises with five trips to the Finals and three wins between 1969 and 1975.

The 2000 NBA Playoffs also featured the last series between the Knicks and Pacers for 13 years. The teams faced off six times in the postseason between 1993 and 2000 while developing an intense rivalry, but they did not meet again until 2013.

Now in 2025, the rivalry has heated up once again. The Pacers beat the Knicks in the 2024 Conference Semifinals and again in 2025 in the Eastern Conference Finals.