This NBA Tuesday miniseries looking deeply into each franchise’s history continues today, as we leave La La Land to hang out in the Midwest … namely, Indianapolis. In 1967, the state got its wish: a professional basketball team: the ABA’s Indiana Pacers! After making the playoffs in all nine seasons of the ABA, the Pacers then merged into the NBA for the 1976-1977 season. But success has not come as easy for Indiana.

In the ABA, the team won three championships (1970, 1972, 1973), but it’s never won the NBA Finals, despite one appearance (2000) and a lot of star power (see below). Overall, in 56 seasons, the Pacers have made 36 postseason appearances while winning 9 division titles. Generally, we’d call this a very successful franchise, even without an NBA championship. But you can decide for yourself, via the teams represented below …

No. 5: 1998-99 Indiana Pacers

Labor strife reduced this season to just 50 games, and the Pacers won 33 times to capture the Central Division. With the No. 6 offense and the No. 13 defense, Indiana finished No. 6 in the SRS rankings, overall. In the playoffs, the Pacers swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round (3 games) and the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round (4 games). However, the No. 8-seeded New York Knicks then beat Indy (6 games).

Six players posted at least 3.4 Win Shares in a season where that number equated to 5.6 WS in a normal season. Tops on the roster were shooting guard Reggie Miller (6.4), power forward Dale Davis (4.5), small forward Chris Mullin (4.1), and PF Antonio Davis (4.0). Against N.Y., the Pacers lost their four games by a combined 19 points, losing all four times by single digits. Indiana just struggled against the Knicks’ big D.

No. 4: 1999-00 Indiana Pacers

After years of struggling in the Eastern Conference playoffs, this was the year the team broke through, finally, only to run into a fix. A 56-26 record clinched the Central Division, built upon the No. 4 offense, the No. 12 defense, and the No. 6 SRS ranking, overall. The Pacers dropped two games in each of the first three rounds against Milwaukee, Philly, and New York, before the Los Angeles Lakers dispatched them in six.

Miller (10.1 WS), SF Jalen Rose (7.3), Dale Davis (7.1), and point guard Mark Jackson (6.7) led this roster to its deepest NBA postseason run ever. Indiana needed five games to dispatch the Bucks, winning the decisive game at home by only 1 point. The whole playoff run was a grind, as a result, despite going up 3-0 on Philly. The Knicks tied the series at 2-2 before the Pacers put them down. The Lakers? Well, you all know that story.

No. 3: 2003-04 Indiana Pacers

This team won 61 times to set a franchise record that still stands, and the Pacers won the Central again. Finishing No. 5 in the SRS overall, Indiana sported the No. 20 offense and the No. 3 defense. After sweeping the Boston Celtics to open the postseason, Indiana went on to beat the Miami Heat in six games. But the Pacers then had to face rival Detroit, and the eventual NBA champion Pistons beat Indy in six games.

PF Jermaine O’Neal (9.0 WS), Miller (8.9), center Jeff Foster (8.3), and SF Metta World Peace (8.0) formed a great (s)quad atop the roster. Beating the Celtics by 16.8 ppg was a snooze fest, but the Miami matchup was tougher: tied at 2 games each, the Pacers won Game 6 on the road by just 3 points. Against defensive-minded Detroit, offense was hard to find: the Pistons outscored Indiana by a 75.2-72.7 margin, on average.

No. 2: 1970-71 Indiana Pacers

Interesting how the ABA era of the franchise is best repped by this team that didn’t even make the Finals: the Pacers made those ABA Finals five times in nine seasons, too. Anyway, this team posted a 58-26 record to win the Western Division (nice geography). It was No. 4 on offense, No. 4 on defense, and No. 2 overall in the SRS rankings. In the playoffs, Indy swept the Memphis Pros before losing to the Utah Stars in 7 games.

ABA MVP vote winner Mel Daniels (11.4 WS) manned the center spot, supported by SF Roger Brown (10.4), our two-time ABA Finals MVP pick in other seasons. The Pacers had little trouble with the Pros, beating them by 15 ppg. As the defending champs, though, Indy took the best shots Utah had to offer: the Stars won Games 1 and 7 on the Pacers’ home court by a combined 9 points to end the title defense harshly.

No. 1: 1997-98 Indiana Pacers

The top sabermetric team in organizational history posted a 58-24 record and had the misfortune of running into the Chicago Bulls dynasty. As a result, these Pacers finished second in the Central, thanks to the No. 12 offense, the No. 5 defense, and the No. 4 overall SRS ranking. They dropped one game each against Cleveland and New York while advancing to the ECFs, where the Pacers lost in 7 games to the Bulls.

Miller (12.0 WS), Mullin (7.6), Jackson (7.5), Antonio Davis (7.4), Dale Davis (7.1), and C Rik Smits (6.1) formed an outstanding core. No one remembers the first playoff series for Indiana, as the matchup against the Bulls was epic: Chicago won each of the first two games at home by six points each, before the Pacers won twice at home by two points each. Indy won Game 6 at home by three points to force Game 7, but … yeah.