Pacers: 10 Greatest Teams in Franchise History, Ranked

The NBA's Indiana Pacers franchise has existed for quite some time now. The Pacers joined the NBA back in 1976 due to the NBA-ABA merger, meaning they've been around for almost 50 years.

But during the Pacers' four-plus-decades of existence, the team hasn't won a single championship. They have gotten very close to winning a title, though, as the Pacers made the NBA Finals in the year 2000 and lost to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

The Pacers definitely aren't one of the most successful NBA franchises, but they have enjoyed their fair share of success over the years, especially during the 1990s and early 2000s, as during a 17-year season from the 1989-90 season to the 2005-06 season, Indiana missed out on the playoffs just once. And the current iteration of the Pacers is full of talented young players, such as Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Myles Turner, and Obi Toppin, just to name a few.

With all of that being said, let's rank the top 10 greatest teams in the lengthy history of the Indiana Pacers franchise:

10. 2004-05

The 2004-05 iteration of the Pacers, coached by Rick Carlisle, finished the regular season with a 44-38 record, the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference. Jermaine O'Neal stood out as the best player on that Pacers team, as he averaged 24.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game during the regular season. The Pacers won their first-round series against Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics in seven games but fell to the Detroit Pistons in six in round two.

9. 2011-12

The 2011-12 Pacers ended up with a 42-24 regular-season record in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign. This record was the third-best in the Eastern Conference, behind only the LeBron James-led Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. Danny Granger, an elite scorer in his heyday, was, without a doubt, the best player on this iteration of the Pacers. He averaged a team-high 18.7 points per game on 38.1% shooting from behind the three-point arc across 62 appearances during the regular season (all starts). The Pacers made quick work of their first-round opponent, the Orlando Magic, as they eliminated them in five games. But the Pacers were eliminated by the Heat in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as Miami's talent proved to be too much for Indiana to overcome.