Zeke vs Ainge vs Mullins (NBA-R)
Rix22
67 Posts
Rank from worst to "best"?
Rix22
67 Posts
Comments
1. Zeke--great players rarely make great coaches/GM's. Larry Bird was so-so, but had problems motivating the troops. I think the Logo is probably the exception rather than the rule. Like ATL, he's acquired a bunch of players--Rose, Starbury, Francis, Nate Robinson--that play similar positions and games. No heart on that team.
2. Ainge--seems to take things personal. Letting Antoine Walker go without getting anything back was stupid--he could've tried to get a draft pick or Haslem out of the Heat. Telfair? Get outta here. His drafts have been pretty good, though.
3. Mullin--He needs a coach to tie this team together. I thought Musselman could've been the guy, but oh well... Dunleavy? Murphy? Letting Arenas go? The talent is here, just need some hard work.
Expectations weren't particularly high after the Pacers traded away popular veteran big man Antonio Davis to acquire the draft rights to No. 5 overall pick Jonathan Bender, a talented high school player who wouldn't help right away. In fact, veteran leaders including Mark Jackson questioned team president Donnie Walsh's commitment to winning that year. After a modest 7-7 start, it seemed the main topic of conversation would be the team's new home in Conseco Fieldhouse, in which they debuted on Nov. 6, 1999, after saying farewell to Market Square Arena during the preseason.
But the team quickly found its stride and wound up not only having a successful season, but the best postseason run in franchise NBA history. The Pacers won their first Eastern Conference championship and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time ever, falling to the powerful Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Along the way, they won 25 games in a row on their new home floor, a franchise record, and captured their second consecutive Central Division title with a 56-26 record.
Individually, Jalen Rose moved into the starting lineup at small forward and won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, becoming the first player other than Reggie Miller to lead the team in scoring (18.2) in 11 years. Austin Croshere stepped into the sixth man role Rose had held the year before and emerged as a strong contributor, particularly in the postseason. Their improvement offset the loss of Davis and complemented the core of Miller, Mark Jackson, Dale Davis, Rik Smits and Travis Best.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Pacers needed an offensive rebound by Dale Davis and a three-pointer from Best to get past the upstart Milwaukee Bucks in a tough five-game first-round series, then dispatched Philadelphia for the second year in a row in the second round, winning in six games. That set up another rematch with the Knicks in the conference finals. After splitting the first four games, the Pacers won Game 5 at home, then closed out the series in Madison Square Garden behind 34 points from Miller to set up their first trip to the NBA Finals.
There, they ran into a dominating Lakers team led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and the Pacers dropped the first two games on the road. They won the first NBA Finals home game in franchise history 100-91, and nearly pulled off another victory in Game 4 before losing a 120-118 decision in overtime. Though the Pacers drubbed the Lakers 120-87 in Game 5, the series was wrapped up by Los Angeles on its home floor in Game 6, a 116-111 decision that set off riots in the streets outside Staples Center.