2000 NBA Finals Game 6 vs Los Angeles Lakers
The Pacers' first NBA Finals appearance ended in a six-game loss to the Lakers.
The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1999–2000 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the Lakers holding home court advantage. The series featured the number one seeds from both conferences. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers in six games to win their first NBA championship since 1988 and their twelfth overall. This marked Indiana's first NBA Finals appearance.
Quick Facts
- Event
- 2000 NBA Finals Game 6
- Opponent
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Venue
- Conseco Fieldhouse
- City
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Series outcome
- Lakers win series 4-2
- Mvp series
- Shaquille O'Neal (LAL)
- Key figure pacers
- Reggie Miller
Lore & Background
The Pacers would not return to the NBA Finals until 2025. Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the series, his first of three consecutive honors, in arguably one of the greatest NBA Finals performances in history, putting up 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game.
Reader's Guide
The Finals were played using a 2–3–2 site format, where the team with home court advantage would receive the first two games and the last two games at home. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. So far, the other playoff series are still running on a 2–2–1–1–1 site format. The Finals returned to a 2–2–1–1–1 format in 2014. Additionally, both teams in the Finals featured newly built arenas, as the Lakers' Staples Center and the Pacers' Gainbridge Fieldhouse opened at the beginning of the 1999–2000 NBA season.
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