Meet the Pacers There are many ways to win a basketball game Some teams like ms like to strike quickly and force an opponent to catch up Others hheerrss prefer to wait patiently for the other team to make a mistake e The Indiana Pacers use their strength and stamina to wear down their opponents and then seize victory as the last minutes tick away The Pacers play in a region of the country where basketball is the most popular sport Like football in Texas and hockey in Canada basketball in Indiana is more than just a game When the Pacers take the court they know that they are upholding a great tradition This book tells the story of the Pacers They keep games close by playing rugged defense and controlling the area ea around the basket They win games with amazing individual dual efforts often as the final buzzer sounds Roy Hibbert embraces Luis Scola during an Indiana victory in 2013 14 5
d b k b ll lk l Th Glory Days To many in Indiana basketball is like a religion The state’s gyms and arenas are like houses of worship A basketball hero in Indiana is a hero for life For the first half the 1900s high school and college hoops ruled In the 1940s and 1950s several professional in Indianapolis However the first to win over college and high school fans was the Indiana Pacers of the American Basketball Association ABA They were one of 11 teams that helped form the new league in 1967 teams played The first player to make a name for himself with the Pacers was Roger Brown a legendary one-on-one star from the playgrounds of New York City Freddie Lewis joined him in the backcourt He had an excellent all-around game and was a favorite of fans 6
and teammates It became a tradition that Lewis would take the first shot of every game Over the next few years the Pacers added other talented stars including Bob Netolicky Billy Keller Rick Mount and George McGinnis Indiana became a powerhouse winning the ABA championship in 1970 1972 and 1973 Bob Slick Leonard coached these teams Leonard was an Indiana basketball legend himself In 1953 he scored the winning points for Indiana University in the college basketball national championship Indiana’s top star during its ABA years was center Mel Daniels Though he stood only 6 9 no one was better near the basket Daniels won the ABA’s Most Valuable Player MVP award twice and was also the MVP of the ABA All-Star Game He was a great defensive player and rebounder no one in ABA history hauled down more rebounds Prior to the 1976 77 season the National Basketball Association NBA invited four ABA teams to join the league including the Pacers After trading away many of its best players Indiana tried to LEFT Slick Leonard was a huge favorite among Indiana fans ABOVE Mel Daniels led the Pacers to three ABA titles 7
