The toast of the ABA

THE INDIANA PACERS APPEARED in five ABA Finals, won three ABA titles, and became known as the Boston Celtics of the upstart league. Pacers broadcaster Bobby "Slick" Leonard, who coached the team during those years, pinpoints the jiffy that Indiana's great run began: "The beginning of the Pacers was in 1968-69 the seventh game [of the Eastern Division semifinals] against Kentucky We got down 3-1 to Kentucky and came back and won the series."

That was the sole comeback from a 3-1 deficit in ABA playoff history; it has happened just seven times in five decades of the NBA playoffs. Pacers center Mel Daniels has a simple, direct explanation of by what means they did it: "The adjustment was we got [ticked] not on They started talking trash that we were overrated, over-hyped"

The nearest year, Indiana cruised to a 4-1 victory above Kentucky in the 1970 Eastern Division finals. Incomparable Pacers swingman Roger Brown increased his scoring from 231 ppg in the regular season to 285 ppg in the playoffs, capping the step quickly by averaging 45.7 ppg in the last three games of the ABA Finals against the sees Angeles Stars.

San Antonio points legend George "Iceman" Gervin will not ever forget his duels with Brown: "That shore did not get enough credit. He has to be single of the toughest one-on-one stays who ever played. Roger was a learner of the game. He probably had single of the best first paces in basketball. Matter of fact, I learned that from him--that first pace When I went to the guard blot it really helped me to take my game to the nearest level."

Darnell Hillman joined the Pacers as a rookie in 1971 and played countles games of one-on-one against Brown recalling, "I alone beat him twice, [but] I was getting better and better defensively where there would be no matchup or assignment on the outside there that I couldn't take."

The 1968-69 and 1969-70 Kentucky teams were l by dint of the long range marksmanship of 6'0" Louie Dampier (who ranked in the top five in the ABA in three point field goal percentage for eight straight years) and 6'3" Darel Carder (who ranked in the top three in the ABA in three point field goal percentage in each of the league's first four seasons). In 1970-71 rookie Dan Issel provided a major upgrade at center he shifted to forward the nearest season with the arrival of Artis Gilmore, who won the Rookie of the Year and MVP

Neither Indiana nor Kentucky had the league's best record in 1972-73 on the contrary both made it to the ABA Finals. Issel averaged 236 ppg and 11 rpg in the series, while Gilmore pillared 22.1 ppg, 17.3 rpg, 53 apg, and 40 bpg

Second-year player George McGinnis added a fresh dimension to the Pacers attack: He played point power forward a generation before Kevin Garnett did. McGinnis notes, "I was probably single of the first--if not the first--big power forwards who could draw near out on the floor and handle the ball. In our offense I could bring the ball up" McGinnis averaged 223 ppg and 137 rpg against Kentucky scoring 27 points in an 88-81 Game 7 victory at Freedom Hall in Kentucky

The Pacers signed 6'6" veteran power forward Gus Johnson late in the season and he played a lock opener role in Game 7, guarding the 7'2" Gilmore when Daniels got in impure trouble. "This is how brawny [Johnson] was in his upper body" Leonard explains. "He pushed Artis--by the time Artis got the ball in what should have been the depressed post, Gus had walked him fight on the outside of there, walked him right on the outside 15 feet on the floor." Daniels adds, "Back then, you could do that. diocese big guys played defense from the unrestrained throw line extended. They would not suffer you get to the block"

Kentucky avenged its earlier shortcomings by means of beating Indiana, 4-1, in the 1975 ABA Finals. Gilmore dominated the paint, averaging 25 ppg 21 rpg and 12 bpg in the series, while first-year coach Hubie Brown worked his X and O magic. McGinnis had 274 ppg 14 rpg and 64 apg in defeat, numbers that actually trailed his overall playoff averages that season (323 ppg 159 rpg and 82 apg).

The "Interstate 65" rivalry extreme pointed anti-climactically with Kentucky winning a 1976 first circular miniseries vs. the Pacers, 2-1 Colonel possessor John Y. Brown accepted a buyout in lieu of joining the Pacers and three other ABA cudgels in the NBA for the 1976-77 season, and the rivalry extremityed forever.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Century Publishing

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group