The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.
Lamar Joseph Odom is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011.
Jermaine Lee O'Neal Sr. is an American former professional basketball player. A center/power forward, he had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft straight out of high school. O'Neal, at just 17 years of age, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 17th overall pick, and played his first professional game at 18. At the time, he was the youngest player to ever play an NBA game.
Metta Sandiford-Artest, previously legally named Metta World Peace, is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Under the name Ron Artest, he played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft.
Gawen DeAngelo "Bonzi" Wells is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is currently an assistant coach at Georgia Tech and previously was head coach at LeMoyne-Owen. He played college basketball at Ball State University and was drafted in the 1998 NBA draft. In the NBA, Wells played for five teams from 1998 to 2008: the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Hornets.
Antonio Robert Daniels is an American former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the television color analyst for the New Orleans Pelicans on Bally Sports New Orleans and co-host/analyst on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
Brian Wade Grant is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He was known for his tenacious rebounding and blue-collar defense. During his career, he played with the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their second straight NBA Championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. This was Larry Bird's final season as a player in the NBA.
Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs, later released in Japan as NBA Pro Basketball: Bulls vs Blazers and the NBA Playoffs, is a 1993 basketball video game produced by Don Traeger and developed by Electronic Arts and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A later Mega Drive version was released under the title Bulls versus Blazers and the NBA Playoffs, later released in Japan as NBA Playoffs: Bulls vs Blazers.
The 1998–99 NBA season was the San Antonio Spurs' 32nd season as a franchise, the team's 26th season in San Antonio, and the team's 23rd season in the National Basketball Association. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreement to end the lockout. The deal was approved by both the players and owners, and was signed on January 20, ending the lockout after 204 days. The regular season began on February 5, and was cut short to just 50 games instead of the regular 82-game schedule.
The 1998–99 NBA season was the Rockets' 32nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 28th season in Houston. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreement to end the lockout. The deal was approved by both the players and owners, and was signed on January 20, ending the lockout after 204 days. The regular season began on February 5, and was cut short to just 50 games instead of the regular 82-game schedule.
The 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 62nd season of the franchise, 61st in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 50th in Los Angeles. During the offseason, the Lakers signed free agent and former defensive player of the year forward Ron Artest. Coming off from winning their fifteenth championship in the NBA Finals defeating the Orlando Magic in five games, the Lakers successfully defended their title. They spent the most money of any team on player salaries that season, totaling $112.7 million. The Lakers once again sold out all 41 home games for the season at Staples Center.
The 2010–11 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 63rd season of the franchise, 62nd in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 51st in Los Angeles. As both the three-time defending Western Conference Champions and the two-time defending NBA Champions, the Lakers attempted their third "three-peat" in franchise history (1952–54) and (2000–02), but were swept by the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semi-finals. The Lakers marked the end of an era for head coach Phil Jackson, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in March 2011. He proceeded to announce his retirement as head coach after the playoffs. The Lakers once again sold out all 41 home games for the season at Staples Center.
The 2001–02 NBA season was the Clippers' 32nd season in the National Basketball Association and their 18th season in Los Angeles. The Clippers selected high school basketball star Tyson Chandler with the second overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, but soon traded him to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Elton Brand. With the acquisition of Brand and the continued improvements of second-year guard Quentin Richardson, Corey Maggette and Michael Olowokandi, the Clippers played their best basketball with a 15–11 start as of December 22. The team began to slip under .500, but still played competitive basketball through most of the first half holding a 25–26 record at the All-Star break, despite Lamar Odom only playing just 29 games due to a wrist injury, and second-year guard Keyon Dooling only playing just 14 games due to an ankle injury. However, after holding a 36–33 record in mid-March, the Clippers struggled and lost 10 of their final 13 games. They failed to make the playoffs finishing fifth in the Pacific Division with a 39–43 record, which was ninth place in the Western Conference.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 24th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Suns acquired three-point specialist Trent Tucker from the New York Knicks. However, Tucker never played for the team as he was released to free agency, and later on signed with the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns were led by head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, which would be the last of his four-season second stint as coach of the Suns. All home games were played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The team got off to a slow 5–9 start, but went on a nine-game winning streak as they won 14 of their next 15 games, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. The Suns finished third in the Pacific Division with a 53–29 record.
The 1992–93 NBA season was the Spurs' 17th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs acquired Dale Ellis from the Milwaukee Bucks, signed free agents Vinny Del Negro and undrafted rookie guard Lloyd Daniels, and re-signed Avery Johnson after a brief stint with the Houston Rockets. However, prior to the start of the season, Terry Cummings suffered a serious knee injury during a pick-up game, and only played in the final eight games of the season. Under new head coach, former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian, the Spurs struggled with a 9–11 start to the season. Tarkanian was fired, then after playing one game under assistant Rex Hughes, the team hired John Lucas II as their new coach. At midseason, the team traded Sidney Green to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for J.R. Reid. Under Lucas, the Spurs would play solid basketball posting a 10-game winning streak in January, then winning eight straight games in February, as they held a 34–15 record at the All-Star break. However, they would play below .500 for the remainder of the season, finishing second in the Midwest Division with a 49–33 record.
The Indiana Pacers were founded on February 2, 1967, as an American Basketball Association franchise, and moved to the National Basketball Association in 1976. The Pacers were considered a dynasty in the ABA, winning three titles and six conference titles. The Pacers play in the Eastern Conference and Central Division, and they play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers have enjoyed some success in the NBA, most notably during the career of Reggie Miller. The Pacers have made the NBA Playoffs 27 out of 44 years, with one trip to the NBA Finals but have never won an NBA championship.
The 2000–01 NBA season was the 31st season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Blazers acquired Dale Davis from the Indiana Pacers, and All-Star forward Shawn Kemp from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade. The Blazers struggled losing three of their first four games, but soon recovered and later on posted a 10-game winning streak between January and February, and held a 35–15 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team re-signed free agent and former Blazers guard Rod Strickland, who was previously released by the Washington Wizards. Despite the strong start, the Blazers struggled and played below .500 for the remainder of the season, posting a 15–17 record after the All-Star break. Falling nine games below the previous season's mark, the Blazers nevertheless made the playoffs for the 19th consecutive year, finishing as the #7 seed in the Western Conference with a solid 50–32 record.
The 2001–02 NBA season was the 32nd season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, head coach Mike Dunleavy was fired after four years and two trips to the Western Conference finals, and was replaced with Maurice Cheeks, as the Blazers acquired Derek Anderson and Steve Kerr from the San Antonio Spurs, signed free agent Ruben Patterson, and re-signed former Blazers center Chris Dudley. Kerr would reunite with his former teammate of the Chicago Bulls, former All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, where they won three championships in the late 1990s. The Blazers struggled with a 13–18 start after losing six straight games between December and January, but managed to hold a 25–23 record at the All-Star break, and then posted a 12-game winning streak between February and March, finishing third in the Pacific Division and sixth in the Western Conference with a 49–33 record, and making the playoffs for the 20th consecutive year.
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 33rd season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Blazers acquired Antonio Daniels from the San Antonio Spurs, and signed free agent Jeff McInnis. Former Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis came out of his retirement, and returned to play for the team after a one-year absence. The Blazers got off to a mediocre 10–11 start, but then posted an 8-game winning streak in December, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. However, they would slow down playing .500 basketball for the remainder of the season, finishing third in the Pacific Division with a solid 50–32 record, and making the playoffs for the 21st consecutive year and 26th year of the last 27.
