The Indiana Pacers, despite not making the NBA Finals since 2000, have been a fixture of the playoffs more seasons than not.
Against the New York Knicks, the Pacers finally broke through and will meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in their first championship appearance in a quarter of a century. Since 2000, the Pacers have had more than their fair share of talent, although the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics kept them from making the Finals.
In the early 2000s, after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in their lone Finals appearance, the Pacers assembled one of the best rosters in team history, although the Malice at the Palace in 2004 helped dismantle that roster and their title hopes.
A central figure, Metta Saniford-Artest (aka Metta World Peace, Ron Artest), took to social media to celebrate his former team finally making it back to the Finals.
Saniford-Artest was not on the 2000 Pacers' team, although he won Defensive Player of the Year in Indiana in 2004 and went on four playoff runs during his Pacers tenure.
While playing in Indiana, he was very productive, averaging 16.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals.
After serving multiple suspensions from the league, the Pacers traded him to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojaković and he would later go on to win a title next to Kobe Bryant on the Lakers in 2010
After retiring, he has re-found his Pacers fandom and spent time coaching in the G League and playing in IceCube's Big3 league.
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