(Nov. 26, 2024)

Nothing in sports matches the sheer drama of a game-winning, buzzer-beating shot in basketball. A Hail Mary pass for a touchdown and a walk-off home run have their merits, but there’s something about the succinct, intimate finality of a ball floating through the air or falling through the net as the game-ending horn sounds and bringing a victory.

Shot goes up. Time stands still as fans hold their breath in anticipation. Horn sounds. Ball falls through the net. Or perhaps the ball falls through the net a split-second or two before the horn sounds.

Either way, game. Cue the celebration, with delirious players hugging and shouting and falling over one other in a pile of humanity. There’s nothing like it.

It’s so special because it’s rare – so rare that I became curious how often it’s happened for the Pacers, who have been in the business of basketball since October of 1967. I’m not sure if it was the best use of my time or even a good idea, but I conducted the research. All it required was looking up every game the Pacers have won by three points or less in the newspaper coverage and seeing if the winning margin came on a shot at the final buzzer.

It wasn’t difficult, just time-consuming. I began the project more than a year ago, put it down for a while, and then resumed it recently when I had more free time than I care to have. I’m not sure if I should be proud of devoting so much effort to this rather arcane detail but I was curious and therefore (barely) neurotic enough to scratch the itch. I could have read Shakespeare or worked out more often or spent more time working on my next book, but I had gone too far to turn back and wanted to complete the task.

So here we go.

First of all, understand what qualifies as a bona-fide buzzer-beater. It must occur without enough time left for the opponent to attempt to get off a shot. Therefore, Reggie Miller’s legendary three-pointer against Chicago in the 1998 playoffs doesn’t qualify. There were 0.7 seconds left after that one, ample time for Michael Jordan to fire a retort that nearly hit its target.

Comb through the archives and you’ll find dozens of shots that turned out to be a game-winner, but came with a second or two remaining, if not less. For an extreme example, Byron Scott hit a 30-foot three-pointer in overtime to beat Philadelphia, 106-103, on Jan. 28, 1995. But one-tenth of a second remained and the 76ers fired an inbound pass that hit the shot clock. It would have taken a miracle for someone to tip the ball into the basket from mid-air, but it could have happened. So, sorry, that one doesn't qualify.

Neither does Scott’s historic three-pointer that provided a Game 1 first-round playoff victory in Orlando in 1994. That one came with two seconds remaining, enough time for Orlando to get off a shot.

Buzzer-beating shots that force overtime don’t count, either, because they don’t necessarily result in a victory. Reggie Miller hit one of those in Memphis on Feb. 18, 2003, an off-balance attempt from the right corner, but the Pacers wound up losing, 108-103.

Hey, it’s an exclusive club.

By my count the Pacers have won 24 games with these theatrical shots. That’s more than I would have guessed, but keep in mind we’re covering a span of 4,630 regular season games (including the first 18 of this season) and 377 playoff games – a total of 5,007 games, to be exact. That means it happens .00479328 percent of the time, or roughly every 209 games, or every 2 ½ seasons.

The most recent was Andrew Nembhard’s three-pointer that beat the Lakers in Los Angeles on Nov. 28, 2022. That means, statistically, they’re due for another one later this season. But who knows? These shots are like manna from heaven, unexpected gifts that fall from the sky, not to be expected.

A summary:

• The 24 kill-shots have come courtesy of 21 different players. Miller, Roger Brown, and Chuck Person are the only Pacers who have managed to do it twice.
• The others are Jerry Harkness, Steve Chubin, Bob Netolicky, Roger Brown, Darnell Hillman, Herb Williams, Clark Kellogg, Steve Stipanovich, John Long, Detlef Schrempf, Byron Scott, Rik Smits, Jermaine O’Neal, Troy Murphy, Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy, Solomon Hill and Nembhard.
• 14 came at home, 10 on the road.
• Nine came from offensive rebounds and at least five came off broken plays.
• Six were three-pointers.
• Only one was a dunk. From Dr. Dunk, of course.
• Only one came from beyond midcourt.
• Only one came in a playoff game.

Here they are, in all their glory.

(1) Nov. 13, 1967

Jerry Harkness, 88-foot three-pointer

119-118 victory at Dallas

The first buzzer-beating shot in franchise history remains the most dramatic and least likely. Also, the least viewed.

The Pacers were off to an 11-3 start when their commercial flight landed in Dallas the day of their 15^th game in franchise history. They had lost the previous night in Denver, 110-103, and were playing their third game in as many nights.

They were on the brink of losing consecutive games for the first time when John Beasley hit a jumper with a second or two left, a shot Bob Netolicky claimed to deflect. After it fell through the basket, Oliver Darden took the ball out of bounds and practically handed it to Harkness, who was standing just a couple of feet inbounds. The left-handed guard heaved what amounted to a hook shot over his right shoulder and lo and behold it slammed off the glass and dropped through the net.

The Dallas Morning News reported the ball hit the backboard with such force it “jolted the very floor.” The Chaps were jolted as well. Beasley said years later that player-coach Cliff Hagan scolded his players for not defending Harkness’ shot better. As if …

The shot was initially described as a 92-footer in newspaper headlines throughout the country. The Indianapolis Star was among them, with the banner headline on the first sports page reading, “Pacers Win On 92-Foot Hook Shot.” It is still referenced as such on occasion today. That would be impossible, however, because the NBA court is 94 feet long and the rims hang four feet inside the baseline. The official distance became 88 feet when that detail was remembered. Harkness even incorporated “88” into his e-mail address in later years.

Some of the Pacers initially thought Harkness’ shot had forced overtime. The ABA had been playing with a three-point shot for a month by this point but shots from beyond halfcourt were so rare – and lucky – they had a different feel. It took a moment for everyone to realize the game was over and coach Larry Staverman shooed his players off the court before anyone could reconsider.

This being 1967, the game was not televised and none of the Dallas television stations were on hand to shoot footage for that evening’s newscasts. None of the local newspapers or wire services had a photographer on hand and only a few hundred people attended the game. It remains mostly lost to history, which in a sense adds to the legend.

The irony is that Harkness was a poor shooter. At 6-foot-3 he had played forward rather than guard in college and had made the Pacers’ roster because of his defense and maturity. Indianapolis News sportswriter Dick Denny had described his shooting form as “like a girl catapulting the ball to her boyfriend.” He only attempted five three-pointers in the 81 games he played with the franchise and the 92-, er, 88-footer was the only one he hit. More luck than skill, obviously.

Still, it gave Harkness a well-deserved place in history. It was included in the Ripley’s Believe it or Not cartoon that ran in newspapers throughout the country and the ball was sent to the Naismith Hall of Fame for display. It later was returned to him, and he sold it for an amount he remembered as $10,000. He regretted that in later years.

It remains the longest game-winning shot in the history of professional basketball. Baron Davis hit a slightly longer one in later years because he was standing off to the side of the court, but it came at the end of the third quarter. The two met at a retired players’ event in Las Vegas once and discussed their rare feats.

Harkness was forced into retirement midway through the following season by back and knee issues. Highly regarded, he was retained on the Pacers’ payroll as a scout and broadcaster for the remainder of the season and then went on to establish himself outside of basketball. He worked for the United Way for many years, became the state’s first Black television sports anchor for Channel 13, a position he held for about a decade, and had a daily sports radio segment for a while as well.

It was to his credit that his historic shot wasn’t the highlight of his life. He was a first-team All-American and captain of the Loyola of Chicago team that won the 1963 NCAA championship. That team’s accomplishment and all the social drama surrounding it grew in stature over future decades, even earning the surviving Loyola players a trip to the White House to meet President Barack Obama.

Harkness passed away from cancer in August of 2021, a universally admired man with one of basketball’s rarest claims to fame. It was a lucky shot, as any 88-footer would be, but was a moment he deserved.

(My One on One interview with Harkness can be found on this site and his story is detailed in my book “Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis.” One on One conversations with Steve Chubin, Bob Netolicky, Bill Keller, George McGinnis, Darnell Hillman, Clark Kellogg, Rik Smits and Solomon Hill also are available here.)

 

(2) Jan. 16, 1969

Steve Chubin, 8-footer

96-94 victory vs. New York

Like Harkness, Chubin was not known for shooting. He was a bruising playmaker who loved to get into the lane and draw contact. He often scored half or more of his points on free throws.

In this game, the Pacers had called timeout with six seconds left to set up a play for Roger Brown. But when Chubin drove and couldn’t get the ball to Brown he took the shot himself, running over Nets guard Ron Perry in the process and hitting a shot from a 45-degree angle on the left side. The Pacers won despite shooting 38 percent from the field and committing 19 turnovers.

Chubin finished with 19 points while hitting 9-of-10 free throws. Like I said, he got to the foul line.

He was as interesting a personality as he was a player, a handsome, charismatic and macho guy who attracted female and male fans in equal measure. But he was difficult, too. He was just about as aggressive off the court as on and was playing for his third team that season. He began it with the Los Angeles Stars, was soon traded to Minnesota and then was shipped to the Pacers for Mike Lewis shortly before Christmas.

There are further ironies here, too. The Pacers had tried to trade Brown for Chubin earlier in the season, but Minnesota wasn’t interested. Brown was not adjusting well to Slick Leonard’s coaching style and had been left home on a road trip to send a message. As they say, sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make. The course of the franchise's history would have been changed if someone had taken up the Pacers on their offer of Brown.

Chubin played well for the Pacers, averaging 13.8 points, and quickly became a fan favorite. The team was winning, too. But after just 24 games, nine of which he started and 16 of which the Pacers won, he was traded to New York – for Perry.

That trade, purportedly made because of the need for another perimeter shooter, remains the most controversial in franchise history. Seriously, no trade has angered Pacers fans more than that one. They mailed letters to general manager Mike Storen and to the newspapers to protest, and one team executive, Chuck De Voe, was awakened by a late night/early morning phone call from someone who vented his feelings on the matter.

“Who was that?” DeVoe’s wife, asked.

“I don’t know, but I think we just traded Chubin,” he said.

When Chubin returned later that season as a member of the Nets two fans paraded a banner on the court before the game that read, “Trade Storen for Chubin.”  A photo of it appeared in the Star.

Imagine getting away with that today.

Leonard said at the time of the trade he would try to reacquire Chubin and did so a year later. But the roster had changed, his personal life wasn’t going well, and he didn’t get much playing time. He soon wanted out and was traded to Kentucky where he finished the season – and his ABA career.

Still, Chubin has returned to Indianapolis over the years for various reunions and considers his brief time with the Pacers as the highlight of his career - "like walking on velvet," he said. I took the following photo a lunch gathering I organized around 2015.

(3) Oct. 30, 1969

Bob Netolicky, 20-footer

123-121 overtime victory at Washington  

The Washington Capitals lasted just one season in the ABA, so not much happened there. This game must have been one of the more exciting in their brief history.

With the score tied in overtime, the Pacers called timeout with 18 seconds remaining and set up a play to go to Brown, as was usually the case when a clutch basket was needed. Bill Keller’s inbound pass was deflected, but teammate John Barnhill retrieved it. Brown, who had scored 34 points to that point, took a pass from Bob Netolicky but couldn't get a shot and threw it back. Netolicky, standing 20 feet from the basket, had no choice but to put up a shot.

He was a good perimeter shooter but had hit just 5-of-21 shots to that point. But this one swished.

It was an improbable and perhaps undeserved ending to a game in which the Pacers blew an 18-point second-quarter lead and generally played poorly. For better or worse, only 1,951 fans attended. At least they got their money’s worth.

The Pacers accepted the outcome like an unexpected gift.

“I still can’t believe we won,” Keller said afterward.

 

(4) Jan. 19, 1970

Roger Brown, 17-footer

108-106 victory over Kentucky in Louisville

I might be stretching this one a bit. Various newspaper accounts reported it came with one second left on the clock, but there was no mention of the Colonels getting off a response or calling a timeout to set up a desperation play. Perhaps the buzzer sounded before they could do so. Clock operators weren’t as precise in those days and the scoreboards didn’t display tenths of a second as they do now, so it’s difficult to categorize.

Best I can tell, Brown’s shot qualifies.

He had sprained his ankle in the second quarter of the game at Louisville’s Convention Center and said afterward he had “played horrible” except for two shots. They were two big shots, though.

The first of those was a three-pointer with 1:25 remaining on the game clock but just two seconds on the shot clock. It gave the Pacers a 105-101 lead.

The Colonels came back to tie the game at 106. After a timeout with 17 seconds left, Keller dribbled the clock down to six seconds and then flipped a pass to Brown on the left side. Brown's defender, George Tinsley, later said he thought he heard a teammate yell “switch” and moved over to guard another Pacer. When Tinsley realized his mistake he rushed back to Brown, who brushed him off with a head-fake, took two dribbles closer to the basket and swished a 17-footer.

True to his nature, Brown remained cool in his moment of glory.

“It felt good all the way,” he said matter-of-factly. “I knew I had it.

“There isn’t anybody in basketball I can’t score off … anybody,” he added. “That is the kind of confidence I’ve got now.”

 

(5) Feb. 6, 1971

Roger Brown, 10-footer

110-109 overtime victory over New York

Brown was back at it the following season, this time in a dramatic homecourt victory before a sellout crowd of 9,375 at the Coliseum.

The Pacers trailed by three points with five seconds left in regulation, but Freddie Lewis banked in a three-pointer to tie the game. Rick Barry followed by missing a shot that could have won it for the Nets.

The Pacers trailed by four points in overtime but Keller – who had hit just 2-of-13 shots to that point – dropped a three-pointer with 33 seconds left. Barry was then called for a charging foul after running over Brown. A referee’s timeout with eight seconds left to issue a warning to the Nets for playing a zone defense interrupted the Pacers’ last possession. Brown then ended the game by faking Barry and hitting a 10-foot shot at the buzzer. Barry finished with 48 points. Brown had “only” 32 but most of the glory.

None of the newspaper or wire service accounts captured Brown’s thoughts on the game, but Robin Miller wrote a sidebar for the Star that told of Brown’s physical challenges. Brown had been hospitalized the previous summer following his iconic performance in leading the Pacers to the 1970 championship to have a bursa sac removed from his left knee. He had left the hospital before he was fully healed and was paying for his mistake.

“I’ve been playing badly compared to last season,” Brown said.

“Having the operation has hurt me and I know now I should have stayed in the hospital a little longer. The knee has bothered me most of the time but now I only need a shot (Novocaine) once every two weeks.”

Brown would go on to hit plenty of big shots for the Pacers, but this was his last buzzer-beating game-winner.

 

(6) Nov. 21, 1972

George McGinnis, 5-footer

121-120 victory over Memphis

By his second ABA season, George McGinnis had become a bona-fide star and the Pacers’ primary go-to player. Brown, suffering from a sore back and knees, was in decline and had willingly ceded that role.

The changing of the guard was on full display this night at Memphis when McGinnis scored a career-high (at the time) 42 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in the Pacers’ victory. The final basket came following a timeout when he split the combined defensive efforts of Warren Davis and Lee Davis to one-arm a bank shot from five feet through the net before 3,858 fans at Mid-South Coliseum.

The game-winning shot - described by a Memphis Commercial Appeal sportswriter as “super tough” - climaxed an unlikely comeback that owed more to the heroics of Freddie Lewis than McGinnis. The Pacers trailed by five points with 93 seconds remaining, but Lewis hit two three-pointers and a mid-range jumper on consecutive possessions to give the Pacers a one-point lead. Warren Davis’ rebound basket returned the lead to Memphis, setting up McGinnis’ grand finale.

The Pacers also got an assist from the Tams’ timekeeper, who according to newspaper reports didn’t start the clock after they inbounded the ball and called timeout following the Davis basket.

Coach Slick Leonard didn’t draw up a specific play to get a shot for McGinnis, he just ordered his players to get the ball to him one way or another and let him go to work. A season earlier, it almost assuredly would have been a call for Brown to take the last shot. The roster was evolving, but the results were consistent.

“That’s what we’re famous for,” Leonard said afterwards. “Winning in the clutch.”

 

(7) Jan. 25, 1973

Bill Keller, 20-foot hook shot

96-94 victory over Kentucky

Bill Keller was having a terrible evening before he found redemption. He had hit just 4-of-18 shots, committed five turnovers and allowed Louie Dampier to get loose and hit a game-tying three-pointer with five seconds left when the two rivals met at the Coliseum.

After a timeout, a play was set up for McGinnis, who had hit a game-winner at the buzzer two months earlier in Memphis. McGinnis caught the inbound pass on the left side and wheeled into the lane in hopes of duplicating his earlier feat. Kentucky center Artis Gilmore blocked the shot, however, and it deflected to the perimeter, where Keller grabbed the loose ball and in one motion hooked it toward the basket.

According to a newspaper report, it was five feet out of his hand when the horn sounded. And then it swished through the net.

“The way I’d been shooting, I had to hit it,” Keller said afterwards.

McGinnis, who graduated from Washington High School four years after Keller – and like Keller led his team to a state championship – took the moment in stride.

“It never surprises me when he does something like that,” McGinnis said. “I wouldn’t be surprised some day if he hits one from between his legs.”

Said Leonard: “That’s basketball for you.”

 

(8) Nov. 1, 1974

Darnell Hillman, rebound dunk

99-97 victory in New York

Darnell Hillman’s nickname was Dr. Dunk. The origins of it are vague – he believes it was given by a New York sportswriter – but it has stuck. It was appropriate for the guy who won the first NBA slam dunk contest in 1977, although that one wasn’t sponsored by the league. And it was appropriate that his only game-winning buzzer-beater came on a dunk.

After an exchange of turnovers in the final minute - Netolicky threw the ball into the backcourt, then Julius Erving double-dribbled - the Pacers had the ball out of bounds at midcourt with four seconds left. The plan was to go to McGinnis underneath the basket, but he was double-teamed by Erving and Larry Kenon. Keller, taking the inbound pass from Hillman, was forced to take a few dribbles toward the basket and fire a desperate shot from just inside the three-point line while squeezed between two defenders. It fell short of the rim, but Hillman grabbed it in mid-air and slammed it just ahead of the final buzzer. A photograph in Newsday captured the moment.

“I saw it was falling short and I just grabbed it and raised up and threw it down,” Hillman said.

Nets guard Mike Gale said afterwards they were supposed to foul whoever took the inbound pass before a shot could be taken to force a reset and another inbound pass. “Guess we can’t follow directions,” he said.

The Pacers’ record was just 1-4 entering the game, so the victory brought as much relief as joy. It brought out Leonard’s sense of humor, too. As they walked off the court, Leonard shouted to Keller, “Nice pass, Billy!”

Hillman finished with 10 points and nine rebounds but McGinnis, who had the option of becoming a free agent after the season, was the bigger story in New York. He had spent the previous evening in Madison Square Garden watching the hometown Knicks play, joined by teammates Hillman, Wayne Pack and Charlie Edge and his agent, Irwin Weiner.

McGinnis and the Knicks were engaged in a mutual courtship. They had made a trade offer to Philadelphia, which owned his NBA rights, and had made a contract offer to McGinnis as well – “well over $2 million for six years,” he told a New York reporter.

McGinnis justified the Knicks’ interest by contributing 25 points, 18 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists to the victory. Erving had 35 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Nets. Two years later, they would become teammates in Philadelphia.

 

(9) Dec. 30, 1982

Herb Williams, 20-footer

115-114 victory in Utah

Another one resulting from a broken play.

With five seconds remaining and the Pacers trailing by a point, coach Jack McKinney’s call during the timeout was for Clark Kellogg to inbound the ball to Jerry Sichting popping out to the top of the key. Sichting was covered, however, so the pass went to Butch Carter, the second option. Carter had no opening for a shot, so he fed Herb Williams, who hit a jumper over Danny Schayes as the buzzer sounded.

Williams – who finished with 31 points, six rebounds and five assists - had hit a layup with 30 seconds remaining to bring the Pacers within one point. Utah missed a shot and three rebound tips before the Pacers controlled the ball and called timeout to set up the final play.

“How was that for a job of coaching?” McKinney sighed afterwards.

This was a rare highlight in the worst season in Pacers’ history. The victory lifted their record to 11-18, which wasn't anything to be happy about but at least wasn’t embarrassing. Embarrassment was on its way, though. They went 9-44 the rest of the season to finish 20-62.

 

(10) Nov. 16, 1985

Clark Kellogg, five feet

111-109 over Boston

The 1985-86 season was barely better than the ‘82-‘83 fiasco for the Pacers. They won 26 games, including just three of their final 24, although they didn’t appear to quit on the season. They were competitive in most of the games.

The season highlight came in this victory over Larry Bird and the Celtics as Kellogg rebounded Vern Fleming’s missed 15-footer and banked in a shot from five feet as the buzzer sounded before a rare sellout crowd of 16,904 at Market Square Arena.

“I saw Vern’s shot was going to be short,” Kellogg said. “I just got the rebound and I didn’t even think about the clock. I just looked at the square and the hole.”

It was an appropriate ending for a game in which the Pacers grabbed 20 offensive rebounds.

“There were a lot of strange bounces and a lot of high bounces,” said Celtics backup center Bill Walton, who scored 16 points in 22 minutes. “We certainly mishandled our share of balls off the boards and the Pacers’ motion game makes you do a lot of switching, which gets you off your man. But there’s still no reason to give up 20 offensive rebounds.”

The Pacers had trailed by seven points with 6:14 remaining but closed strong to cut off the Celtics’ winning streak at eight.

Steve Stipanovich produced the fifth triple-double in the Pacers’ NBA history with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Fleming nearly had one as well, with 13 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Bird, the reason for the sellout, finished with his jersey number, 33 points – 28 in the first half, along with nine rebounds and six assists. He attempted just six shots in the second half and missed a fadeaway jumper from the wing against Kellogg’s defense with nine seconds left. The Pacers converted the winning basket without calling a timeout.

Also of note: Pacers assistant coach Donnie Walsh, their future longtime general manager and team president, was called for a technical foul. Head coach George Irvine was, too.

Kellogg led the Pacers with 21 points in 30 minutes, but he unknowingly was near the end of his career. He would play in just 19 games that season because of persistent pain in his left knee, the final one on Jan. 29. He attempted a comeback the following year but was forced to retire after playing in just four games.

I couldn't find a video of this shot, but here's one that shows Kellogg's all-around game: (66) Clark Kellogg (Pacers) (21pts/10rebs) vs. Bulls (1985) - YouTube

 

(11) Nov. 15, 1986

Chuck Person, 40-footer

104-103 victory over Milwaukee

 The same season in which Kellogg was forced into retirement, his replacement arrived.

Chuck Person came off the bench behind Kellogg in the first four games, then took over as the starter after Kellogg could no longer go. Person went on to become the only Pacer to earn Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 18.8 points. Kellogg had finished runner-up for the honor two years earlier while averaging 18.6.

Person wasted no time showing the bravado that characterized his early career, hitting a 40-foot three-pointer as the horn sounded for a 104-103 victory over Milwaukee at Market Square Arena. With the Pacers trailing by two points with three seconds left, he inbounded the ball to Herb Williams, ran onto the court shouting “Gimme, gimme, gimme!” took a return pass and hit a high-arching fadeaway jumper from the midcourt logo.

He then performed a fist-shaking victory dance as his teammates piled on top of him.

“If (Williams) couldn’t have heard me, he would have needed hearing aids,” Person said.

“It felt great when it left. I said, ‘This sucker’s going,’ and I saw the net pop.”

“He shot it like it was a five-footer,” an admiring Williams said.

Person finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but Vern Fleming had the best all-around performance with the sixth triple-double in franchise history – 15 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists. Stipanovich led all scorers with 25 points, hitting 11-of-14 shots.

Person delivered another dramatic game-winner three months later, hitting a three-pointer with nine seconds left for a 126-125 victory at Golden State.

 

(12) Feb. 11, 1988

Steve Stipanovich, three-pointer

108-107 at Golden State

Steve Stipanovich was regarded as a capable perimeter shooter for a center in his day, but his range didn’t comfortably extend beyond the three-point line. He attempted 56 three-pointers over his five NBA seasons and hit just 10.

His greatest connection came at Golden State in his final NBA season, a lucky heave that provided the exclamation point to a startling comeback. The Pacers trailed by 15 points early in the fourth quarter but managed an 11-0 run to take the lead. Their second unit, which included rookie Reggie Miller, sparked the rally.

Golden State regained a four-point lead with 44 seconds left but Scott Skiles hit a short baseline scoop shot to bring the Pacers within two. Chris Mullin and Ralph Sampson both fired airballs on Golden State’s ensuing possession and the Pacers called timeout with 10 seconds remaining.

Person inbounded to Skiles, who led Stipanovich with a pass to the left corner in front of the Warriors bench. Stipanovich was barely able to catch up to the pass and fired an off-balance three-pointer that hit the front of the rim. While everyone stood and watched, the ball returned to him on one bounce. He caught it with both hands and shoved it toward the basket in mid-air just ahead of the final horn for a 108-107 victory.

“If he shot that shot 20 times, he might not make it again,” Pacers coach Jack Ramsay said. “That’s basketball.”

The Warriors thought it should have been a two-point field goal that forced overtime.

“We got homered at home,” said Warriors forward Rod Higgins, who led all scorers with 26 points. “We were just stripped of a victory tonight. It’s crazy.”

The ruling could not be protested, however, and reviews of the video proved Stipanovich was behind the three-point line.

The victory came amid the peak stretch of the Pacers’ season. They had defeated the Lakers in Los Angeles two nights earlier and would win again at Phoenix the following night. They then won three home games for a seven-game winning streak that improved their record to 28-22. But they finished 38-44 and out of the playoffs.

 

(13) April 11, 1988

John Long, 18-footer

95-93 over New Jersey

By the time this game against New Jersey at Market Square Arena rolled around late in the season, their season was officially headed south. They won just six of the next 24 games following the seven-game winning streak in February and were barely hanging on to a mathematical shot at a playoff berth.

Veteran guard John Long kept hope alive by hitting an 18-footer from the corner at the buzzer to complete a comeback from a 16-point deficit. He took an inbound pass from Ron Anderson, head-faked Otis Birdsong into the air, took one dribble and swished the shot.

Long said his initial plan was to draw a foul.

“The head fake was to get Birdsong off his feet,” he said. “And once he leaped, I knew he was dead.”

The original plan out of the timeout was to feed Wayman Tisdale in the low post, but he was double-teamed. Tisdale was a natural choice, having hit 13-of-19 shots on his way to 32 points - his sixth consecutive game of 20 or more points. Anderson scored 14 points in the fourth period, single-handedly outscoring the Nets (12), who lost their 11^th straight game.

 

(14) Dec. 8, 1989

Chuck Person, 15-footer  

106-104 over Chicago

The 1989-90 season represented a passing of the torch for the Pacers, as Reggie Miller became their leading scorer for the first time. He held that distinction for the next nine years as well, before Jalen Rose took over by one-tenth of a point in the 1999-2000 season.

Person, who had been the Pacers’ leading scorer for the three previous seasons, still produced his share of dramatic moments, however, such as in this game at Market Square Arena. It was played before the second sellout of the season, thanks to the presence of Michael Jordan. (The first sellout owed to Larry Bird’s participation.) It also was nationally televised, the Pacers’ only such appearance of the season.

Person made the game live up to billing by rebounding his own missed baseline jumper and flipping in a shot from 15 feet – or 20, depending on which newspaper account you read – over Jordan’s outstretched hand for a 106-104 victory.

“You don’t call Chuck ‘The Rifleman’ for nothing,” said Miller, who along with Detlef Schrempf led the Pacers with 22 points. “He just reloaded.”

Person hit just 5-of-14 shots but made the one that counted most. “That feeling; I can’t explain it,” he said. “I didn’t have a good shooting night, but I worked hard when I was in there.”

The Pacer most instrumental in the victory might have been backup forward Mike Sanders, who contributed a strong defensive effort on Jordan in the fourth quarter. Jordan scored 32 points in the first three periods but just four on 1-of-5 shooting in the fourth. He was forced to play 46 minutes because of the sprained ankle Bulls guard Craig Hodges suffered in the first quarter and admittedly was tired toward the end.

“I felt it,” Jordan admitted. “But it was just one of those unfortunate situations.”

The victory improved the Pacers’ record to 11-4 and left them alone in first place in the Central Division, a first in their NBA history. But what happened the following night revealed the relative maturity of the two teams in their respective back-to-back situations. The Pacers were crushed in Detroit, 121-93, while the Bulls defeated Philadelphia in Chicago, 125-105. Jordan manned up to score 29 points on 13-of-21 shooting and added nine rebounds and nine assists.

The Pacers finished the calendar year with a five-game winning streak and a 19-9 record, tied with Chicago for first in the division. But they opened the new year with a five-game losing streak, all on the road, and finished the season 42-40 – just their second winning season since joining the NBA in 1976.

They were swept by Detroit in the first round of the playoffs and coach Dick Versace was fired after a 9-16 start the following season.

 

(15) Feb. 11, 1992

Detlef Schrempf, 18-footer

100-98 in Orlando

One would think scoring 26 points and grabbing 23 rebounds would qualify as an honest night’s work, but Detlef Schrempf took it even further. He hit a turnaround shot at the buzzer to bring a 100-98 victory in Orlando.

The Pacers trailed by nine points with three minutes left, but Orlando center Stanley Roberts contributed to their cause by missing two foul shots with 1:35 remaining. Person hit a three-pointer with 58.6 seconds left to bring the Pacers within a point. Nick Anderson then hit a baseline jumper to extend Orlando’s lead to three, but Miller came back with a three-pointer with 27.3 seconds left to tie the game.

Orlando could have nearly run out the 24-second clock, but Anderson took an off-balance shot that missed, Schrempf rebounded in traffic and the Pacers called timeout with 2.8 seconds remaining.

Orlando was focused on defending Person and Miller, so when Person inbounded a bounce pass to Schrempf he was open enough to take a few dribbles and put up the game-winning shot. Orlando also had a foul to give, but did not try to utilize it.

“Detlef was super,” Pacers coach Bob Hill said. “Forget the shot at the end. He was the guy who just kept playing all night. He had it going.”

It would have been a bad loss for the Pacers if not for Schrempf’s heroics. The Magic were a poor team – just 12-37 after this loss - and were playing without leading scorer Dennis Scott.

 

(16) May 29, 1995

Rik Smits, 14-footer

94-93 over Orlando

Marv Albert, who announced the game on the national broadcast, called it “one of the most dramatic playoff games in NBA history,” and he wasn’t exaggerating.

Playing the fourth game of their Eastern Conference finals series, the Pacers and Magic exchanged the lead four times in the final 13.3 seconds, three of them coming from three-point shots. Rik Smits got in the last word, however, with a simple 14-footer that ended the chaos and inspired bedlam at Market Square Arena.

It went like this:

Brian Shaw hit a three-pointer with 13.3 seconds left to give the Magic a 90-89 lead.

After a timeout, Miller hit a three-pointer with 5.2 seconds left to give the Pacers a 92-90 lead.

After a timeout, Penny Hardaway hit a leaning three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to give the Magic a 93-92 lead.

After one last timeout, the Pacers had one last chance to win the game. Derrick McKey, who always handled the inbound passing duties in clutch moments when available, had no option other than throwing a two-handed chest pass to Smits, who cut toward the ball after setting a screen for Byron Scott. Smits caught the pass just left of the free throw line, turned left, faked Tree Rollins into the air, and swished the shot as the buzzer sounded.

Mark Jackson ran and hugged Smits and then Miller jumped on him as Pacers fans celebrated and Orlando’s players calmly walked off the court. Miller and Smits were immediately interviewed by NBC’s Ahmad Rashad. “I knew I had time enough to give him a fake,” Smits said.

Smits later said he envisioned hitting a shot – if he got one – as he walked out of the Pacers’ huddle. “It went exactly as I pictured it,” he said. “I’ve never hit a shot that big before in my career.”

He never did after that day, either. That shot, in fact, still stands as the single-greatest dagger in Pacers playoff history. None of their ABA playoff games were won on a buzzer-beater, nor were any other NBA playoff games. The closest to this one for peak moments was Byron Scott’s three-pointer that won Game 1 of the opening-round playoff series against Orlando the previous season, but it came with two seconds remaining.

Mark Jackson captured the historical merit of the moment.

“That’s a game you look at 10 years from now and say, ‘Wow!’” he said afterwards.

The wow factor still hasn’t faded.

See it here: Memorial Day NBA Vault: 1995 Magic vs Pacers- Rik Smits Hits The Game Winner

 

(17) Dec. 13, 1996

Reggie Miller, three-pointer

97-94 over Boston

The 1996-97 season was a dead zone amid the glory years of the nineties, when the Pacers reached the conference finals five times in a seven-year period. With Smits and McKey each injured for much of the season and Larry Brown having worn out his welcome as coach, the Pacers slogged their way to a 39-43 record and missed the playoffs.

Miller provided a highlight in December, however, when there was still hope. His 24-footer from the left angle at the final buzzer ended a three-game losing streak in the first home game after a six-game western road trip and improved the Pacers’ record to 9-11. Boston, which lost its eighth consecutive road game, was a good team to come home to.

Miller hit his shot over Greg Minor’s outstretched hand after running off McKey’s screen and taking an inbound pass from Vincent Askew with 1.2 seconds left. He celebrated by jumping on the scorer’s table and walking a few steps with his arms upraised, to the delight of the fans.

“Everybody in the house knew he was going to get the ball,” Celtics coach M.L. Carr said.

“Reggie Miller on one leg and a patch over his eye scares me,” Celtics guard Rick Fox added.

Miller, who finished with 25 points - 15 in the final 7 minutes, 12 seconds – found a ray of hope in the victory.

“It was an exciting win for us and hopefully we can carry on and get the city back to being energized,” he said. “The fans have always supported us through thick and thin, and we’re going to need them. Right now, we’re not playing our best basketball. This is when you need that sixth man. They helped pull us through tonight.”

The Pacers won four of their next five games to improve to 13-12 but were too shorthanded to reach the playoffs. Brown, who recorded his 1,000^th coaching victory in this game, moved on to Philadelphia after the season, setting the stage for Larry Bird’s arrival as coach.

This three-pointer can be seen amid a compilation of Miller’s greatest shots here: Reggie Miller Top 10 Plays of Career It’s No. 9. No. 10 does not qualify for this list because it only forced overtime - and the Pacers went on to lose. 

 

(18) Dec. 7, 1997

Reggie Miller, 17 feet

99-97 in Phoenix

NBA karma is real, but sometimes what precedes it is worth the cost.

The Pacers started slowly in Larry Bird’s first season as coach as they adjusted to a completely different way of doing things. But after a homecourt loss to Atlanta dropped them to 2-5, they began rolling toward the best record in their NBA history to that point, 58-24.

Their 99-97 overtime victory in Phoenix in December was their sixth straight and third in a row on the road. It also came on Larry Bird’s birthday. He was presented with a cake at the morning shootaround and Miller provided an appropriate finish to the day. With Mark Pope inbounding at midcourt with 2.5 seconds left, Miller caught the ball in stride while running toward the right baseline. He threw a head fake at Jason Kidd, then dribbled to the baseline and hit a floating shot as the buzzer sounded. You can watch it here: Reggie Miller Hits the Game-Winner vs the Suns

He ran off the court waving goodbye and then held his index finger to his lips, as if telling the sellout crowd of 19,000 fans to hush. Asked about it later in the locker room, he said, “It was almost like a rat pissing on cotton, it was so quiet. You’ve got to love it.”

Payback was coming, though. The Pacers lost their next two games on the western swing, in Utah and Portland. They also lost the rematch with Phoenix, on Jan. 6 at Market Square Arena, 81-80. This time, after Travis Best’s off-balance shot at the buzzer missed, the Suns danced off the floor and waved goodbye.

“We took a bad loss at home to these guys with Reggie waving at the crowd after the game,” Phoenix guard Rex Chapman said. “We don’t forget things like that.”

Suns forward Cliff Robinson remembered, too.

“I had to get Reggie back for that,” he said. “Really, I was waving at everybody. But he did see it. I know he saw it. I made sure of it.”

The Pacers hit just 3-of-16 shots in the third period but still trailed by only six points heading into the fourth. They limited the Suns to 14 points and forced five turnovers but couldn’t pull out the victory.

The loss provided a reset, however. Humbled, they won 12 of their next 13 games and ultimately reached the conference finals, where they lost to Chicago in seven games.

 

(19) Jan. 18, 2003

Jermaine O’Neal, 19-footer

88-86 vs. Detroit

If Reggie Miller had never seen anything like it, you know it was strange.

Jermine O’Neal hit a 19-foot shot off a broken play as time expired to give the Pacers an 88-86 victory over Detroit at Conseco Fieldhouse. But the verdict wasn’t final until 18 minutes later.

Time had not expired on the game clock when O’Neal let it go but might have on the shot clock. The Pacers had called a timeout after Brad Miller rebounded Chauncey Billups’ driving shot with 24.1 seconds remaining, but less time would have been available on the shot clock.  The referees, taking advantage of the replay rule that had been instituted that season, watched replays to determine whether the shot clock had expired. The players sat on the scorer’s table and milled around the court while perplexed fans stood and waited. Finally, the referees rule the shot counted.

“This might have been a first in my 15 years,” Reggie Miller said. “All along I thought it was good, but the longer it took, the more I wasn’t sure because maybe they saw something I didn’t.”

Coach Isiah Thomas tried to put the ball in Reggie’s hands on the final possession, but he had no shot available as he dribbled off Brad Miller’s screen. He passed to Erick Strickland, who drove to the basket but was cut off by three defenders. Strickland passed back to O’Neal, standing just right of the free throw circle, and O’Neal hit his only field goal in six attempts in the second half to avoid an overtime session.

The finish was controversial, naturally.

“It looked to me like the ball was still in (O’Neal’s) hands,” Detroit coach Rick Carlisle said. “I disagree with the decision.”

Thomas disagreed: “At the end of the day the most important thing is to get it right, and they got it right.”

The victory lifted the Pacers’ record to 29-11. They lost their next game, a rematch in Detroit two nights later, then ran off eight victories in their next 11 games to improve to 37-15. The bottom fell out at that point as injuries and personal issues among the players mounted. They finished 48-34 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Boston.

 

(20) Dec. 2, 2008

Troy Murphy, tip-in

118-117 vs. Los Angeles Lakers

There weren’t many highlights during the Jim O’Brien coaching era. He didn’t have superior talent to work with as team president Larry Bird was forced to rebuild the roster after Ron Artest’s trade demand in December of 2005 and the various nightclub incidents. O’Brien also failed to establish a strong connection with the players on hand.

A rare highlight came against the Lakers, who brought the league’s best record (14-1) into the Fieldhouse. The Pacers trailed by 16 points early in the fourth quarter but got back in the game with strong defense and rebounding. They finished with 19 offensive rebounds, the last of which won the game.

The final possession began with 12.8 seconds remaining. T.J. Ford drove and passed off to Rasho Nesterovic at the foul line. Nesterovic, who had to scramble to control the pass, then fed Marquis Daniels cutting to the basket. Daniels missed a reverse left-handed layup, but Murphy was able to get his left hand on the ball and tap it back toward the rim. It bounced back and forth four times before finally falling through as the buzzer sounded, giving the Pacers a 118-117 victory.

“It looked like it sat there forever,” Murphy said.

“It seemed like an eternity,” O’Brien added. “It was bouncing, bouncing, bouncing.”

Danny Granger led the Pacers, who improved to 7-10, with 32 points. Murphy had 16 points and 17 rebounds – six at the offensive end.

“We were very resilient,” Granger said. “We could have put our heads down and could have packed it up and went to Boston, but we kept playing …”

The Pacers were in a good mood as they flew to Boston (and back to reality) for a game the following night. They lost, 114-96, kicking off a six-game losing streak, and finished the season with a second consecutive 36-46 record.

See it here: Troy Murphy Pwns The Lakers!!!Game-winner! 12.2.08

 

(21) Jan. 7, 2009

Danny Granger, three-pointer

113-110 in Phoenix

Barely more than a month after Murphy’s dramatic tip-in, Danny Granger delivered another buzzer-beater at Phoenix.

The game was tied at 110 and the Pacers had the ball out of bounds with 0.9 seconds left. O’Brien set up an impressive inbound play, with Mike Dunlevy inbounding from near midcourt and the other four players lined up across the free throw line. Granger popped out, took the pass and immediately hoisted a shot over Steve Nash that swished. The buzzer sounded while the ball was in the air.

“It was exactly what we drew up,” Dunleavy said. “We went to the first option and Danny was the main option and he just stepped back there and drilled it. To win a game like that is like a cherry on a sundae.”

This was the peak moment of Granger’s peak NBA season. He finished with 37 points, five rebounds and six assists, and went on to average 25.8 points for the season. He had scored 35 and 36 points in the previous two games. He was voted to the all-star team the following month for the only time in his career.

“Coach drew up a great play,” Granger said. "We ran some people around and I ran away and I popped to the top and got a good look. When I got that open look, I let it go. I’m always confident it’s going in the hole. I got two screens and made the shot. This is a big momentum-builder for us.”

Actually, it didn’t work out that way. The Pacers lost the following three games of their western road trip, although all three were close.

See it here: Danny Granger Game Winner Against The Suns

 

(22) Dec. 20, 2010

Mike Dunleavy, tip-in

94-93 vs. New Orleans

Dunleavy took over the starring role two seasons later when he tipped in Granger’s shot at the buzzer for a 94-93 victory over New Orleans at the Fieldhouse.

O’Brien’s play call was for Dunleavy to inbound to Granger and hopefully recreate the game-winner in Phoenix. Granger got off a 21-foot shot that nearly fell through the basket but popped out. Dunleavy, alertly rushing to the rim after making the pass, got two fingers of his left hand on the ball left of the rim and barely nudged it back over the top.

Dunleavy ran downcourt with one finger in the air to celebrate before Granger and other teammates tackled him at the opposite baseline. They had earned the celebration after giving up a 13-point lead and fighting from behind. Future Pacer David West had hit a 19-foot jumper off a pick-and-roll with point guard Chris Childs to give the Hornets a one-point lead with 3.9 seconds left before Dunleavy delivered.

“I’ve seen other people do it, even some here, but that was my first (game-winner at the final buzzer),” Dunleavy said. “We were trying to get Danny a shot and my man went to help. I just took off for the basket hoping for a tip if he missed it.”

New Orleans aided the Pacers’ cause by not fouling after the inbound pass although it had one to give.

Granger led all scorers with 27 points.

This Pacers team was in a serious stage of transition. Paul George was a rookie, averaging 7.8 points per game. The other rookie, Lance Stephenson, was a non-factor, playing in just 12 games. The team’s double-figure scorers were Granger, Darren Collison, Roy Hibbert, Dunleavy and Tyler Hansbrough. Brandon Rush and Josh McRoberts were contributors as well. Jeff Foster was near the end of his career – he would play 11 games the following season before retiring – but West was on his way. He must have liked what he saw of the Pacers’ potential in this game because he picked them out as his desired destination as a free agent the following summer.

O’Brien also was nearing his end. The Pacers proceeded to lose 13 of their next 17 games after this victory and assistant coach Frank Vogel was elevated to replace him at the end of January. Vogel led a resurgence that carried the Pacers to their first playoff appearance in five seasons.

See it here: Mike Dunleavy's Game-Winning Tip

 

(23) Nov. 19, 2014

Solomon Hill, reverse putback

88-86 over Charlotte

By the time the Pacers won another game at the buzzer, their championship hopes had come and gone, and another rebuild was on the way.

They were coming off a season in which they reached the conference finals for a second consecutive year, but Paul George - by now one of the league’s brightest stars - had broken his leg while playing for Team USA the previous summer. Stephenson, who had led the league in triple-doubles the previous season and nearly made the all-star team, had departed as a free agent, much to his later regret.

Those losses were too much to overcome, and the Pacers were doomed to a 38-44 season. They won six straight games near the end of the season to put themselves in contention for a playoff spot but lost their final game at Memphis. George had returned for the final six games, but suffered another injury in Memphis and wouldn’t have been available for the playoffs anyway.

Hill provided a season highlight with a reverse, off-balance, buzzer-beating putback of Rodney Stuckey's air ball for an 88-86 win over Charlotte at the Fieldhouse. The victory was the Pacers’ fourth in the previous five games after a 1-6 start, but they wouldn’t build momentum for three more months.

The game marked Stephenson’s first return to the Fieldhouse after his surprising off-season departure. He played well enough, with 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and stayed calm emotionally. He also was guarding Stuckey on the last play, although Vogel said he wasn’t targeting Stephenson; he just thought Stuckey had the best chance of creating a shot.

Hill’s rebound enabled the Pacers to win despite hitting just 2-of-15 three-pointers and 16-of-24 foul shots.

“These are the games you have to learn how to win; when you're not shooting the ball well, do other things, find a way to win the game,” Vogel said. “The final play exemplified that.”

Hill deserved credit mostly for putting himself in a position to make the game-winning shot, rather than converting it.

“Usually in a situation like that, everybody is kind of ball-watching,” Hill said. “It’s the last shot of the game, a potential game-winner. Guys turn their head. I took advantage when (defender Gerald Henderson) turned his head and just tried to get to the rim. It came off and I was able to get it up in time.”

It appeared Hill was shoved in his lower back on the play – which might not have been a bad thing.

“I think that probably propelled me to throw it up a little bit more and felt like he helped me,” Hill said.  “So, we both got a game-winner.”

See it here: Solomon Hill Sinks the Game-Winning Putback - Taco Bell Buzzer Beater

 

(24) Nov. 28, 2022

Andrew Nembhard, three-pointer

116-115 over Lakers in Los Angeles

Victories over the Lakers in Los Angeles have always come hard for the Pacers, even in seasons when the Pacers were the better team. Something about being in the vicinity of Hollywood and in sight of the courtside celebrities usually proves to be a distraction.

They seemed on their way to producing another bomb at the box office on this date, falling behind by 17 points with 10 minutes left in the game. But they regrouped for a final push, outscoring the Lakers 32-14 while scoring on eight of their final nine possessions.

The surprise ending came via a supporting player, rookie Andrew Nembhard, whose three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Pacers a 116-115 victory one night after losing to the Clippers in the same building, Crypto.com Arena. The most impressive part of the final sequence, however, was what came before that.

Tyrese Haliburton, inbounding from side court with 8.7 seconds left, found Myles Turner wide open out front. Turner leaned back a bit as he released the shot, which banged off the front of the rim. Haliburton collected it at the three-point line off one bounce near where Turner had shot it and took four dribbles to his right, looking for an opening. It appeared at first as if he had let too much time run off the clock – “Oh, no, he held on to it too long,” television analyst Quinn Bucker said on the air – but he turned and fired a crosscourt pass to Nembhard on the left wing. The horn sounded shortly after Nembhard let it go, with LeBron James rushing at him with an upraised left arm. Nembhard stood and held his shooting pose as he watched the ball swish through the net.

Nembhard’s teammates, not to mention vice-president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, rushed to him at midcourt to celebrate as the stunned Lakers fans fell silent. Nembhard, who finished with 12 points, also played a major role in limiting James to 21 points on 8-of-22 shooting.

“Everything has to go wrong for you to lose a game like that and everything went wrong,” James said.

Not for Nembhard, who was playing his first game back after sitting out four with a knee bruise.

“You stay calm when you work in the gym for those types of moments, I think,” he said. “You just have to bring your confidence and when it comes, you just have to step up for the team. It was a great team win, we had a lot of contributions from a lot of guys, and it was just my turn to step up in that moment.”

See it here: Andrew Nembhard Buzzer-Beater Game-Winner to Beat the Lakers 🚨)

 

Tagged with: Andrew Nembhard, BIll Keller, Bob Netolicky, Chuck Person, Danny Granger, Darnell Hillman, Detlef Scrempf, George McGinnis, Herb Williams, Jerry Harkness, Mike Dunleavy, Roger Brown, Solomon Hill, Steve Chubin, Troy Murphy