INDIANAPOLIS — What transpired at Gainbridge Fieldhouse last season, on the court and through the building, was a level of play and enthusiasm last savored in the days of Paul George, David West and Roy Hibbert.

The Indiana Pacers built on their trip to the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals by pushing to the 2025 NBA Finals . Coach Rick Carlisle and his team fended off a 3-2 deficit to Oklahoma City in their Fieldhouse farewell and forced Game 7 before losing the series and star guard Tyrese Haliburton to a ruptured Achilles tendon in the first quarter.

It was a coin flip between bad and worse.

“Building on” last season seems a bridge too far for the Pacers in 2025-26. Haliburton, hitting his prime after two All-Star and two All-NBA selections, will miss the entire season. Also, c

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