1995–96 Indiana Pacers season

The 1995–96 Indiana Pacers season was the 20th season for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association, and their 29th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Pacers signed free agents Ricky Pierce and Eddie Johnson.

With the addition of Pierce and Johnson, the Pacers struggled with a 6–8 start to the regular season, as Rik Smits missed 19 games due to an ankle injury. However, the team posted a 14–2 record in January, which included a seven-game winning streak, and later on held a 31–16 record at the All-Star break. The Pacers won eight of their final nine games of the season, and finished in second place in the Central Division with a 52–30 record, which was the same record as the previous season, earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference; the team also qualified for the NBA playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.

Reggie Miller led the Pacers in scoring averaging 21.1 points per game, led them with 168 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Smits averaged 18.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. In addition, Derrick McKey provided the team with 11.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Dale Davis provided with 10.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, and Mark Jackson contributed 10.0 points and 7.8 assists per game. Off the bench, Pierce contributed 9.7 points per game, while sixth man Antonio Davis averaged 8.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, Johnson contributed 7.7 points per game, and Haywood Workman provided with 3.6 points and 2.8 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Miller was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team. The Pacers were also the only team in the league to beat the Chicago Bulls twice during their historic 72–10 season, with a 103–97 home win at the Market Square Arena on December 26, 1995, and a 100–99 road win at the United Center on April 20, 1996. However, during the final month of the regular season, Miller suffered an eye socket injury.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1996 NBA playoffs, and for the third consecutive year, the Pacers faced off against the 6th–seeded Atlanta Hawks, a team that featured Steve Smith, Mookie Blaylock and Grant Long. Without Miller, the Pacers used Pierce as their starting shooting guard in his absence. The Hawks took a 2–1 series lead, but the Pacers managed to win Game 4 on the road, 83–75 at the Omni Coliseum to even the series. Miller returned to play in Game 5 at the Market Square Arena, scoring 29 points while wearing protective eye goggles; however, the Pacers lost to the Hawks at home, 89–87, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.

The Pacers finished 17th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 673,967 at the Market Square Arena during the regular season. Following the season, Jackson and Pierce were both traded to the Denver Nuggets.

One notable incident of the regular season occurred on November 10, 1995, during a home game against the Sacramento Kings at the Market Square Arena, in which a brawl occurred. During the third quarter, Dale Davis fouled Kings guard Bobby Hurley hard as he drove into the lane; Kings forward Michael Smith confronted Davis, as both players fought with each other. Players from both teams left the bench to break up the fight. A total of 16 players were fined and suspended; Davis and Smith were both suspended for two games and fined $20,000, while 14 players, seven from each team, were all suspended for one game for leaving the bench during an altercation. 13 of the players that left the bench were all fined $2,500, while Kings center Duane Causwell was fined $7,500, because he did not try to break up the fight. The Pacers lost to the Kings, 119–95.