1999/00: At the dawning of a new Millennium the Pacer began a new era by moving into the Conseco Field house after 25 year at Market Square Arena. The Pacers would get off to a mediocre start splitting their first 14 games. However the Pacers would put it together and post a solid 56-26 record that was good enough to win their 2nd straight division title, along the way the Pacers won 25 straight at their new home. In the playoffs the Pacers were pushed to the limit by the Milwaukee Bucks surviving Game 5 by 2 points as Dale Davis pulled down a rebound off the Bucks desperation last second 3-pointer. In the 2nd round the Pacers would beat the Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games to set up a rematch with the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. After splitting the first 4 games the Pacers took Game 5 at home and closed the series out in 6 games as Reggie Miller buried the Knicks with 34 points, as the Pacers finally reached the NBA Finals. However, in the finals the Pacers would find themselves overmatched as they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games. Following Coach Larry Bird would chose not to renew his contract saying the daily grind of Coaching was too much.
2000/01: To replace Larry Bird at Coach the Pacers selected another Hall of Famer with roots in Indiana Isaiah Thomas. However, he would enter with a far different team then the one that went to the Finals, as Rik Smits retired, Chris Mullin was released, Dale Davis was traded to the Portland Trailblazers for Jermaine O'Neal, and Mark Jackson signed a free agent deal with the Toronto Raptors. With so many new faces the Pacers struggled early and barley made the playoffs with a record of 41-41, needing to win 9 of their final 12 games to secure the 8th seed. In the playoffs the Pacers would get off to a flying start as Reggie Miller nailed a 3-pointer in the final seconds to stun the Philadelphia 76ers. However the top seeded 76ers would rebound and win the next 3 games to take the series in 4 games.