When Chuck Person arrived in Indiana in 1986, the Pacers hadn’t won a playoff game since 1976—they made just one postseason appearance and were swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1981. However, all of that would change with The Rifleman in town.
Not only did Person win the 1987 Rookie of the Year award, but he also led Indiana back to the playoffs in 1987 and 1990. Although they did not make it out of the first round during both years, the Pacers were starting to build something special, and it was only a matter of time before they would take that next step. That nearly happened in 1991, when Indiana pushed the Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination in their first-round series.
“Before I got there and before Reggie got there, the only time the Pacers would have sellouts was if the Lakers came to town or if Larry Bird came to town,” Person said . “We felt a responsibility to say, ‘Hey, Market Square Arena, Indianapolis is the Pacers’ hometown and not Larry’s.’ We took on that attitude (during the series) and said we’re going to take our city back.”
Pacers take Celtics to a Game 5
After the Celtics took the series opener, Chuck responded with a 39-point explosion as the Pacers stole Game 2 at the fabled Boston Garden. The C’s took back the home-court advantage with Kevin McHale scoring 22 in Game 3. But Person and Co. refused to go away as The Rifleman scored 30 points in Game 4 to send the series to a winner-take-all Game 5 in Boston…