Two more championships, '72-73

Before the 1970-71 season a realignment of ABA teams landed the Pacers in the Western division. They won the division that year but were eliminated in the playoffs by the Utah Stars.

The Pacers signed George McGinnis for the 1971-72 season and he made an immediate impact, moving into the starting lineup at forward and sending Brown to the backcourt.

1972:

In the 1972 playoffs, the Pacers were nearly eliminated in the second round after they lost the first two games to Utah. Indiana came back to win the next two to even the series, then fell behind again with a Game 5 loss despite posting 41 points in the final quarter. In Game 6, McGinnis, Darnell Hillman and Rick Mount came off the bench in the second half to combine for 44 points and 23 rebounds to even the series again 3-3. In the final game at Salt Lake City, Billy Keller hit two free throws with 5 seconds left. The Pacers won, 117-113.

In the championship series against the New York Nets, Freddie Lewis and McGinnis were catalysts in a 4-2 series victory. More than 4,000 fans greeted the champs at the airport when they returned home.

1973:

In his second season, McGinnis averaged 27.6 points per game, second in the ABA only to Julius "Dr. J" Erving, and had 1,022 rebounds (fourth in the league).

At this stage of its history - with player such as of Erving, Dan Issel, Billy Cunningham and Artis Gilmore - the ABA could legitimately claim to be comparable to the rival NBA. The Pacers had McGinnis in his absolute prime, complemented brilliantly by Daniels, Lewis, Brown and Donnie Freeman. There was also remarkable depth with Hillman, Keller, Don Buse and Gus Johnson.

In the 1972-73 regular season the Pacers won a relatively modest 51 games and finished second in the West. In the post-season they were challenged in every playoff series, but won their second title in a row in perhaps the league's strongest year.

After getting past Denver and Utah, the Pacers faced the Kentucky Colonels in the finals. Kentucky protested Game 1, which Indiana won 111-107 in overtime. The dispute arose when Kentucky's Jim O'Brien missed the rim just before the shot clock expired. The officials could not hear the buzzer because of the noise at Freedom Hall, O'Brien got the ball back and made a second shot which would have broken a 100-100 tie. Following a conference, the officials negated the basket.

Gilmore and Issel combined for 57 points to win Game 2 for the Colonels and even the series. In the next game, McGinnis' try for a game-winning shot with 25 seconds was rejected by Gilmore and the Colonels won 92-88. Indiana squared the series, 90-86, in a raucous Game 4, during which Leonard was ejected after a second technical.

With the Pacers trailing in Game 5, McGinnis fumbled the ball out of bounds as he drove for the basket. Five seconds later, he stole a pass near mid-court, took the ball to the hoop and stuffed in the shot to give Indiana an 89-86 victory. Kentucky won Game 6, 109-93, at the Coliseum, forcing Indiana to again win a title on the road. The Pacers won the series in Game 7 by beating the Colonels 88-81.

In 1973-74, the Pacers, showing much of the same lineup that had created so much success earlier, seemed to age overnight. The team started slow, gaining its second-place spot on the season's final day. They won a seven-game playoff series 4-3 over San Antonio and then lost to Utah in the second round.