When the Indiana Pacers host Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), it will be the first Finals game in Indianapolis in a quarter century. Yet this Pacers' run is still ahead of schedule -- if it was even scheduled at all.
Despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals last spring, Indiana was a heavy underdog to get back as the No. 4 seed, let alone advance further. The Pacers needed to knock off a 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers in Round 2, then win a second series over the No. 3 seeded New York Knicks without the benefit of home-court advantage.