Michael Jordan's Top 10 Moments vs the Pacers

As Michael Jordan prepares to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, most websites are collating his all-time greatest games, moves, shots, dunks and memories. Accordingly, I thought it would be the perfect time to take a look at Jordan's top 10 most memorable moments against the Indiana Pacers. Now bear in mind, this list was compiled from the perspective of the Pacers, a team whose championship hopes were crushed by Jordan and his Bulls year after year during his reign. From a purely competitive angle, Pacers supporters loathed Jordan, but like all pure basketball fans, they couldn't help but respect his supreme abilities. Accordingly, this list contains both Jordan's best and worst moments.Without further ado, let the countdown begin!Number 10: Pacers DebutOn 10 November 1984, in his 8th professional game, a rookie named Michael Jordan debuts at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. He didn't have a bad game either, scoring 27 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists in a 118-116 victory for the Chicago Bulls. Little did Pacers fans know at the time, this rookie would go on to be widely considered the greatest of all time.Number 9: Reggie makes Michael lose his cool10 February 1993: the Bulls visit the Pacers in Indiana for a regular season game. Reggie Miller tips in a fast break miss and crashes into Jordan under the basket. An ordinarily calm Jordan retaliates and attempts to scratch Reggie's eyes out in one of the least masculine 'fights' in NBA history. Big mistake. Jordan finishes with 40 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists in a 115-104 road victory for the Bulls.Number 8: Jordan, Pippen, Rodman dominate the Pacers in IndianaThis one was embarrassing. On 18 February 1996, Jordan dismantles the Pacers with 44 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in a 110-102 win in Indiana. More amazingly, Scottie Pippen 'chipped in' for 40, marking the 9th time in NBA history that 2 teammates each scored 40 or more in a single game. By the way, Dennis Rodman also grabbed a season-high 23 rebounds. This was just another victory for the Bulls on their way to an NBA record 72 wins. Pacers fans will no doubt remind everyone that Indiana was the ONLY team in the NBA to hand the Bulls 2 losses that season.Number 7: Pacers bring Jordan back down to earthHis Airness scores only 6 points in a 108-81 flogging at the hands of the Pacers in Indiana on 27 December 2001. Sure, it was during his uninspiring second come back with the Washington Wizards, but it marked one of the lowest point totals in his career and also ended his insane streak of double-digit scoring games at 866.Number 6: Farewell to the GreatestMichael Jordan played his last game against Indiana on 25 February 2003 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. As a 40-year-old, Jordan showed why he was still the greatest, scoring 25 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing 3 assists in a 83-78 win for the Wizards.Number 5: Jordan defies age against PacersIf you thought number 6 was impressive, take a look at this line: 41 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assist and 3 steals - and a 107-104 win over Indiana in Washington. This was Jordan's second last game against the Pacers, just 6 weeks before his 40th birthday.Number 4: He's back!With just two words ('I'm back"), Michael Jordan signaled his return to the NBA following his unsuccessful stint in baseball. His first game back just happened to be at Market Square Arena on 19 March 1995 against the rising Indiana Pacers. The Pacers would play the role of the spoiler that night in a nationally televised game, defeating the Bulls 106-93 and holding Jordan to only 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, on 7 of 28 shooting. Number 3: Jordan rips Pacers for 53Jordan's career high against the Pacers came relatively early in his career on 12 April 1987 in a 116-95 blowout win in Chicago. Mike was simply unstoppable that night, torching the hapless Pacers for 53 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting a ridiculous 20-28 from the field and 13-15 from the line. Pacers fans can take solace in the fact that Jordan would never score that many points against them ever again.Number 2: Michael Jordan, triple-double machineMichael Jordan recorded 2 triple-doubles against the Pacers in his career, and none was more impressive than his 47 point, 13 rebound and 11 assist performance at Market Square Arena on 13 April 1989. Jordan had been on a hot streak of supernatural proportions at the time, having just ended his streak of 7 consecutive triple-doubles a couple of games before this one in Indiana. But wait, Pacers fans, the Bulls lost that game 109-105! Take that!Number 1: The Push-OffIf you ask any Pacers fan to recall their favorite Pacers-related Jordan moment, chances are they will bring up the infamous 'push-off'. It was Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. One of the best Pacers teams in recent history (Miller, Jackson, Smits, the Davises, Mullin, Rose, McKey, Best and Croshere) were down 2-1 against the two-time defending champions Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. A win would tie the series. A loss would mean a 3-1 deficit and almost-certain defeat.Fast-forward to the 4th quarter. The Pacers are down 94-93, 2.9 seconds to go. Pacers ball. Reggie Miller comes off a double screen and blatantly shoves Jordan with both hands to free himself. Reggie catches a the ball, turns in rhythm, jumps, releases. Time stops as the ball drifts through the air, until...SWISH. Nothing but nylon. 96-94! No one can believe their eyes (and their ears). Miraculously, the call doesn't go Jordan's way.But hang on, the game's not over yet. There's still 0.7 seconds on the clock. Bulls inbound, and you guessed it, the ball ends up in the hands of Michael Jordan, who releases what would have been a game-winning three at the buzzer. Off the glass, and for a moment the ball looked like it was going in. But at the last moment, the ball rolls out. The Pacers breathe a collective sigh of relief. Debate rages on to this day. Was it an offensive foul? Should one have been called? Was it home court advantage? Would Jordan have gotten the same call? What if Jordan hit that shot? I guess it doesn't matter in the end. The Bulls would go on to win the series in 7 games en route to Jordan's 6th and final NBA Championship. And no matter what, the game would go down as having one of the most exciting finishes in playoff history.So there you have it, my top 10 Michael Jordan moments against the Indiana Pacers. Was the order wrong? Have I missed any? What are your favorite Jordan moments against the Pacers? Have your say!