Schedule and 2005-06 Results
Regular Season Records: New Jersey 49-33, Indiana 41-41
Game 1 on Sunday, 23 April: Indiana wins at New Jersey, 90-pts-88
Game 2 on Tuesday, 25 April: Indiana loses at New Jersey, 90-pts-75
Game 3 on Thursday, 27 April: New Jersey loses at Indiana, 107-pts-95
Game 4 on Saturday, 29 April: New Jersey wins at Indiana, 97-pts-88
Game 5 on Tuesday, 02 May: Indiana loses at New Jersey, 92-pts-86
Game 6 on Thursday, 04 May: New Jersey wins at Indiana, 96-pts-90

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: Winning their third consecutive best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 974 game, the New Jersey Nets visited and defeated the Indiana Pacers 96-pts-90 to complete a 4-games-2 victory in series 974. With their series 974 victory, the New Jersey Nets improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 7-5. with their series 974 loss, the Indiana Pacers see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 9-9. The win order for the victorious New Jersey Nets in series 974 was LWLWWW: Series 974 thus becomes the first NBA Preliminary-round series, the seventh NBA series (all rounds), and the 22nd MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow the LWLWWW win order.

After Game 5: For the first time in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 974, a team has won back-to-back games as the New Jersey Nets hosted and defeated the Indiana Pacers 92-pts-86 to take a 3-games-2 series 974 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the New Jersey Nets sport a series record of 2-1. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Indiana Pacers have a perfect series record of 0-7.

After Game 4: The New Jersey Nets visited and defeated the Indiana Pacers 97-pts-88, thereby tying best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 974 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the New Jersey Nets have a series record of 2-3, while the Indiana Pacers have a series record of 3-6.

After Game 3: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 974 relocating to Indiana for Games 3 and 4, the host Pacers defeated the New Jersey Nets 107-pts-95 to take a 2-games-1 series 974 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Indiana Pacers have a 6-1 series record, with the sole loss occurring in their last such series (series 948, against the Detroit Pistons in the 2005 NBA Quarterfinals or Conference Semifinals). When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the New Jersey Nets have a 1-3 series record.

After Game 2: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 974 featuring 90 points for the winning team after each of Games 1 and 2, the New Jersey Nets hosted and defeated the Indiana Pacers 90-pts-75 to knot series 974 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Indiana Pacers have a series record of 3-4, while that for the New Jersey Nets is 2-2.

After Game 1: Becoming the only team to win a 2006 NBA Preliminary-round Game 1 on the road, the Indiana Pacers visited and defeated the New Jersey Nets, 90-pts-88. Indiana thus takes a 1-game-nil best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 974 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Indiana Pacers have a series record of 8-1 (the sole loss occurred in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 933, in the 2004 NBA Semifinals vs. the Detroit Pistons); when trailing 1-game-nil, the New Jersey Nets have a series record of 0-4.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2005-06 regular season, New Jersey finished eight games ahead of Indiana. Through the 2005 MLB Finals, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by eight regular-season games, they have posted a 16-4 (.800) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 974 is the 18th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for Indiana, and the 12th for New Jersey. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, Indiana has a 9-8 series record, a 2-1 Prelim-round series record, and a 9-8 Game 1 record, while New Jersey has a 6-5 series record, a 2-1 Prelim-round record, and a 7-4 Game 1 record. Series 974 is the first NBA best-of-7 playoff meeting between Indiana and New Jersey.