[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 93 (Wednesday, May 31, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 228--RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDIANA 
  PACERS' 1972-1973 AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP AND 
 THEIR THIRD AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP IN 5 SEASONS

  Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. Young) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation:

                              S. Res. 228

       Whereas the Indiana Pacers were founded in 1967, as members 
     of the American Basketball Association;
       Whereas the Indiana Pacers won American Basketball 
     Association Championships in the 1969-1970, 1971-1972, and 
     1972-1973 seasons and had 2 other championship appearances;
       Whereas, during the seasons between 1970 and 1975, the 
     Indiana Pacers averaged 51 wins per season;
       Whereas Mel Daniels, Freddie Lewis, Roger Brown, and Billy 
     Keller were members of all 3 Indiana Pacers championship 
     teams;
       Whereas the 1973 Indiana Pacers championship team had a 
     strong native Hoosier presence on the team;
       Whereas the 1973 Indiana Pacers championship team was built 
     around George McGinnis, who attended George Washington 
     Community High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and later 
     attended Indiana University;
       Whereas Billy Keller attended George Washington Community 
     High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and later attended 
     Purdue University;
       Whereas Don Buse attended Holland High School in Holland, 
     Indiana, and Evansville College in Evansville, Indiana;
       Whereas, during the 1972-1973 season, Don Buse, a rookie, 
     made several contributions, and Gus Johnson, a National 
     Basketball Association veteran at the end of his career, was 
     brought onto the team to bring bench strength and leadership;
       Whereas the revived group finished with a 51 to 33 record 
     after winning 11 consecutive games late in the 1972-1973 
     season, the fourth-best record in the league behind the 
     Carolina Cougars and the Kentucky Colonels in the East and 
     the Utah Stars in the West;
       Whereas the Indiana Pacers took control of the 1972-1973 
     series by winning Game 4 on the home court of the Houston 
     Rockets, as Billy Keller hit a game-winning 3-pointer from 
     the left wing off a broken play with 14 seconds left for a 97 
     to 95 victory;
       Whereas that shot gained historical value in passing years 
     because William Robert ``Slick'' Leonard rose off the bench 
     and shouted, ``Boom, Baby!'' as the ball dropped through the 
     net;
       Whereas ``Boom, Baby!'' would become William Robert 
     ``Slick'' Leonard's signature call as a broadcaster on every 
     3-pointer by the Indiana Pacers in following decades;
       Whereas, on May 12, 1973, the Indiana Pacers beat the 
     Kentucky Colonels 88 to 81 in Game 7 of the American 
     Basketball Association Championship; and
       Whereas that win gave the Indiana Pacers their third and 
     final American Basketball Association title, the most titles 
     held by a team in the history of the American Basketball 
     Association: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) basketball has a rich history and passionate fan base 
     in the Hoosier State and the Indiana Pacers have highlighted 
     that rich history during the time in which they participated 
     in the American Basketball Association; and
       (2) the history of the Indiana Pacers and their storied 
     legacy should be recognized, especially during 2023, which 
     marks the 50th anniversary of the Indiana Pacers' third and 
     last American Basketball Association title and championship.

                          ____________________