Metta Sandiford-Artest on matchup between today's Pacers and his 04-05 squad: "We all could shoot, and everybody is playing defense"

The 2004-05 Indiana Pacers, headlined by Metta Sandiford-Artest (formerly Ron Artest), epitomized toughness, defense, and unmatched physicality. That's why, during his recent appearance on Keyshawn Johnson's All Facts No Brakes Podcast, the retired forward echoed his belief that today's Pacers wouldn't fare well in a hypothetical matchup with his squad.

"That team was one of the great teams [that never won a title]. I can't see a lot of teams in the NBA beating that team. I know one would argue. But when you got me and [Stephen Jackson] on the wings, Jermaine at the bottom, [Jamaal] Tinsley and Reggie Miller [at the backcourt], we all could shoot, and everybody is playing defense. There's not one person on that squad that's not playing defense. Everybody could score, so that would be really difficult," MWP argued .

2004-05 vs. 2023-24 Pacers

The 2004-05 Pacers are often overlooked when discussing the greatest NBA teams that didn't win it all. In fact, they are arguably the best group in franchise history. The squad had two MVP candidates in Artest and Jermaine O'Neal, both at their peak, a solid floor general in Jamaal Tinsley, a scrappy forward in Stephen Jackson, and a retiring legend in Reggie Miller, who remained productive despite being at the tail end of his career.

As for the current Pacers, they overachieved in the 2023-24 campaign and shocked the world by making it to the Eastern Conference Finals as a sixth seed. Led by Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, they boasted a high-octane offense and a reliably deep roster and are hopeful to run it back next season.

But despite their greatness, Artest thinks his two-way play and physicality alone would be too much for the Haliburton-led squad.

" You got me at 260 lbs on the perimeter. You're not even dealing with that. … At that time, I could guard one through five. 100%. I guarded Iverson, I've guarded Shaq like once or maybe for like two quarters," Metta said.

Ruined by the "Malice at the Palace"

It might be a coin toss which team would win in a hypothetical matchup. Still, there's a reason why Artest and his 2004-05 Indy squad are often considered one of the best teams without a championship—if it weren't for the "Malice at the Palace," they might not even be a part of that group.

Dubbed "the most infamous brawl in NBA history," the incident with the Detroit Pistons early in the 2004-05 season destroyed the Pacers' chances of winning a championship after most of their core was slapped with hefty fines and suspensions. Artest himself was suspended for the remainder of the season, while O'Neal and Jackson missed 45 games combined.

Before the fiasco ensued, Indiana was rolling as an early championship favorite, with Metta playing an MVP-caliber season, averaging 24.6 points, 6.4 boards, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals in 41.6 minutes per contest. And while he was able to bounce back, winning back-to-back titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010, the Pacers, unfortunately, weren't.

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