The buzzer that ended the Pacers' season in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon closed down another bit of franchise history, one that dates back to the very beginning. Before the beginning, really.
Bill Bevan, the Pacers' official scorekeeper for nearly 49 seasons and a member of the stat crew for all 51 of them, officially retired from his position at that moment. Had the Pacers won, he would have been back in Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the home games in the second-round series with Toronto, and any rounds that might have followed. Basketball, however, is a fickle game, the outcomes are unpredictable, and one never knows when a career might end.