By MARK MONTIETH
The Indianapolis Star

They knew even then that they were part of something special, rare and fragile. When Indiana Pacers players huddled before taking the court during their annual runs at a conference championship, Mark Jackson reminded them of it.

"Mark would always say to appreciate what was going on at that time," Travis Best said. "He had been in situations where a team wasn't winning and everybody didn't get along, so he knew.

"Everybody appreciated it for what it was worth. Nobody took it for granted."

Ten former Pacers are scattered throughout the NBA. And while some left voluntarily to pursue more playing time or a better contract, all seem to look back on their time in Indianapolis with nostalgia. They won, they got along well with their teammates and they played for a stable franchise with passionate fans.

Now, only three play on teams that will compete in the playoffs, as the Pacers will for the 13th time in the past 14 seasons.

Forward Dale Davis, traded to the Portland Trail blazers for Jermaine O'Neal in 2000, starts for the Blazers, although out of position at center. Jackson, who took Toronto's free agency offer that was slightly better than the Pacers' in 2000, has since been traded twice and is now a backup in Utah. The only other ex-Pacer on a playoff team is Bruno Sundov, who rarely plays for Boston.

The rest have learned how the other half lives.

Jalen Rose and Fred Hoiberg are in Chicago, where the Bulls' rebuilding effort is finally starting to show signs of life. Antonio Davis is in Toronto, where he completed the most frustrating season of his career on the injured list. Best is in Miami, playing out a similarly disappointing season and facing a second consecutive summer of free agency.

Kevin Ollie, a Pacer for one-third of last season, is in Seattle, also facing another summer of free agency. Erick Dampier starts for a promising Golden State team but was asking for a trade earlier this season and faces an uncertain future. Mark Pope, still clinging to an NBA career, has spent the season on New York's injured list.

They all claim fond memories of their time with the Pacers. Dale Davis, Rose and Best, in fact, still own homes in Indianapolis." Obviously, we still love Indiana," Rose said.

The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference finals five times over a seven-year period beginning in 1994, capped by a trip to the NBA Finals in 2000. Those teams were largely assembled through the draft, although trades brought in Jackson and Rose.

Because of the slow, calculated manner in which they were brought together, they had time to build unique, cohesive relationships both on and off the court.

"We had as good as chemistry as you're going to find," said Hoiberg, a backup guard for four seasons, including the first two Larry Bird-coached teams that reached the conference finals. "It was fun every day to go into work. We had guys committed to winning a championship and they were willing to play their roles."

None expresses regret over leaving, figuring they did what they thought was best for them at the time. But they'd all love to be able to go back and recapture their past.

Antonio Davis, for example, has profited in Toronto. He made the All-Star team one season and signed a contract that still owes him $37 million over the next three years.

"At times I wish I had stayed," he said. "I could have waited if I had known things were going to unfold the way they did. (The Pacers) are doing well, the city's growing, everything's great there."

But they're not sure that the current Pacers can equal their feats.

"The only thing they can do that we didn't do was win it all," Rose said. "At this point, they're not favorites to do that."