View Full Version : Is being a fan only about blind devotion? The 04-05 Pacers challenge another "given".

Los Angeles
05-14-2005, 06:19 AM
A couple of times now DK - a true, blue Knicks man - has used the term "us" when describing Pacers fans - OK, maybe he just meant fellow members of PD, but it was enough for a few to call him out on it.

This got me thinking.

Honestly, why shouldn't Rimfire like more than one team? And if he follows more than one, is there really a better story to follow this year than the one in Indiana?

It's funny - I had a talk with some west coasters about the Pacers and they couldn't believe the stories I was sharing - the fast start, the "take time off" bit, the fight, the "Hoosiers"-like four games after, the maddening decline, the injuries, the line-ups, the playoff position run, the retirement, the 7 games against Boston. And here's the question that capped it all off during my storytelling: "This all happened this year? In ONE season?!?"

Yes. And the Pacers are still alive. And they are still fighting. I don't think any team in any sport has seen a season like this.

By geographical association alone, DK, and everyone in Indiana has the privilege of being a part of something unique - maybe even spectacular.

It's that kind of year. It's a year of crazy stories and emotional extremes. It's the kind of year that can turn the curious, or merely "casually informed", into F-A-N fans.

Honestly, I think there's a story in this team anyone and everyone could identify with - Anyone who's looked at long odds, faced adversity, defied expectations.

So yes, I welcome all fans of all teams to the most gut wrenching and riveting fan experience in modern NBA memory. Few have made it through the heartache, but those who survived have been rewarded by the journey itself.

I love following THIS pacers team - and I mean this particular collection of guys - more than any NBA team in my history as a fan. Frankly, I'm surprised there aren't more people - even fans who have sworn allegiance to other teams - using "us" or "we" when they really mean "you Pacers people". Not everybody has to have blind devotion to colors - there are MEN in those Blue Gold and White uniforms, and they have stories to tell. I for one am watching, listening, relating and sharing those stories whenever I can.

05-14-2005, 08:31 AM
Well, I've thought something special's been happening for some time. That team has just hunkered down and tightened their belt every time something happened.

Just HOW special will depend on how many more W's they get but it's already special.

Back in '93 the Pacers were my 2nd team - but then came the rest of the 90's and you all know what happened then. I'm pretty much back there again, especially since we aren't competitive.

I didn't feel that way last year. 61 wins or not, they still had something of that whiny brat attitude - not like the previous 3 years but some. It's not there now. I don't see any player getting more wrapped up in himself than the team. I don't see Jermaine O'Neal pouting on the bench after fouling out with 2:30 left in a tough playoff game. I don't see Stephen Jackson losing his cool and going to ISO's to prove something after he can't buy a foul call going to the basket.

What is see is Jeff Foster coming in and with a display of energy and will nearly taking over games on the boards. What I see is, when the starters aren't getting it done, AJ, Freddie and James Jones coming up with huge games just when their team needs it most.

And what I see is a coach who's not afraid to stand up in front of God (meaning David Stern) and everybody and say, "No Larry - it's too much. Don't take anything away from what my guys have done. They've worked too hard, overcome too much for me to let you cheapen an accomplishment like that."

So yeah - there's something special going on here and nothing would make me happier (other than a NYK ping-pong ball floating to the top in a couple of weeks) than to see the Pacers say, "Screw you David Stern - you can't ruin our season. And Ron, you let us down bigger than any player has let his team down in the history of the NBA and we're going to win this thing anyway."

The last time I thought I was seeing something like this was in 1999 when an 8th seed who had to struggle just to make the playoffs lost one of their best players in franchise history and then lost the one guy the team thought they could use to replace some of what he gave them - and just kept winning.

But what the Pacers have done is bigger, and has building for a longer time.