Pacers Courtside

I have never been so pleased with a Pacers loss.  Sure I would rather see them get a “W”, but this was an acceptable loss. The Pacers competed at a high level until the final buzzer against one of the top veteran teams in the league. The only weakness they showed in their season opener was turnovers, a whopping 21 of them. But turnovers are fixable and are not completely unexpected for a young team full of new faces trying to learn how to play with each other. Oh and did I mention they played without their starting shooting guard Mike Dunleavy who not only scores 19 points a game, but also seems to be the oil that keeps the gears of the team running smoothly. Read the rest of this entry »

Conseco Fieldhouse seemed packed at the Pacers FanJam compared to a regular season game during the last 2007-2008 season. There was a huge crowd waiting for doors to open, a huge crowd trying to get up the stairs and into the Fieldhouse, and the long lines for free hot dogs, chips, and drinks lasted for at least an hour. It was packed, which is obviously a good thing for the Pacers. Read the rest of this entry »

Check out all of the healthy Indiana Pacers playing Knockout at the Pacers FanJam 2008. Granger, Murphy, Foster, Hibbert, Rush, McRoberts, Daniels, Graham and Jack; and the top two players play the top two fans. (Which Bob Kravitz did not make.) The crowd got a kick out of Hibbert and Foster throwing the basketball at other players. You will probably be surprised which two Pacers make it to the end of the game.

(Watch higher quality video here)

George McGinnis and Darnell Hillman talk about community support for the team, including the importance of Simon ownership.

Check out Bob Kravitz competing with others to go against the two best Pacers from the second round of Knockout. He’s the second, and shortest, to shoot. We count down as he misses not one, not two, but SIX shots in a row! That’s right sports fans. Get a load of this sports expert . . .

If the Indiana Pacers thought it was bad now, they might want to think twice. We all know the Pacers had a hard time the past couple of years, with the NBA’s lowest attendance average of 12,221 per game, but most of the teams in the NBA have struggled as well. With the current economic situation, NBA teams have recently turned to the same strategy the Pacers have used since shortly after the brawl.

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Jeff Foster wrote a little piece on his thoughts about the future of the Indiana Pacers. Fortunately, Foster’s contract was extended this year as we need his rebounds, hustle and great attitude. This part was right on target:

I’ve been here through the good times and the bad. I’m not about to jump ship. We took a couple of hits but we’re coming back from them. I’m excited about the future and signing a contract extension was something I wanted to do and I’m glad they were willing to give me that option. This is an organization that, if you do things the right way in the community and on the court, they’ll take care of you in the long run.

It was very important the Pacers took care of Jeff in the long run. If anyone deserved it, it was Foster.

Jeff Foster’s Veteran Insights on Indiana Pacers

Mel Daniels, George McGinnis and Bob Netolicky reflect on their ABA careers with the Pacers.