My hand’s up. Especially during the late ’80s and all through the ’90s — the Michael Jordan era — I was a die-hard Bulls fan. Back then, the Pacers were rivals, not a team to root for. Honestly, I’m not even a little ashamed to say I cheered harder for the Bulls than I did for IU basketball — and I loved those early ’90s Hoosiers teams. The late-’90s squads? Not so much.
My feelings toward the Pacers started to shift a bit when I worked at the Indianapolis Star from 2008 to 2011. Local loyalty kicked in, and let’s face it: the Bulls haven’t been back to the Finals since Jordan’s last run in ’98. Still, most folks from “The Region” stick with the Bulls over the Pacers — and I’d expect them to vote that way in any popularity poll.
There’s definitely some truth to the geographic divide further south, too — especially among older fans who remember the fierce ABA rivalry between the Pacers and the Kentucky Colonels. I know plenty of people in the Jeffersonville area who hated the Pacers back in the ’60s and ’70s, and when the NBA absorbed the Pacers but left the Colonels behind, that resentment only deepened. Some of those folks have ignored the NBA ever since.
I’m curious what becomes of that 28.7 percent who say they “watch only when they are good.” Personally, I stay focused on college basketball during the winter, but I keep an eye on the NBA too — especially when it comes to our IU guys like Trayce Jackson-Davis, OG Anunoby, and Thomas Bryant (who’s now in the Finals with the Pacers).
And you know what? The Pacers are fun to watch. I genuinely enjoy this team. For the second straight year, they’ve made a serious postseason run — and now they’re just two wins away from their first NBA title. Game 5’s in Oklahoma City on Monday night, and I’ll be watching. Game 6 is back in Indy on Thursday. Game 7, if needed, is Sunday in OKC.
If the Pacers actually pull this off — if they win it all — I wonder how much those poll numbers will shift.
Would it change your mind?
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