Indiana Pacers: A franchise to be thankful for this holiday season

Boomer, Indiana Pacers (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Boomer, Indiana Pacers (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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The Indiana Pacers are coming off a week in which they started a winning streak against teams they probably had no business competing with. They are playing at a high level at the moment, and believe me, I’m here for it.

But it got me thinking, why do I love the Pacers so much? Why do I follow a franchise that seems to never be able to get off the hump? So I started thinking about the things that I love most about the Indiana Pacers and wanted to share with our readers this holiday season.

1. The Indiana Pacers build from the bottom up

There is something about the Indiana Pacers, where we know that anytime they make a move it is of greater importance than a team like Los Angeles or New York. The Pacers have to build up their talent through the draft and through smart trades. Sometimes it causes us to avoid making moves due to the risk.

A current example would be the Los Angeles Lakers. They find themselves in a predicament where they have moved all available assets title-chasing by adding superstars. This was a high-risk move that paid off, but has left the franchise without many options at the current moment. Could the Pacers do this? Maybe, but the cost would be greater.

2. Casual NBA fans find the Indiana Pacers to be a boring franchise.

There’s something to be said to be rooting for the underdog. The team that shows up and nobody expects much out of. The team that doesn’t come from the major market with all of their unearned superstar additions. The team that has never won an NBA title.

Given that superstars don’t often choose to come to flyover states like ours, every draft pick and every trade potential has that much more value. We have to rely on the franchise, not the market, to get players to Indiana.

3. Every magical moment they have given me.

I owe a lot of my basketball fandom to the Indiana Pacers. I love all of the wins we have had over the years: Reggie hitting a last second three over Jordan. Paul George dunking on Lebron in the conference finals. Jermaine O’Neal battling it out with Shaq in the NBA finals.

It makes getting a player like Tyrese Haliburton on the roster to inspire the imagination to what crazy moments could be waiting on the front doorstep of the Pacers this upcoming year and after. I approach every season with hope for more magical moments. Moments that I can share and reminisce on during the holidays, over a meal, or with my kids.

I hope you find a reason to be thankful for the Pacers this holiday season, I know I am.

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