Fans are supposed to hope. They are supposed to believe with all their heart even when it seems stupid to do so. That is what being a fan is all about.
And yet, as the offseason slowly ticks to an end, it feels as if the hopes of the fanbase are somehow becoming a curse instead of a message of hope. Specifically, it feels like what was once optimism is now blind delusion.
The Indiana Pacers will need to be a good team again before they are a great team. They will need to be a great team before they are a contender. Crucially, they will need to prove they are a contender before fans can dub them as such. There's a reason the NBA does not see them as an attraction.
It's hard to ask "fanatics" not to be, well, fanatical, but it also seems important not to get too ahead of themselves.
So many people are claiming that "if Tyrese Haliburton comes back healthy, the Pacers will be the best team in the East," as if winning a championship is that easy. The truth is less exciting; if Tyrese Haliburton is back at 100%, the Pacers have little more than a chance.
Winning a title is really, really hard, and trivializing it is setting everyone up for misery.
Direspect is how we get an underdog
It's so much fun to be an underdog. Expectations are minimal, and payoffs are massive. There are few other situations in which you cannot lose. The Pacers are set up for something similar for next year. While they can fail if they fail to return to the playoffs, even just getting back to the dance is a big step in the right direction.
The Pacers have clearly been disrespected by the schedule release. Tyrese Haliburton is right to be angry at the league for scheduling them against the paltry New Orleans Pelicans instead of a real team.
That seems to be the answer. Let the players be resentful. Let everyone else gloat at the end of it.
The Pacers can only be an underdog if everyone is surprised. The way the season is shaping up, no one will be surprised if the Pacers are good. Instead, they'll be crushed if they aren't.
So is life in the NBA. Every fanbase thinks that development is linear. If your team won 50 games one season, any less is a failure. There is no space for nuance, or for slow, steady change that takes years at a time. There is only space for vindication or crushing disappointment.
It feels as if there is a consensus that the two halves cannot coexist. You can't be a fan and also not be hugely optimistic. Conversely, if you have doubts, you're not a fan. But to be a real fan is to acknowledge that everything could go terribly wrong and to accept that you will be there regardless.
Be optimistic if you'd like. Be equally pessimistic if it suits you. But this will be a season full of answers that will take a lot of time to be found. From coaching to health to roster construction, every single bit of the Pacers' era will be poked and prodded until the truth of who they are becomes clear.
Prepare for many eventualities, because no matter what you think will happen, it probably won't.
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