INDIANAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 Rick Carlisle used the line after the Indiana Pacers won the Eastern Conference title earlier this month, the one that is the official motto for the state\u2019s basketball Hall of Fame and surely has been uttered for generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 49 other states, it\u2019s just basketball,\u201d said Carlisle, the Pacers\u2019 head coach. \u201cBut this is Indiana.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s true: Basketball never loses importance here. But these days, the state \u2014 and Indianapolis especially \u2014 probably feels like the center of the basketball universe.<\/p>\n
Indiana is the state that lays claim to Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson. It boasts the most recent team to finish an NCAA Division I men\u2019s season undefeated in Bob Knight\u2019s 1975-76 Indiana squad. It inspired the movie \u201cHoosiers,\u201d cheered Reggie Miller for the entirety of his Hall of Fame career and now has the talk of the women\u2019s game in Caitlin Clark for the WNBA\u2019s Fever \u2014 a team that might be playing for titles in Indianapolis before too long.<\/p>\n
Oh, and the Pacers are back in the NBA Finals, too.<\/p>\n
The NBA\u2019s title round returns to Indianapolis on Wednesday night for the first time in 25 years. Game 3, Oklahoma City at Indiana, series tied at a game apiece. In 49 other states, they\u2019ll be watching. In Indiana, they\u2019ll be seeing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019re making a valid point about the Fever and Caitlin being here,\u201d Carlisle said, when asked about the parallel between Indianapolis\u2019 two teams enjoying simultaneous success. \u201cBoth teams are teams that are working their way up and getting better. The level of interest is high. We\u2019ve always had great fans here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He would know. He\u2019s in his third stint as a resident of the Hoosier State. He was an assistant coach, then became Pacers head coach, then left for Dallas, then came back to coach the Pacers again.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s seen good times. He\u2019s seen bad times. He\u2019s now seeing crazed times. There are \u201cYes, \u2018Cers\u201d signs all over the city. The Pacers\u2019 chances are the talk of the bar at the famed St. Elmo Steak House, and yes, they\u2019re big Fever fans there as well.<\/p>\n
The Fever and Pacers are both owned by Herb Simon, the 90-year-old Hall of Famer who bought the NBA team more than 40 years ago. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Simon deserves much of the credit for what\u2019s happening in Indy these days.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs David Stern used to say, \u2018We\u2019re going to keep him at it until he gets it right.\u2019 And here we are,\u201d Silver said of Simon, referring to his predecessor as NBA commissioner. \u201cHe\u2019s the longest standing owner, governor in NBA history. And I\u2019m just so happy for him, to see the success. The cherry on top of the whipped cream is we have a WNBA All-Star game coming there this summer. And how appropriate that what is viewed as the heartland of basketball, the state of Indiana, is seeing all this success around the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Pacersmania and Caitlinmania, all at once, which means there are all sorts of things for Indy fans to be loving right now. There\u2019s a chance that Clark \u2014 who has been out with a quadriceps injury \u2014 could return to the Fever lineup on Saturday against the defending champion New York Liberty. That means it could be Pacers in a finals game Wednesday, Pacers in a finals game Friday, Clark\u2019s return against the WNBA champs on Saturday, all in one building.<\/p>\n
Clark was courtside when the Pacers beat New York to clinch the East title, and her celebration \u2014 a loud scream \u2014 went viral. She has breathed new life into the WNBA; about 16,000 people went to Fever home and away games last season, while the average for all other games not involving the Fever was about 8,500. This season\u2019s ratings have plummeted while she\u2019s been out with the leg injury; by Nielsen\u2019s numbers, nationally televised WNBA viewership is down 55% since she got hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaitlin is amazing,\u201d Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, a close friend of Clark, said earlier this season. \u201cFor me, getting to actually spend time around her, be around her, get to know her personally, she\u2019s just an amazing person and amazing player. … I think the Fever in general, they\u2019re like rock stars. They\u2019re a big part of the growth behind that league.\u201d<\/p>\n
A big part of Indianapolis\u2019 basketball renaissance, too.<\/p>\n
People here never forget about the game. And on Sundays in football season, the predominantly gold Pacers and Fever jerseys get traded for the blue and white of the NFL\u2019s Indianapolis Colts. The rest of the time, in good or bad, it seems basketball is always the go-to for fandom among Hoosiers.<\/p>\n
After all, in 49 other states, it\u2019s just basketball. But this is Indiana.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I can\u2019t wait to see how rocking and loud this place is,\u201d Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith said when asked what he thinks Game 3 will feel like. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a special, special moment for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n