10 Reasons to Still Attend a Pacers Game

Between Paul George breaking his leg and Lance Stephenson defecting, the offseason was not kind to the Indiana Pacers. As a result, the Blue and Gold open the regular season (at home October 29 against Philadelphia) with a little less talent on the court. Okay, a lot less. But that shouldn’t keep you from going to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Here are 10 reasons to keep your gold swagger up:
1. Where else are you going to wear all that gold? You know it’s not really your color. It’s not anyone’s color.
2. The Pacers are the only team in the NBA (and possibly ever) with three guys named CJ on the roster. It’s a CJ Fair! Literally: One is named CJ Fair (no periods). There’s also C.J. Watson and C.J. Miles. Pick a CJ (any CJ) and get behind him. Better yet, have all three sign something.
3. Check out new Fox Sports reporter Jeremiah Johnson in person. The Hoosier native and Ball State graduate is the new Brooke Olzendam.
4. See how long it takes Frank Vogel to get a technical foul. Thanks to the head coach’s new contract extension, he should have plenty of money to pay the fine.
5. When the Pacers decide to FREE COPE (put dreadlocked fan favorite Chris Copeland into the game), the place goes wild. Might happen a lot more this season.
6. Because Pacers announcer Michael Grady will make “Damjan Rudez” sound even cooler.
7. Witness the second coming of Roy Hibbert. Or would this be the third coming of Roy Hibbert? Either way, you’ll want to be there.
8. See if David West has any new tattoos.
9. It took years to clean all that ketchup (Chicago Bulls jerseys) out of the Bankers Life Fieldhouse stands. We can’t just open the doors back up to them.
10. Paul George. In street clothes. Enough said.
 
Indy sports nut Heather Lloyd weighs in on all things Pacers and Colts on her blog, The Blue Mare.