[I've been doing my best to not mention this "anniversary" and now thanks to duke dynamite, I don't have to.  -CR]

It just won't go away!

Four years ago this week we witnessed one of the most awful events in sports history...The Brawl at Auburn Hills. I hope you like the title, because it can mean two things.

In the "Back to the Future" sci-fi world, it could mean, "What if the brawl didn't happen? Would we have been a good team and make it to the Finals?" "Would Reggie have retired that year?" "Would our attendance be so low?" Or it could mean, "Would Danny Granger..." You can put anything in there. Would've he had been a Pacer, the night club incidents, Mel Mel getting injured or sick all the time. Take your pick.  It could go either way. There are a million scenarios that could come to play within this four-year time period.

I myself am happy with the team's progress so far, but it's always hard not to look back and ask yourself, "what if?"

Now, on to things that matter in 2008...

I'm sure most of you are still mulling over what I said earlier in the week about my opinion of O'Brien, well...I still feel the same way, but I'll let it slide.

We've been the center of a lot of attention lately. Losing two heartbreakers in a row and coming back to a big win against apparently one of the toughest teams in the East. (I still think Atlanta isn't that good...yet.) At one point last week we were 6th in Hollinger's ESPN Power Rankings. Sweeeet.

On the eve of another challenge, the Pacers still them see themselves in an uphill climb. Orlando has seemed to remain close to the top of the East after a slow start. This team has some great talent, and it's up to the newly-found Indiana Defense to try and stop Dwight Howard. Last year's Most-Improved Player, Hedo Turgolu, has a really nice outside shot, and could put the lights out against any team on any given night. (I still think Dunleavy deserved that title.)

With all that said, the Pacers need to raise their game to a level of consistency and make sure to spread the scoring around to almost everyone, and we may have an excellent shot at winning. The past wins, the Pacers have had almost all of their starters in double-figures and their bench has out-scored their opponent on most nights.

I need to say a few things about Danny Granger. If this guy doesn't make the All-Star Team in some fashion, the selection process is a joke. Right now he is tied for 6th in scoring along with Kobe Bryant. If you want company, it doesn't get any better than that. Danny has played solid all-around in all of his games so far, most recently scoring 34 against Atlanta Tuesday evening.

Danny may be leading the team in points, but a few other players, well, all of the other players have been put in a very important role the past few games. We have Rasho and Jeff coming up big in almost every play they are in. I just can't believe the way Foster has been playing as of late. I think this has a lot to do with his newly-appointed sixth-man role. Rasho on the other hand, has really come up big defensively.

I know many of you want to rag on Troy Murphy. Yes, his shot selection has gone south, but he's been making up for it with his boards. In the past two games his rebounds have been in the teens and has a double-double in each of those games.

The same has been said about Daniels. I hear one week he is an instant defensive specialist, and the next he is blasted for his poor shooting. His defense has been his crutch all year. He can come up big with an inside shot, but let him pass the ball or shoot it outside and it's an instant change of posession. All in all, Marquis has played better this season overall than he has any other year. He is healthy, and is a nice fit in the absence of Dunleavy.

I'm really looking forward to the weekend. We have 3 winnable games in 5 days, but we need to remain consistent and ready for anything that could come at us.

Who else besides me thought that 3-pointer by Jeff Foster was just freakin' awesome?