me and RIP SHEA are long lost brothers! I am 27 years old now, been hooked on basketball for a long time. Born and raised in NJ in a basketball crazy family. My dad is still the biggest Celtic fan you will ever meet. So growing up he HATED the Knicks, so i HATED the Knicks. I was a Celtic fan probably until 6th grade. Once I really started following basketball, and not just hearing my dad talk about it, I got hooked by Reggie murdering the Knicks. I finally had my own team to root for and I was all in from there. There was nothing better than Reggie vs. The Knicks to me, and I cant wait for that 30 for 30 to start. So I guess I am a Pacer fan fueled by my Knick Hatred. (And yes, i hate the Yankees and Jets too).

The 1994 season happened when I was 10 years old. What basketball loving kid from Southern Indiana could resist that team of Reggie, Haywoode, Rik, Dale, and Derrick?

I can’t look back to one instance really. It was a buildup. I remember I was 9 and this game came everyone was playing called NBA Jam. I wasn’t really into sports at the time, but I tried it, and kept playing with this local team. My folks told me they were actually doing good. I was inquisitive. The time was when the Pacers went to the 94 playoffs and swept the Magic. I got interested. I remember the crowd going nuts and acting crazy after we beat the Hawks, the overall reaction from the community, people jumping around like civilizied animals on the news. Most importantly, I remember Mark Boyles trademark “Reggie for Threeee?!!!”, followed swiftly by Slick Leonards classic trademark “Boom Baby!”. It had so much soul and so much volume. I think ultimately it was Mark building up the anticipation with his crescendo of words followed by the longest one second pause in radio. That’s when Slick hammered down the “fortisimo” notes that were “Boom Baby”, and that’s when I felt a connection with the team. That’s when I became a Pacer fan. And then Reggie went ape-shit in game five of the conference finals, and I was a Pacer fan for life. I remember Spikes arms spread while talking shit to Reggie, and the look on Reggie’s face in response. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. That picture was worth 10,000 to a bright-eyed 9 year old. And the moments kept building. The next year with 8 points in 8.9 seconds, Reggie dunking it in Anthony Masons face, the Ewing missed finger-roll (“HE MISSED! HE MISSED HE MISSED! RING THE BELL BABY! DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD” – Mark Boyle) gave us more memories. Does anybody remember the Dutch in the Clutch game 4 of the 95 conference finals? How about the one where Reggie busts it with #23 in his face in 98? My personal favorite photo is the 98 semi’s at MSG where Reggie hits the three… right in front of Spike… in the waining seconds. Google it and look at everybodys face. They all have the “Ah shit, not again!” look tattooed everywhere. I, unlike many Indiana natives, have kept the faith throughout the tough last decade because I remember the good times from the past. I have faith the good times will return in the next few years. My only hope is we can renew the Knicks/Pacers rivalry again with Spike Lee giving Danny Granger an earful and… you know where I’m going with this one.

My dad was a Pacers fan and told me a lot of stories about the ABA days and the red, white, and blue basketball, and I started taking an interest in the NBA during the 93-94 season, so it was a perfect storm. I’m not sure where I’d be, if I’d be a Pacers fan today, as big of one, if not for the 1994 playoff run. We need to get back to that level of relevancy.