The 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 will go off today on a sweltering Sunday with all of the classic pomp and circumstance that makes the start of the race something any sports fan must experience. In the mid-90's, when the Indiana Pacers were still in the midst of their deep playoff runs on race day, the pre-race ceremonies always included a mention in the invocation. Along with the prayers for a safe race, Archbishop-Emeritus Buechlein would always include, "...and God bless our Pacers."

The Pacers came three days short of extending their playoff run to be part of the pre-race ceremony. Yes, it has only been three days since the deciding Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat. Just feels like a month.

After the jump, check out some links of interest. Enjoy the race!

• Pacers Head Into Offseason After Losing To Miami Heat - YouTube
• Loss to Heat nothing to cry about for Pacers - FS Indiana
• Pacers owner Simon says team is back, but he's ready to take next step | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• NBA fines Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelsta for comments about NBA playoffs. - fox59.com
• Pacers Offseason, Part 1 – How Much Money Do They Have to Add Players? | Eight Points, Nine Seconds
• Video: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson remind you what everyone’s playing for | ProBasketballTalk
• Second-guessing Pacers coach Frank Vogel for his coaching in Game 6 of the Indiana-Miami series
• James, Heat say they’re eager for ‘the challenge’ of repeat trip to Eastern Conference finals - The Washington Post
• Robbins: Magic can’t afford delays in their front-office search – Orlando Magic BasketBlog – Orlando Sentinel
• Indiana Pacers’ top players not enough against Miami Heat - Miami Heat - MiamiHerald.com
• It took a while, but Heat roster -- all of it-- now humming | NBA.com
• Isiah Thomas hoping for return to college or NBA - ESPN
• The Indiana Pacers? Gone till November | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo! Sports
• Ex-Pacers Son Drawing Interest From IU