BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — With the Indiana Pacers playing in the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years, the phrase that those of us from the state of Indiana know so well is being kicked around again.
"In 49 other states, it's just basketball. But this is Indiana.''
As native Hoosiers, we take pride in our love — and knowledge — of the game, at every level. From college to the pros, as well as our love for high school basketball and beyond. But it got me curious with the thousands of IU basketball fans that we deal with on a daily basis here at ''Indiana Hoosiers on SI.'' So I wanted to know. How much do devoted IU basketball fans care about the NBA's Indiana Pacers.
Here's the poll question I asked on Twitter last week:
Taking a poll of my Indiana University basketball fans. #iubb How big of a Pacers fan are you? Story for later with results — and your comments. Show me some love.
Statement Pct.
Love them like I love IU 16.4
Fave NBA team, not same 41.8
Watch only when they're good 28.7
Don't watch NBA at all 13.1
I have to admit, I really wasn't sure what the results would be, because it's been a really exciting time these past two months of this Pacers stunning run through the playoffs. We're interacting with you all the time on social media sites, and since I have NBA work interest, too, I also pay attention to the Pacers fan pages. I see a lot of the same names and faces commenting and posting there, too.
The most popular answer, at 41.8 percent, was ''Fave NBA team, not same'' in comparing the Pacers with the Hoosiers. That didn't surprise me.
What did surprise me was the second/third answers. Second was ''Watch only when they're good'' at 28.7 percent and third was "Love them like I love IU'' at 16.4 percent. I really thought the all-in fan excitement would be more than those who are just along for the ride right now.
And the 13.1 percent who answered ''Don't watch NBA at all'' seemed about right. We get those complaints a lot even when we write about former Hoosiers who are in the pros. A lot of people just don't care about the NBA at all and never watch, for a variety of reasons.
Some of you are simply just college fans, or only care about your own university. Some, sadly, make it political and/or racial. But that number seemed about right.
I think there are a couple of really good reasons for the ''love them like I love IU'' percentage being so low, and that has a little bit to do with geography. You all know I'm a Region Rat from Schererville in Northwest Indiana. Everyone I know — literally everyone — who's from there and roots for IU also roots for the Chicago Bulls.
My hand is raised. Especially in the late 1980s and all of the 1990s during the Michael Jordan era, I was a huge Bulls fan. The Pacers were rivals, not a team to root for. Hell, I'm not ashamed to admit that I rooted for the Bulls — as a fan, not a writer in those days — as much if not more than IU basketball, and I loved those early 1990s Hoosiers teams. The late 90s? Not so much.
Caring about the Pacers changed a little bit for me when I worked at the Indianapolis Star from 2008 to 2011. Local bias came into play, and the Bulls haven't made the NBA Finals since Jordan left in 1998. But most ''Region'' people still root for the Bulls, not the Pacers, and they would vote accordingly.
I think there's some truth to the geographical thing in the southern part of the state, too, especially among older fans who grew up with the great ABA rivalry between the Pacers and the Kentucky Colonels. I know a lot of Jeffersonville area folks who despised the Pacers in the 1960s and '70s before the Pacers joined the NBA and the Colonels weren't invited. That ticked off a lot of people, and many of them have ignored the NBA ever since.
I'll be curious to see what happens to the 28.7 percent that ''watch only when they are good'' right now. I'm college focused all winter long, but I at least pay attention to the NBA a little bit, especially to our IU guys like Trayce Jackson-Davis, OG Anunoby and Thomas Bryant, who's playing in the Finals with the Pacers.
But the Pacers are a fun team to watch. At least I enjoy them. This is the second year in a row now that they've made a nice postseason run, and they're just two games away from winning their first NBA title. Game 5 is in Oklahoma City on Monday night, and I'll definitely be watching. Game 6 is back in Indianapolis Thursday and Game 7, if necessary is Sunday in OKC.
I wonder how much these poll results will change if the Pacers actually do win it all? Will it change your mind?