April 23, 2011- Let me first start off by saying I am a Derrick Rose fan and he happens to play for Chicago. Hey, so I'm a little disconnected from my hometown team, the Pacers. I still bleed Blue & Gold, but right now all I see is RED. Derrick Rose, this year's NBA season MVP, has played some of the most amazing basketball I have ever seen. Then there is Carlos Boozer, who because I openly hate Duke, I should hate also. Except I love him as a player. His intensity and frequent use of "ssshhhh" BAD WORDS pumps me up. Also what type of freak grabs 22 rebounds in a game. Yeah, a good one. And how can you not love Noah? Yeah right! I loathe him. He's that mosquito that hangs around you annoyingly bugging the crap out of you. Always in your ear. But I must give it to him. He does pump me up and brings intensity as well. He gets in your head! Every team needs that guy. *See Dennis Rodman. Okay and I'm not going to sit up here and act like Kyle Korver doesn't exist on this team. Like thousands of ladies across this world, I too have a crush on the that sharpshooter with the emo bangs. But for me its more than that. I respect him as a basketball player. Contrary to what everyone says, his shot is water. He has the ability to spread the floor so much for Derrick Rose, which can be a headache for many teams.With all that said.... I want to continue to reiterate my loyalty to the Pacers. I grew up in the 90's with the Boom Baby Pacers: Reggie Miller, Chris Mullen, Rik Smits, the Davis'. But I too am a little distanced from them. Could it be the that I moved away for college? Or Ive been overseas? The Brawl in Detroit? Maybe. Like many other Hoosiers we are all a bit ambivalent in this matter of the Pacers. Before these playoffs, I couldn't name the starting five or the coach of the Pacers, but I always want to cheer for my home team. The only thing that broke my heart was that the Bulls played the Pacers in the first round. Loyalties divided. There's my new found love for this basketball artist Derrick Rose or my Hoosier roots. What better way to test this out then to make an appearance at Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs downtown in my home city at Conseco Fieldhouse.
I arrived downtown a couple hours early. Wearing my Rose shirt was a last second game day decision. But trust me I was not alone. I thought maybe I would be taunted by Pacer fans. Boy, was I wrong. As soon as I stepped out my car, I was engulfed into a sea of red. Were they really loyal Bulls fans that made the 3 hour trip? Were they band-wagoners? Who knows for sure. I just know it was the Pacer fans, not the Bulls Nation that were outcasts this day. I toured Conseco, took pictures and bought a shirt to ease the awkward tension of confronting a fellow Hoosier.
Going to my seat was unreal. Section 11, Row 9. I would say it was the closest seat Ive sat in at a professional contest. But then again I was in Row 4 at a Getafe CF Futbol Match in Madrid a couple of years ago. Still great! I dunno if I can ever return to nose bleed seats. Right behind the basket and next to the Bulls bench I had a front row seat to all the stars. I purposely bought these so I could get a couple of autographs, but I toured Conseco too long and missed all of them. :( But seeing was great also. Other than the the entire Bulls Roster, Scottie Pippen, John Paxton, and Randy Brown all walked by. Even the White Mamba himself: Scalebrine! How cool is that?
Both teams came out to totally different cheers. The Bulls received cheers and chants like we were in the United Center. The poor Pacers actually came out to boos, if I heard correctly. Unless of course they were saying Booz to cheer on Carlos Boozer.Non of that mattered, because the Pacers came out with a vengeance. A chip on their shoulder. Like they not only had something to prove to themselves or the Bulls, but to the the city. It felt like a very hostile environment in there. One Bulls fan was thrown out for catching a t-shirt and then throwing it back, upon request by the BullsNation. Another fan wrote via Twitter " Hey Bulls fans, maybe you can use those brooms to sweep up all the mess in the street you left. We are hosting the Super Bowl you know." As much as I wanted the Bulls and D Rose to do well, I didn't want to see the Pacers get swept. Especially since they probably should have won at least one game up in Chicago, if not both. It just was not the Bulls day for a sweep. After Rose hopped off the court and to the locker room, it seemed as if this series would be headed back to Chicago.
I tried to get as many good shots with the limited memory in my camera (I left my SD card at home) and my iPhone. I didn't miss the love lost between a former Dukie and a Tarheel. The physicality of this game was so intense. I was sitting close enough and I could hear the hard fouls, the squirms, and bodies hitting the floor. Unfortunately I could also hear the words coming out of their mouths and there are a couple players mentioned earlier that need to wash their mouths out with soap. lol
In the end, the Bulls did not have enough to overcome the Pacers that day. Sad, but I guess it serves me right. See what happens when you band wagon from team to team. It was still a pretty awesome day and in the future there are other arenas I would love to have this experience in, including the United Center. Hey live your life, smile, see a playoff game. Go Pacers & Derrick Rose!
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