As long time Pacer fans, we remember what it was like. We remember the knots in our stomachs as we watched the end of another close game with anticipation. We remember the hostile crowds, intense defense and clutch baskets from Reggie and the boys.

Those feelings haven’t been felt here in Indianapolis ever since the brawl Detroit. Are those days on the horizon, or was this first week just a fluke?

The Pacers won two of their first three games of the season, and the one loss was a close one in San Antonio. The team looks different, it feels different, and the players seem to be buying in to playing together. They have already shown that they aren’t last year’s team, giving Pacers fans signs of optimism.

For the first time in a long time, the Pacers had a sellout crowd of 18,165 at Conseco Fieldhouse for the home opener against the 76ers on Saturday night. The crowd was into the game all night, and it was fueled by the play of their beloved franchise.

The steals, thunderous dunks and all-out hustle kept the fans cheering all the way until the final buzzer.

The team knows that if they want to win it will be up to the team, not one or two guys. Roy Hibbert said after Saturday night’s game: “We’re growing as a team. This is the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve all felt connected as one.”

Roy also spoke about how the team is playing as a whole, and how things have changed for them as far as falling behind late in games; something they did way too many times last year.

“If a team makes a run, we don’t go into our individual play. We come together and play together. We figure out a way to win. The past two years we wouldn’t have been able to do that. Teams would have made their run and we would have laid down. This year we’re tougher.”

Roy hit the nail on the head, and they have almost completely reversed that trend that haunted them last season.

It is a telling sign of how the game will play out, as the first three games of this season are perfect examples. In the close game at San Antonio, they fell apart at the very end. In their two wins, they started the second half very hot, outscoring their opponents by double-figures in each of the third quarters.

The concern coming into this season were the two and four spots, as they were solid at the other three positions. Mike Dunleavy and Paul George have played very well in the first three games, while Josh McRoberts and Tyler Hansbrough have also both been very good through the first week.

Tyler didn’t play in the first game of the season against the Spurs, but he has been a key factor in both of the Pacers’ wins this year.

There has been a lot of emotion from these Pacers, most of which came in the win at home on Saturday night. Bodies were flying everywhere, everyone on the team was taking charges and going after loose balls.

After Darren Collison stole a pass, he finished with a dunk and was fouled. He pumped his chest as the crowd rose to their feet. The next possession he got another steal, but before he could get to the basket, he was fouled as he threw a behind the back pass.

He once again rose his arms to the crowd, as Conseco Fieldhouse grew loud for the first time in years.

Roy Hibbert actually had a little too much emotion at one point during the game. He took a charge, got up clapping his hands and was called for a technical foul.

It was a terrible call, but it is what it is. Roy even said as much after the game. “That’s okay, I’ll write my check and it’ll be fine,” he said with a smile. “We won the game. That’s what counts.”

Wow, Roy Hibbert is quickly becoming the true face of this franchise with his play on the court, his words off-the-court and his offseason workouts.

Most of the glory days for the Pacers in the NBA came at Market Square Arena, their home before Conseco Fieldhouse was built. The fans haven’t been this excited probably since they made the move to their new home.

Of course, there is no more Reggie, Smits, Mark Jackson or either of the Davis brothers, but the look and feel of this team is similar. The playing style is very different, but the way they have been conducting themselves is something fans are happy to see…finally.

There are still 79 more games to be played, but if the Pacers keep playing with the same fire and intensity, the fans will keep showing up and the building will be loud.

The Pacers motto last season was, “Ignite the passion, restore the pride.”

Perhaps both of these things look like they are finally happening. Sure the teams are excited to get on the floor and play some basketball, but as the season progresses, some guys might lose interest and injuries can always play a factor into a team’s plans.

The second part, restore the pride, is something that we have missed here in Indy for the last six or seven years. Many of the guys on this team don’t really know much about the Pacers history, though.

Darren Collison, for example, said this after Saturday night’s victory: “Jeff Foster has told me what it used to be like around here. The goal now is to bring that back.”

If Darren, Roy and Danny have anything to say about it, the Pacers future looks bright again.

But today was home, and it was a special night for Pacers fans. This was a good win at home, now let’s see if Indiana can get 40 more of them at home! Darren Collison proved himself last night and showed that he is the future of the Indiana Pacers. The new off-season addition added 15 points, four assists, and four steals as Indiana improves to 2-1. Along with that, Collison had a sweet play in the game, dunking right on Louis Williams.

Another big highlight was by Josh McRoberts, which you can see here. With Collison’s quickness, he was to unstoppable for the 76ers. The Pacers defense was very solid, having tons of blocks and steals, along with holding the team’s highest scorer to only 18 points, which was Williams. With Collison’s dunk, the Pacers looked like this game was there’s now, leading 68-56 after the big play by the small, speedy point guard.

“I just tried to make a play,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going in at first. It was the right play at the right time and, you know, we’re trying to make statements out here.”

Collison made a huge one there. With one minute left in the game, T.J. Ford was dribbling out the clock. The packed crowd in the Fieldhouse did something they haven’t done in a few years: give a loud, big, and huge standing ovation. The Pacers never really received a ton of this like they did tonight since the 2005-06 season. It showed a real nice sign to me, and bunch of other fans, that this is going to be a good season!

Today’s game showed that if the Pacers keep playing like this, maybe Jim O’Brien and Larry Bird could keep their jobs respectively if they lead Indy to strong success. Mike Dunleavy had 16 points. He struggled early but started clicking a bit. Roy Hibbert helped out as well, adding 14 points and 13 rebounds, with nine points in the first half. The Pacers sit at 2-1 after first week now. Currently, it shows as of today that the Pacers are on top of the Central Division! Take a look:

This certainly brings a shock to the naysayers. But great job so far by the Pacers.

“I think this is good for a team this young to be sitting 2-1 after the first week,” Collison said. “We just need to continue to work.”

The 76ers were mostly led by Elton Brand, who had twelve points and ten rebounds for the Sixers. With Philly down to 0-3, Doug Collins may show a sign of frustration as he is the one to rebuild the team like he did to his past ones. Collins hopes he can change the culture of the team, but he pointed out it will take time.

“We have to break a lot of losing habits,” Collins said. “I told the guys after the game that there is not one guy in this room who has a winning record in the NBA as a pro. Are we going to change? That’s my job, to get it done.”

The Pacers were first up, 21-15. However, things changed quickly as the 76ers built up towards a 36-23 lead. However, the Pacers came back and went on a huge run, later tying up the game at 51 after halftime. The Pacers then started the third quarter with a 13-2 run and had a 64-53 lead. Then later in the game, T.J. Ford found Josh McRoberts open for a dunk, as he slammed it on Evan Turner. Remember, you can see that play on the link above. That dunk brought the Pacers lead up to 76-64.

“We had so much adrenaline going through us,” Granger said. “When you get that type of momentum, for the team that’s on the road, it’s really hard to overcome that. Most importantly, the thing was, we backed those up with defensive plays. It wasn’t just on the offensive end.”

“It’s like the same old movie,” Collins said of blowing the 13-point lead. “We had a 13-point lead, and we had a horrible stretch. It’s not our defense, it’s our offense. We try to do too much on our own. Turn the ball over. Bad shots. They run out and score.”

The Pacers played solid defense throughout the whole game, holding the Sixers to only 35 points in the second half. They also held the team’s top scorer, Andre Iguodala, to only twelve points.

“There was a lull, and we reminded the guys that we’re at our best when we pressure the basketball, and then we’re running and putting pressure on them by pushing the tempo,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “It was a discussion every timeout tonight. I think it’s a key to our season.”

Josh McRoberts had nine points and nine rebounds, T.J. Ford had six points and four assists, Tyler Hasnbrough had nine points and seven rebounds, and Paul George had eight points and four assists.

The Pacers will face the Sixers again in Philadelphia on Wednesday.\

Highlights