Indiana Pacers Atlanta Hawks Game Seven

Apr 28, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers fan holds up a sign during a game against the Atlanta Hawks in game five of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

I’m done with all the talk.  All the negativity.  All the small ball, who should start, Roy Hibbert needs to leave, Frank Vogel is on the hot seat.  Done. Done. Done. But if the Pacers lose tonight, guess what, talk radio will be a burden to listen to for the next couple of months.  People will be talking, talking, and talking some more.

Here we are just what the Pacers wanted, a game seven in their house.  A game seven with the home court of Banker’s Life that makes you feel right at home when you’re there.  Fans as loud and passionate in their cheering and booing.  Hopefully, no booing tonight.

Fans that get riled up over Chris Copeland.  Fans that get riled up over Paul George.  Fans that take the Good Lance and the Bad Lance.  Chants of Ole, Ole, Ole when Luis Scola makes a basket.  This is why the Indiana Pacers wanted this home court advantage.

This is why they surged to the top of the Eastern Conference in such a blazing start.  This is why they finished with the best home court record in the NBA.  Those losses on the home court you can remember because there were so few.  Those losses all go away if you’re able to win the first game seven on your home floor.

That’s probably the craziest part about this.  There have been plenty of game sevens to sit through with the Indiana Pacers.  Just last year, game seven was against the Miami Heat, where I don’t believe it would have mattered for home court.  That Heat team was going to win.

Now it’s all different.  This Pacers team might have been on a down swing for the latter part of the season.  This might have been one of the oddest playoff rounds I can remember.  When you go and win two games in Atlanta, and lose two games at homes, who could predict that?

But you can put that all away with just one win.  Sure, the second round will present some issues, and hey I like this road of adversity to the NBA Finals, which is the ultimate goal.  What fun is it to talk up sweeps and putting away teams so easily?  Life presents a challenge to you each and every day.  Does anyone have things come so easy to them?

This road to the Finals will be presented with one of the most important games when you really look at it tonight.  The Pacers wanted this home court, and now’s their biggest chance to show why they wanted.  Usually game sevens end up in a rout, but let’s hope tonight the Blue and Gold are doing that.  Tonight, the Pacers need to put their best game out there.  Tonight, the Indiana Pacers need to show that Blue Collar Gold Swagger is more than a catchphrase, it’s truly the Pacers’ way of doing things.

Tonight can end all the talk and begin new talk for a new round.  Tomorrow, let’s talk up something else.