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In terms of box office appeal, they don't get much better than the next two games for the Pacers.
And it's not just because Kobe Bryant is coming to town Wednesday and LeBron James Friday. It's because games against the two elite players, teams and franchise represented two of the best Conseco Fieldhouse moments of the 2008-09 season for the Pacers.
Troy Murphy's tip-in at the buzzer beat the Lakers 118-117 on Dec. 2, and Danny Granger's free throw with less than a second remaining beat the Cavs 96-95 on Feb. 10.
Games separated by more than two months last season are just two days apart this week.
"The Lakers and Cavs, they've been the top teams the past three or four years," said Danny Granger. "You always want to play against the best players, you just hope they come in here, we put forth a good effort and get a win."
They might be games the fans (and possibly some of the players) have long had circled on their calendars but not Coach Jim O'Brien.
"I just worry about the next game," he said. "In all honesty, this time last week I couldn't have told you who we were playing this week. You can't circle anything. You've got to play the teams that you're playing and go out and give yourselves the best chance of winning.
"It's great for the fans to be able to see two of the best players in the league if not the two best players in the league on back-to-back nights. It's fun to have the chance to compete against them. We beat both of those teams here last year in great games, both at the buzzer or relatively close to the buzzer. Our job is to put ourselves in position to win the basketball game."
Granger can't lose in Super Bowl matchup
When the Colts face the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami on Feb. 7, Granger can't lose.
"It's basically a win-win for me," Granger said. "I grew up in New Orleans and had season tickets to the Saints when I was younger – way up at the top but still we were there. To see the Saints go to the Super Bowl, my family's ecstatic about it, the whole city of New Orleans is pretty happy about. On the other hand, I play for Indiana and it's the Saints and the Colts so whoever wins, I'll be happy."
Granger's hometown roots are strong. His father wore the paper bag over his head during the "Aints" era when times were tough. And Danny once played a high school game against Eli Manning and Newman High with brother Peyton and father Archie in the stands.
"I was born and raised in New Orleans so I'm definitely pulling for the Saints," Granger said, "but if the Colts win I'm not going to be upset because I play in Indianapolis."
Price's play attracting attention
The play of rookie point guard A.J. Price is starting to attract national attention.
Andrew Perna of RealGM took a look at Price's productivity since he was promoted to the backup point guard role.
Wrote Perna:
With (T.J.) Ford glued to the bench, O'Brien has displayed quite a bit of confidence in his rookie point guard. Price hasn't just given Watson a breather; the two have been on the court together a significant amount of time as the Pacers look to push the ball with a small lineup.
Such job security has allowed Price, who many felt would be stuck between guard positions in the NBA, to flash his scoring ability without having to handle too much offensive responsibility.
There is no end in sight for Ford's banishment, which leaves the door open for Price to continue to contribute substantially as a second-round pick that almost saw his career end two years ago when his ACL popped.
It's a good read with some interesting statistical analysis.
