It's that time of the year again, when fraternities move their entire living room set out to the front lawn, when students pretend to like the Cubs again and when the sport of basketball is hitting high gear.
The NCAA tournament is finally over, and now it's the NBA's time to shine as the playoff race heats up. However, some want to forgo NBA's prime time and wait until college basketball starts up again, giving such arguments as, "NBA players don't play with heart and pride like college basketball players do," as well as the ever popular, "They're just in it for the money."
Asinine.
These are all asinine arguments. If anyone is a basketball fan or has paid attention to the NBA as of late, they would need to look no further than the Indiana Pacers for heart and pride on the hardwood. As a fan for the past 13 years, I've never been more proud of this team, or any team for that matter -- and neither should you.
Before the beginning of the season, players like Eddie Gill and James Jones were hoping to play in 10, maybe 15 games all year. But after the "brawl-for-all" in November and an abundance of injuries, the Pacers were written off as a squad that had a Hawks or Clippers chance in Hell of making the playoffs. Those two, along with other free agents, scrubs and recent draft picks, however, have stepped up to propel the blue and gold to a current sixth seed in the playoffs.
Eddie Gill, a free agent pick-up in the off-season, was to be the third string point guard behind starter Jamaal Tinsley and back-up Anthony Johnson. A foot injury to Tinsley has moved Gill to back-up, and he couldn't be doing better at the role with no expectations going into the season. Although his statistics might not show it, in 64 games this season, Gill has played with more energy than California uses in a year.
James Jones, a 49th pick in the 2003 draft by the Pacers, has emerged as a viable small forward after showing he can hit the shot. While he still needs to work on his defensive game, his three-point shooting helped win a few games when the Pacers were down to a six- or seven-man roster immediately after the brawl.
And those two are just the tip of the iceberg.
Austin Croshere, Fred Jones, Scot Pollard, David Harrison, Anthony Johnson and Jeff Foster have all shown they deserve playing time, stepping up in the absence of Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest. But one man, one legend, has stepped up the most, and I think we all know his name.
Thirty-nine-year-old Reggie Miller has shown heart and pride that is usually reserved for a cheesy war-time movie. Resurrecting his career from the mid-'90s, Miller has put on 20- and 30-point performances over the past few months, inspiring a team to pull through in the face of adversity.
Miller has shown time and time again that he won't go down without a fight, and it's rubbing off on his teammates.
So you're looking for heart and pride in the NBA, you say?
Look no further than the Indiana Pacers.
Write to Ryan at
rjsmith@bsu.edu
Visit
www.bsu.edu/web/rjsmith
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