Despite it being in Indiana, Crown Point is Bulls country.
That’s thanks to its being in the Chicago TV market and, in no small part, to Michael Jordan leading the team to six NBA titles in the ’90s.
But despite the history, a few diehard Pacers fans in the region will be rooting for their Indiana team in the NBA Finals, which kick off Thursday night (7:30 p.m., ABC 7).
“I pay taxes in Indiana. I paid for the Pacers stadium. So why shouldn’t I root for the Pacers? That’s just common sense,” said longtime fan Philip Poulton.
Or as his wife Diane Poulton put it: “Bring it on.”
The Pacers will make their first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years Thursday, when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite clinching the Eastern Conference championship by defeating their longtime rivals, the New York Knicks, last week, the Pacers are heavy underdogs against the Thunder.
Don’t tell that to the Poultons.
“I have some friends tell me, ‘You know, [the Thunder are] the No. 1 team.’ I’m like, ‘Yes, but the Pacers already beat the No. 1 team in the East and the No. 3 team in the East,'” Philip Poulton, 73, said.
The two were Bulls fans in the ’90s, and would go to the occasional game at the United Center. But a trip down to Indianapolis to see the Bulls play the Pacers in March 1995 made them change their allegiance.
“When we got there, the Pacers were warming up. After their warmup, they came out to sign autographs, including Reggie Miller,” Diane Poulton, 79, said. “He took a marker out of his sock and started signing everyone’s stuff. They were very friendly. … So that’s when we started rooting for the Pacers and Reggie Miller.”
It didn’t seem to matter that Michael Jordan made his return to the NBA after a brief retirement and stint in baseball for that game.
Because tickets come with a hefty price tag for the Finals, the Poultons aren’t likely to catch a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers. But they might take the two-hour drive south to watch it at an Indy sports bar with other family members.
“It’s been a long time coming. They’ve got a really good team,” Philip Poulton said. “They better win!”
Northwest Indiana native Sidra Malik is also a big Pacers fan, ever since she was a teenager.
Born in Chicago, her parents moved to Crown Point when she was a kid. After living in other parts of the country, including New York City, she now lives in the South Loop.
“Most of the people I grew up with were Bulls fans. I started watching basketball like every other kid in the ’90s,” Malik, 40, said. “I just loved Reggie Miller, and I think that is what really sealed it for me. And I also thought, we’re in Indiana so might as well root for an Indiana team.”
The mother of two attended Saturday’s decisive Game 6 against the Knicks in Indianapolis with her twin brothers, Abdullah and Yasir, and her sister, Needa, all Pacers fans. It was also an opportunity to celebrate her brothers’ 35th birthday. Malik’s husband, Khurram Bajwa, isn’t a big basketball fan but tagged along for support.
“It was incredible! It was really exciting,” Malik said. “It was fun to get to do it together. You know, the four of us [siblings] are really close so it was fun to just do that.”
Malik is confident about the Pacers’ chances against the Thunder, but she said she’s cautious. And although she won’t be able to attend any of the games, she’ll be there in spirit.
“We’ve been here before with Reggie, so we’ll see [what] happens,” Malik said. “It’s really fun to watch the Pacers play. They are obviously not a big market team. They don’t command the same sort of attention like the Lakers or Knicks, but they have the heart and the drive!”
Michael Puente is a reporter and weekend anchor at WBEZ. Reach him at mpuente@wbez.org.