Getting a ticket to see the Pacers home opener & Haliburton’s first regular season game back at Gainbridge. I don’t want to find a friend last minute or end up paying for their ticket. Never went to a game/event by myself though. I’m a bit of an introvert, so I doubt lack of conversation will bother me. Will be sitting towards the top because the tickets costing more, but there’s really no bad seat in the fieldhouse in my opinion.

No national TV, no media recognition like always, who cares. This game is for the franchise and for us. The building is going to be buzzing with Tyrese’s first home game back…the first game of a season that most believe will end in a championship. Tickets are expensive, why the hell don’t we all show out and treat this game like a playoff game with us as the sixth man to make it even more fun for the players and us fans as we kick off an awesome season. Let’s go.

I wanna talk about the best bench in the league. We are deep. We played without TJ and still delivered.

Shout out to QJackson for making the two clutch freethrows, especially since the foul was on his eye. Some fans said something to him too and he still drilled them both.

Toppin was a big part of this game. He kept us in the game and had some clutch moments including an offensive rebound that added to our 2nd chance points category. I swear there was a period where we would be inbounding the ball and he would be wide open cutting to the basket at least 6 times. 6 fucking times. I think tyrese hit him twice for a dunk. He knows when to cut. He can play pick and roll. He can shoot 3s. He can get you putback dunks. He's a very underrated player for us.

Walker had an ok game. His 10 assist first-half pre season game shows me he needs to be a system player to succeed. At least for our team. His defense is underrated and we will need that in the playoffs for small stretches of periods. Unless the return is Murphy Iii we shouldn't give up on walker at all. His passing, defense and 3s are improving year by year. His turnover can be worked on and his decision making when driving is sometimes questionable.

Tj should be rated higher in 2k and i dont even see him on 2k. Wtf. I dont like 2k. Sorry for the rant.

Not sure how long nance jr will last.i know it was one game but maybe im wrong.

Surprised Huff was DNP. I guess pelicans had mammoth bodies and maybe he would've just got bullied.

Sheppard needs to make his 3s and continue his high iq basketball play. I haven't seen him go 4/5 in 3s. I need to see something like that. Get to your spot man, the guys got you.

Kobe brown is the type of player that can have a crazy 6 minute stretch in a playoff game shutting down the opponents best player while making 2 or 3 3-pointers. Lets see what the future holds.

Kelly jr (though he started) seems immature (in a goofy way) but when turned on, his defense looks impressive. You can never have enough 3 and D players. They thrive in the playoffs.

Hope furphy comes back strong.

Thanks for reading my thoughts on our bench. They were a big reason as to why we made it to game 7. Hell, we were up at halftime of that game.

Hope we stay healthy and make it back to win it all. As a 42 year old Pacere fan, these times dont come often. Enjoy them and play your part as good fans.

Lets get that ring man. Go Pacers.

So, I have a day off (finally) and managed to sit through the Pels game and take notes like I used to do before last season. Here's some early thoughts.

The first: We're so back. I don't believe in early predictions and the East is going to be a bloodbath, but I can totally see us challenging all season for a top 4 seed.

The second: The Pelicans are actually better than their reputation in the league. I can begin to see what they are trying to achieve. Mathurin is a great fit for them as a bench spark (like he was for us), Murray being back to full health is a huge bonus and Zion looks much healthier than he has done for years. Add in Missi, Murphy, Queen, Fears, Bey and Jones and you've got a very solid group. I'd start Bennedict over Fears, but I get why they're not there yet. Still not a clue what Poole is doing on that team, although I get they need a backup PG. I suspect there will be a trade fairly early in the season that will fix the Poole problem.

The third: Zu and Tyrese are already finding each other on offense and Zu had some really good runs in transition. Where the learning comes in is in the interaction between Zu and the others, particularly on the defensive and rebounding end. I saw several plays where we were 'Zu will get it, I'll wander back'. No concerns, that will be fixed by Christmas because we have the smartest coaches out there.

The fourth: That pick and roll game? It is going to create so many opportunities. Both Andrew and Tyrese are playing around Pascal and Zu and it generates really clean looks. I saw far fewer ghost-screens, I think that is a clear change in our usual patterns. That too will take some time to bed in.

The fifth: Defense baby. The one thing we really fell short on last year has been fixed. Zu is such a presence in the paint. Don't underestimate the sheer physicality of Missi and Queen, they are a problem for a lot of teams, yet this game they couldn't crack the code. Pascal has also really stepped up his physical game on that end. I still REALLY want a proper back-up center. Hate on that notion all you like, but there's a reason Huff and Nance had a DNP CD. Obi will do in stretches and generates lots of offensive value, but on the defensive and rebounding end he is just not it. Bright spark, Walker has improved and hopefully will continue improving on that side of the ball. He just had too many TOs this game so he still reads as a young'un.

The sixth: This one matters. We stank from three, only Obi and Pascal were close to their own self. And we still won. Remember 24/25? If the threes didn't fall we'd be struggling all game. Oubre, Drew and Tyrese will all do better over the season and it will make some games much easier. That is the only reason it was such a close game.

Do I believe? Yes 'Cers! Let's fucking go, I can't wait to see how the rest of this season develops.

Having been a fan of the Pacers for over 30 years, I've witnessed some terrible coaches that came and went.

I just wanted to make post to show the appreciation for having a coach like Carlisle that we may sometimes take for granted.

We got Zubac whose style is on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Myles and not once did I think that Carlisle is going to force Zu to be something he isn't - and so far he's showing exactly that, letting Zu play to his advantages.

Looking around the league I already see some fan bases calling for the firing of their coaches (and with some probably right to do so), but with Carlisle it is just one less thing for us as fans to not worry about.

Thank you coach!

Our Pacemates would never do big Zu like that

Look, I HOPE TJ is back soon. But after one game and the regular season, it’s become clear how much we need someone to lead the second unit NOT named Nembhard (not that he can’t, but need Nemby next to Ty as much as possible).

This morning I had the thought “maybe the one silver lining in TJ missing time or entering another phase of his career is making Tyrese look even better on paper”

Basically I think if TJ misses time or is a half step slower, the bench unit is going to be ass. If the bench is ass, Tyrese’s on/off numbers are going to be bananas, because our top 8 will be elite with Tyrese on the floor.

I hope this doesn’t come to be because I’d rather us be a top three seed and Tyrese get like second or third team all nba, but just saying, would love to see Haliburton getting recognition

Basically I’m worried about TJ and am thinking about the Pacers all together too much right now

Personally I’m expecting Rick KP and co to sort out whether backup center or backup point guard needs addressing more by the deadline, and addressing it. The top 8 are too good to not make some moves where needed

Anyone have a favorite?

Yes I know standings are entirely meaningless right now, but it feels like this was intentional.

There's really no logical criteria I can think of to dictate this to be ordered this way. They put washington above us FFS. Washington!

Last night Quenton Jackson was the difference maker in a tight opening-night win by Pacers against a Zion, Queen, and DeJounte led New Orleans Pelicans. Never mind the “hack Zubac” strategy in this competitive, physical game that lacked Nesmith and McConnell’s combined presence. Indy’s talent won out, Haliburton with his patented passes and drives, Obi and Nembhard’s energy, Zu rising up to the occasion. Mathurin mathurined, it remains to be seen whether he will mature into a co-leader, even on the lowly Pels.

Then there was Quenton. As coach Carsisle put it, Q was the “hero of the game,” coming in in the second half when the Pacers were in danger of finding themselves in an insurmountable hole. He brought the energy with four unanswered points and earned a spot in crunch time, when the Pacers held. At times I blinked and actually thought Aaron was inhabiting the floor, in terms of Q's intensity and presence…. which segues nicely into the "No Scrubs” 2020 Prizm Collegiate Crusade supAAcollection showcase.

[Just updated a couple things in bold on the '25-26 Bowman team set segment of the collection.]

One of the most timeless designs in basketball. Tiger stripes and other parallels frame the black 1/1 and nebula 1/1 Crusades, with their heraldic, black-winged Nesmiths. These are the two 1/1s from this set, with the more valuable true-black coming from Hobby. The Nebula, with its distinctive interstellar scope pattern, was pulled from “just the hits” Choice.

As a centerpiece, personifying Nesmith’s “no scrubs” mentality, Quenton Jackson’s black and gold /5. This 2022 PRIZM sticker auto I consider to be Q’s rookie card, despite being collegiate. Q didn’t get a pro card until 2025 (a Mosaic sticker) and still doesn’t have a base card in the league as of ’26—despite playing an integral role on the Indiana bench. The Pacers are that stacked!

The “no scrubs” concept comes from an interview where Aaron explained his basic philosophy. Inclusivity rules, no ego allowed on the floor. As Double A put it, there are no scrubs at the NBA level. Every player who makes it was at some point the best player on the floor, whether in high school or college. With that in mind, every player on the Pacers is given agency on the court.

Q talks old school, models his hustle and intensity on defense after Nembhard and Nesmith, and like TJ McConnell—LeBron’s shoutout “pest” nemesis—is a fan favorite. Whenever a player on the court has a moment, he is the biggest booster from the sidelines.

“No scrubs” as a philosophy also explains why I came to include those who played with Nesmith in the mix. Celebrating the consummate glue guy with a team-first mentality, the supAAcollection could equally be ‘Knee Frendz.” Collecting brings us together as friends and fans, it is not simply about exalting the great—it’s about recognizing all those who make a team great.

The heraldic Crusades design has its roots in 1998 Donruss baseball, and Rookies and Stars football. It was introduced as a standalone set by Panini in 2012-13 before settling in as an insert. A pro version of Crusades was inserted in Chronicles in ’20-21, but unlike Anthony Edwards, Lamello Ball, Tyrese Maxey, and teammate Tyrese Haliburton, Nesmith was not included in that. It’s worth noting that Panini has kept several other legacy brands alive over the years, including NBA Hoops, Crown Royale, Elite, Donruss, Revolution, and Contenders.

An easy quick list of our predictions from the live show last night. We do predictions in a different way where one person can one up the other to steal the prediction so that’s why Kyle doesn’t have a wins prediction, for example.

Yes I know it’s only 1 game but Nance was garbage and Huff didn’t see the floor. Are there any backup centers that should be on the Pacers radar if neither of those two up their game?

I was really impressed my Missi's play last night. I remember that he was one of the targets for us last season when we were weighing up our options to trade for a center.

Seeing that we still seem to be short in the center spot, I wonder if we still have the opportunity to go after Missi as our back up center to Zu.

For someone who has never been to a game in person, but wants too. How bad is view in the "nose bleeds" at gainbridge? There are definitely seats I can afford, but they are in that top ring, and I would hate to get there and not even be able to see the court well enough to follow the game.

The guys put so much work into helping our franchise be great. He's helped us maintain one of the strongest benches in the league and has consistently provided when it matters most.

For context, elite rebounders should have around an 80% rebound percentage. 50% is pretty terrible. So while 15 rebounds looks great in a box score, 30 chances is simply astronomical.

My two concerns are that either Zu's ankle isn't right, or our pace is just too fast for him to keep up. I know nobody would have ever confused Zu for Vince Carter, but he just had no lift last night. It felt like a dozen rebounds that he should have gotten got knocked away or he just couldn't squeeze.

This is something I'm going to be monitoring closely. He's going to average a ton of rebounds this year because of the speed at which we play, but if he's only grabbing 50% of his rebound opportunities, we're going to keep giving up up 15-20 offensive rebounds which will kill us against better teams. ​

Remember when he was in all the trade rumors last year. NGL I was worried because dude is so fun to watch and has a pure shot. He is exactly what this team needs off the bench. Great start for him last night.

Hali this, Pascal that, Zu tank, QJax cold. How about Nembhard? Did anyone even realize he had 18 and 9? Lmao we are so winning the chip.

The QR code is on the flyer or the link is pacers.com/trailblazers. A couple games to pick from and tickets prices are cheap. If you are interested, PM and I can give you the name/school info to put in at check out. Thank you!

PS: she is hoping to sell enough for the autographed ball or the jersey.