INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers are officially heading to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a decade. They'll be playing the Boston Celtics, and the city of Indianapolis is ready for it.
You could feel the excitement downtown on Sunday.
Fans have waited for this moment for years. They watched as the Pacers beat the New York Knicks in Game 7.
"I've been a die-hard fan since I was born, and we are back. Lets go!" one Pacers fan said. "You can talk about injuries, you can talk about whatever, but you play who's on the court, and we won today! Game 7 Madison Square Garden."
Fans didn't have to travel to New York.
Coaches Tavern, Tin Roof and O'Reilly's Irish Pub hosted official watch parties on Pennsylvania Street near Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
"We showed last game we got our confidence up and when we play with confidence and we shoot the basketball like we can, we are one of the best offenses in history. You just saw it," another fan said.
Pacers fans said Boston better watch out.
"This team is young, and this team is hungry, and we want that 'chip," a fan said.
"Indianapolis basketball is homegrown here. We are basketball. Boston doesn't know what basketball is. This is Indianapolis. We do it for the city, and we do it for Pacers basketball," a fan said.
As we look forward to an action-packed month of May, Pacers fans say there's no better time to be a sports fan in Indy than now.