Free Ticket to Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers

Nicole and I left Chicago at noon and arrived at our hotel by 4:30 pm (with some stops along the way). The hotel (which I was concerned about based on reviews online) was great! It was a 4-star hotel – the lobby and rooms were luxurious, but not “that” luxurious. With Nicole happy with the hotel, I was relieved and ready to attend the Indiana Pacers game for the third time this season. Since Nicole wanted to rest when she got to the hotel the Pacers game worked into our schedule. I left the hotel after 6 pm for the 7 pm tip off and Nicole planned to meet me after the game ended around 9:15 pm.

Obtaining Tickets
I walked towards the box office as usual. However, last week I realized most of the possible free tickets are within the main entrance of Conseco Fieldhouse (on Pennsylvania St.) – before you reach the box office but after you enter the doors to the arena. This time I asked a couple of groups if they had an extra ticket – they did not. Then I asked a few high school kids if they did. They guy with the tickets hesitated but his buddy said “who cares” and they handed me one ticket. It was only a $10 ticket but, remember, at most games you can sit wherever you want in the arena. I later learned it was Haiti night and the Pacers would donate a portion of each $10 ticket purchased – Oops!

The Game
The 76ers defeated the Pacers convincingly 107-97. Allen Iverson scored 17 points and had 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Towards the end of the third quarter I realized the game lasted longer than last week’s game and was thankful last week’s game was quicker. Last week I left the Pacers game with 2:24 remaining in order to make the Colts Divisional Playoff game on time. Here is how the timing worked to make tonight different:

8:55 pm: 4th quarter started.
9:00 pm: 8:42 left in the 4th quarter.
9:05 pm: 6:39 left in the 4th quarter.
9:10 pm: 4:37 left in the 4th quarter. Last week I would have left at this time. Elton Brand was shooting free throws with the 76ers up 100-85 and I would only have five minutes to make it to Lucas Oil Stadium – the same time I left last week.
9:15 pm: 2:45 left in the 4th quarter.
9:20 pm: 1:41 left in the 4th quarter.
9:23 pm: Game Over.

Post Game Dining
For whatever reason, Nicole was late. So even though I was waiting for her by 9:30 pm, she was still at the hotel. I walked to the place I was supposed to meet her and realized that Ambrossia Centro (an Italian restaurant) was near out meeting spot. I checked out a couple of restaurants but the Ambrossia was perfect for us for a couple of reasons: 1) It was near where we were meeting, 2) It was Italian, and 3) they would seat us after 10 pm which was the time it appeared Nicole would arrive.

Before Nicole arrived, I went to the Wild Beaver Saloon – across the street from Ambrossia Centro. Wild Beaver Saloon had a good atmosphere and good drink specials for a Saturday night.

When Nicole showed up I crossed the street. Ambrossia Centro was a great place for dinner. First, the food was great. Second, it was a rare restaurant in downtown Indianapolis that was not a national chain. We were pleased with our choice for dinner.

NBA: New Orleans Hornets at Indiana Pacers

After buying my ticket for the Colts playoff game, buying my ticket for the Pacers game was easy. On my walk looking for Colts tickets, I had already checked in with the Conseco Fieldhouse box office – cheapest ticket was $10. I was planning to buy a $10 ticket from the box office when I walked by a few scalpers. I offered them $5 for a ticket and the guy asked for $10. I looked at the ticket and the face value was $125. I paid the $10 immediately.

I realized that everyone downtown was planning to attend the Colts game only and that nobody could sell a Pacers ticket. It was the perfect day to attend a Pacers game if wanted cheap seats.

Pre Game
After buying my ticket, I walked over to the first bar I saw near the stadium – The Pub Indianapolis. The place was packed with Colts and Ravens fans as was the rest of downtown Indianapolis – the main reason I had a $125 ticket for $10.

The Game
The seat I bought was 19 rows up from center court. One of the best seats I have sat in (legally) for an NBA game. When I attended the Pacers home opener, I noticed a fan who sits directly next to the basket. Tonight that same fan was there wearing a Colts jersey with name “Pacer Guy” on his back. He held up a sign that read “Tailgating at the Pacers Game” which was in fact what I was doing. I am not sure if this guy is paid by the Pacers or not, but his signs are very professional looking.


Half of the fans at the game were wearing Colts jerseys and the Conseco Fieldhouse was at least half empty. My main concern was that the game could maintain a swift pace and end with enough time to run to Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts game.


The game was surprisingly good as the Hornets defeated the Pacers 101-96. However, I had to check the final score on my phone as I left the game after New Orleans called a timeout with 2:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. I estimated that was the best time to leave so I would miss a minimum amount of time from both games.

Triple-Doubles
Chris Paul nearly had a triple-double (22 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists). This was the closest I have been to seeing a triple-double for awhile. I have seen four triple-doubles in the past:

1) Chris Mullin – Golden State Warriors vs. Seattle SuperSonics on January 14, 1994.
2) Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers on March 25, 2000.
3) Jason Kidd – New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors on February 2, 2002.
4) Lamar Odom – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets on April 3, 2007.

Game Time Change Leads to DH Day in Indianapolis

All week I planned to attend the Indianapolis Colts AFC Divisional Playoff game versus the Baltimore Ravens. Since that game did not start until 8:15 ET I wondered if there was another game I could attend earlier in the day. There was. The Pacers game had been rescheduled to 6 pm because of the playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium. However, I knew that NBA games normally last between 2 hours and 15 minutes and 2 hours and 30 minutes. Thus, I did not think I could attend because I do not like to leave one game early in order to attend another game.

But then I read the statement on the Conseco Fieldhouse website which stated – “In order to accommodate fans wishing to attend both events, the Pacers have moved the start time for their Jan. 16 game against the New Orleans Hornets to 6 p.m. in Conseco Fieldhouse to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Colts' AFC playoff game that night at 8:15 p.m. in Lucas Oil Stadium. The Pacers-Hornets game was originally scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.”

If the Pacers truly wanted fans to attend both games they would have moved the start time to 5:30 pm and guarantee that fans could watch the entire Pacers game before leaving for the Colts game. However, they did not and I was still not convinced I could make both games until I arrived in Indianapolis and realized the drive between the Conseco Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium is only 2 minutes. The walk is between 7 and 8 minutes. With that knowledge, I planned to attend the New Orleans Hornets at Indiana Pacers game.

Parking for Two Games
Downtown Indianapolis is full of independent parking garages. However, on a day like this parking does not normally come cheap. I remembered driving by a parking lot when I attended the Pacers home opener that was only charging $3 for the game. Today that same lot (located on E. Washington St. east of N. Pennsylvania Ave.) was charging $3 and I did not have to leave until 2 am. This was a no-brainer as other lots in the area were charging a minimum of $10 and others were charging $20.

Obtaining Tickets for the Colts
Now I had one last major decision – should I buy my Colts playoff ticket before the Pacers game or in between the Pacers and Colts game? I would have no more than 10 minutes to sprint from Conseco Fieldhouse to Lucas Oil Stadium AND buy my ticket if I decided to wait. Based on my experience from two months ago when I attended the Colts game versus the New England Patriots I thought it was possible. However, I decided I would still look for a ticket.

I first walked to the Lucas Oil box office to see if tickets were still available. I was aiming for $100 since that is how much the cheapest tickets on StubHub were earlier in the week. The box office had singles available for $110 each. Instead of buying the easy single, I held out and walked around downtown Indianapolis for an hour.

No scalper would accept my offer of $60 for a ticket. One scalper offered $80 for his $100 face value ticket (note I never saw that ticket), but I thought I could do better. However, it took awhile until I found a scalper with a limited view seat – face value $60. He wanted $80, but I offered $40. We agreed on $50 and I had my ticket at 5:15 pm – 45 minutes before the Pacers game was scheduled to start.

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Chicago Bulls

After attending Monday Night Football some fans may take Tuesday night to relax and recover. I chose to recover at the Chicago Bulls game.

Obtaining Tickets
I am not sure if I would have actually attended tonight’s game if I did not already have a ticket. However, I had bought $10 tickets to a few games before the start of the season. The reason I bought the tickets is that my general theory is that you should pay as little as possible to just get into the game. Then you can sit anywhere you like – especially at Bulls games where there are usually many seats available. I normally sit in the first few rows of the upper deck (face value $60) rather than try to sneak into the lower level.

The Game
After the first quarter the Bulls were ahead by 19 points. A lead they lost when the Pacers took a 72-71 lead with 6:24 left in the 3rd quarter. After the Pacers took the lead, the Bulls went on a 10-0 run and won the game 104-95.

Pacers Home Opener: Heat at Pacers

For the first time since May 30, 2004, I attended an Indiana Pacers game at the Conseco Fieldhouse. Hospitality Jim, who I attended the Chicago Blackhawks game with on Monday night, was in Indianapolis to see a kids concert with his wife and daughter. He wanted to attend his first NBA game so I decided to make the trip south on Friday. I left Chicago at 2 pm and arrived at 6:20 pm (one hour time change plus 20 minutes of traffic leaving Chicago).

Parking
Parking is free in downtown Indianapolis after 6 pm. I parked on Meridian St. by University Park. It was a few blocks away from the arena which is my preference since it allows me to pass any ticket scalpers along the way. On my walk to Conseco Fieldhouse, I found one parking lot on Pennsylvania St. that was only charging $3 for event parking and the lot across the street only charged $5. At least I did not have to sit in traffic leaving the parking lot after the game.

Obtaining Tickets
On the walk to Conseco Fieldhouse there were plenty of ticket scalpers along Pennsylvania St. I got to the corner of Maryland St. and Pennsylvania St. when I found some fans that had $25 face value tickets. I offered them $10 each for the tickets and after they tried to negotiate for more money a couple of times I paid $20 for both tickets.

Pre Game Dining
After buying the tickets I met Hospitality Jim at Scotty’s Brewhouse on the corner of Pennsylvania St. and Virginia Ave. – one block north of Conseco Fieldhouse. There are quite a few restaurants and bars within one or two blocks of the arena.

The Game
Miami led 49-47 at halftime before going on a 16-4 run to start the 3rd quarter. Indiana could not comeback from the run and never got closer than 10 points behind.

Dwyane Wade scored 32 points and Jermaine O’Neal had a double-double to lead the Heat to a 96-83 victory. It was the first time the Heat won in Indianapolis since 2001 and only their 6th win at Indiana in their 22 year history.