Pacers’ Arena Gets Thumbs Up

The Clippers got their first look at Indiana’s Conseco Fieldhouse and the Pacers’ new home received great reviews after Saturday night’s game.

“It’s great. It has the old fieldhouse look from the outside and has a lot of old-fashioned qualities even though it’s brand new,” guard Eric Piatkowski said.

The Pacers, who improved to 6-2 at home with a 108-90 victory over the Clippers, have been the talk of the league because of their new arena, which has a nostalgic look.

“It’s a real fun place to play, they get a great crowd and in my opinion, it’s one of the better arenas in the league,” Piatkowski said. “It’s just so much different than all the other ones. It’s a very cozy environment.”

But not all the Clippers were excited about the Pacers’ new home.

“It’s all right, but it’s just an arena,” forward Maurice Taylor said. “I don’t get really get caught up in stuff like that. [Staples Center and Conseco Fieldhouse] are both nice places to play basketball but all you need is a floor and two rims.”

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Very quietly, second-year center Michael Olowokandi has broken out of his offensive funk.

Against the Pacers, he made half of his 16 shots and finished with 21 points along with 13 rebounds. Olowokandi’s biggest statistic, however, were the 44 minutes he played because fouls were not an issue.

“Just staying in the game,” Olowokandi said. “Every time I get into foul trouble, I don’t have any rhythm going and every time I get back in, I face guys who are hot offensively and in the flow of things.”

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Troy Hudson and Tyrone Nesby also turned around their play. Hudson made five of eight shots and had 13 points. Nesby made two of three attempts for four points.