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Indiana Pacers
Overall: 36
Title track: 87
Ownership: 51
Coaching: 97
Players: 44
Fan relations: 47
Affordability: 9
Stadium experience: 41
Bang for the buck: 33
Change from last year: -23
The Pacers enter their 50th anniversary season with a lot to celebrate. Paul George is back to staking his claim as one of the NBA's top five players, with his horrific injury now a distant memory. This offseason, team brass orchestrated one of the league's most impressive roster overhauls by snagging Jeff Teague, Al Jefferson and Thaddeus Young. But according to these rankings -- the Pacers are down 23 spots -- Indy backers weren't digging all of Larry Bird's moves.
What's good
Catching a game at the Fieldhouse can make you feel like you're at an Indiana high school gymnasium, and the price you pay at the door doesn't do much to dispel that notion. Compare Indy's average ticket price ($38.97) with that of its closest neighbor, the Bulls ($82.33). Throw in incidentals such as parking ($12), soda ($4.50) and a program ($0), and Indy fans are looking at the fourth-cheapest game-day experience in the league. Fans ranked the Pacers the ninth-most affordable team to support in all of sports. With 10-game plans starting at $17 a ticket and promos such as $10 College Night, getting a chance to see PG go coast-to-coast isn't going to break the bank.
What's bad
After taking over as the interim head coach in 2011, Frank Vogel ushered in the franchise's greatest success since Reggie Miller had both hands around his throat. Vogel's team made two Eastern Conference finals appearances and a conference semifinal and almost made the playoffs in the aftermath of George's shocking injury. This season, the Pacers almost orchestrated another stunner when they took the second-seeded Raptors to Game 7. As such, when Larry Bird gave Vogel the heave-ho in May, claiming he wanted a more wide-open attack and a "new voice," fans were none too pleased. Of course, Bird's choice of replacement might be as much behind the team's 97th-place coaching rank (a 53-spot drop from last year): Vogel's assistant, Nate McMillan ... he of the 485-454 career record.
What's new
Indiana's fans are still getting a bargain, but the front office hiked tickets nearly 15 percent last season (yes, that's how cheap they were before) in a move that not even their newly rolled out Hickory High jerseys could cover up. That price jump -- plus two straight seasons of not making it past the first round of the playoffs -- dropped the Pacers 29 spots in bang for the buck (to 33rd, a number Bird won't like). To make amends, the front office will celebrate its 50th anniversary this season with six "Decade Games." Each will be decade-specific and will feature a commemorative bobblehead of a player from that era, relevant in-game entertainment and halftime ceremonies.
Next: Utah Jazz | Full rankings