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Professional basketball in Indiana hasn’t been this good in at least a decade.
The Pacers are fresh off a 20-point comeback in Game 2 against the Cavaliers to take a 2–0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals with the series headed to Indianapolis. They have a chance to make the conference finals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2013 and 2014.
The Fever, on the other hand, bolstered their roster around Caitlin Clark and are poised to challenge for a WNBA title. They last made the Finals in 2015.
However, the success of both franchises presents a potential logistical challenge. Both teams are owned by Pacers Sports & Entertainment and play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis. The Fever’s regular season starts May 17 against the Chicago Sky, and a longer playoff run by the Pacers means their schedules will overlap.
The NBA has scheduled the Eastern Conference finals to run from May 21 to June 2, should the series reach seven games. (The league has noted that the start date for the conference finals could be moved to May 18 and 19 based on the results of the semifinals.) The NBA Finals are scheduled to start June 5 and could stretch to June 22. The Fever have seven home games from their season opener to June 22.
However, a Fever spokesperson told Front Office Sports via email that the organization does not expect this to be a problem: “Our regular-season schedule was built with the NBA/WNBA shared building in mind, and the league is familiar with how to schedule around the respective schedules. We don’t foresee any conflicts.”
Based on the current schedule released by the Fever and the NBA, there are no overlaps between Fever home games and the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals and Finals schedule. There are, however, a few close calls, including Game 4 of the NBA Finals scheduled for June 13 (likely an evening game because it’s a Friday) and a 12 p.m. ET contest between the Fever and New York Liberty on June 14. Both games will be broadcast on ABC.
The Pacers are still not expected to make the NBA Finals and remain sixth among the remaining eight teams in championship odds, according to FanDuel, despite their advantage over Cleveland. But considering how the team has overcome odds throughout this postseason run, a deeper push can’t be ruled out.
Golden State Conflict?
The Warriors are another team still alive in the NBA playoffs that shares a home with a WNBA counterpart: The Golden State Valkyries, who will start their inaugural season May 16.
The two teams play at the Chase Center, but they don’t currently have any overlapping games scheduled. However, there may be a conflict if the Warriors make the NBA Finals, as Game 6 is set for June 19—the same day the Valkyries host the Fever.
A source told FOS that these conflicts are common, and there is a contingency date ready should there be an overlap. That would, however, be an unfortunate game for the Valkyries to reschedule, given the demand for games against Clark and the Fever.
