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Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

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"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

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"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

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We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

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Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

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If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

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When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

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Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

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When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

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If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

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The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

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Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

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We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

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We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

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Rule #10

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Hopefully a centering thought

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  • #1

    Hopefully a centering thought

    There is a pretty good chance we lose game 6, let's just be honest, two of the 5 best players in the NBA have flipped a switch and it is going to be tough for us to counter. There are a lot of emotions flowing around this board right now, but this thread has one purpose, to try and re-orient everyone back to the median.

    My simple question is this, even if we lose game 6, is there anyone on this board that can say they are unhappy with what the Pacers did this season?

    I mean at the start of the year we were talking about maybe moving up to the 6th seed and if we got really lucky sneaking into the 5 seed. Instead, we finished the 3rd seed, the 5th best overall record in the NBA. The 4th best road record. Anyway you slice it, this was a vast and unexpected improvement over last season.

    At the start of the year, most were going to be happy with a truly .500 season, or maybe finishing 2-4 games over .500. Instead, we finished 18 games over .500.

    In the middle of the year, when we struggled and slipped to 17-12, many of us expected the collapse to begin. Instead, the team rallied, adjusted and finished the season on a 25-12 run.

    Soft? No heart? This team? This team that has exceeded EVERY SINGLE PERSON'S expectations for this season? Especially their harshest critics? No, they are not soft, they don't lack heart, maybe last night they did, but on the season? They've taught us all what it meant to enjoy Pacers basketball again. They may not have championship level talent, they may be a year of growth and one more player away from truly competing, but they reminded us that Pacers basketball is fun. Just like the IU team did this year, and that is why both teams will always have a special place in my heart. In the end, both squads got beaten by the overwhelming favorite (assuming Miami finishes us off), but both teams had also made it known that they weren't going anywhere.

    At the very least, they will have taken the vaunted Miami Heat to at least 6 games, they will have been the first Eastern Conference team to beat Miami on their home court in the playoffs. Some will say that the only reason any of this series happened is because the Heat lost Bosh, and that may be true, but it is also true that Miami chose to build their squad that way, and that injuries are a part of the game. The Heat are vulnerable to an injury to the big 3 in the same way we are vulnerable to the fact that we just aren't as good as Lebron and Wade, personally I think our problem is easier to fix. Miami can't suddenly find more cap space to bring in a big 4. (Not to say we will be better than Miami next year, but I think we will be improved, and better prepared for the battle and the playoffs.)

    So when the clock reads all zeroes on Thursday night, win or lose, you can be damned sure my butt will be up out of my seat giving this particular team the standing ovation they deserve. They've earned that much. And I don't want us to get so wrapped up in the Heat flipping the switch and ground pounding us the last two games that we miss that.

    Because we don't get to come back here guys, come October/November of next year, it is different. The Pacers will wear a bullseye on their backs most nights they go out on the court. This underdog, nobody respects us rally cry we've had all year, it's going to go away. There will be expectations, heck, some people may pick us to win the division with Rose's injury. We don't get to come back to this point, so if Thursday is the last night we get to enjoy THIS team, this particular team that has truly lead a renaissance of Pacers basketball in Indianapolis this season, because next year they will change, we need to savor and enjoy it.

    We don't get to come back here, we don't get a do over. We don't get to feel the elation of watching this team slowly prove to all of this that they are honest to goodness good at basketball, and truly our only hope against the Heat on Thursday and God willing on Saturday in Miami, may be if the players realize this too.
    Last edited by Trader Joe; 05-23-2012, 10:33 AM.


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  • #2
    Re: Hopefully a centering thought

    That is all true, but I know in my case, I don't really consider the type of things you are discussing until after the Pacers are eliminated. Sort of like in the middle of an intense fight are you thinking about what you are going to have for dinner tomorrow? No

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    • #3
      Re: Hopefully a centering thought

      Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
      That is all true, but I know in my case, I don't really consider the type of things you are discussing until after the Pacers are eliminated. Sort of like in the middle of an intense fight are you thinking about what you are going to have for dinner tomorrow? No
      Maybe true, my post could have waited til the Pacers were eliminated, but I truly believe this team deserves to feel our appreciation on Thursday night. Win or lose.


      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Hopefully a centering thought

        The "centering" thought I have is that Vogel started to respond correctly to the Battier attack and how Miami was defending the post in general in the 2nd half. It was just too late by then.

        So I think we will see better post offense in game 6, especially from the "center".

        The crowd will be lively and the team will definitely feel appreciated, but not as appreciated as they'll feel in game 1 of the ECF.

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        • #5
          Re: Hopefully a centering thought

          Originally posted by Trader Joe View Post
          Maybe true, my post could have waited til the Pacers were eliminated, but I truly believe this team deserves to feel our appreciation on Thursday night. Win or lose.
          if we lose - they will think the applause is for the Heat instead and get more sad than they really are and be like "it was all the ketchup cheering without any mustard"

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          • #6
            Re: Hopefully a centering thought

            This team certainly exceeded my expectations for this season. And I think that even when/if the Pacers lose this series, they did a lot to bring the fans back. They caught the casual fans' attention in a good way. I'm proud of the team. I just hope they can build from this.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Hopefully a centering thought

              I've always thought that a successful campaign this year was getting into the second round. Anything was playing on house money. That being said, let's give those dirty Miami *******s everything we got!
              "Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

              "And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "

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              • #8
                Re: Hopefully a centering thought

                I am not ready to accept losing game 6, so I am not able to consider any centering thoughts or big picture reviews of this whole season.

                I will feel a lot better about this whole season if I see some toughness (mental toughness and physical toughness that DOES NOT include any cheap shots) tomorrow night.
                The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).

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                • #9
                  Re: Hopefully a centering thought

                  I read a quote somewhere by Hibbert saying that he wasn't ready to go fishin' yet - I certainly hope that everyone else feels this way and comes out and gives it all they have.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Hopefully a centering thought

                    Thank you for this, Joe.

                    I was ashamed of many of the Pacer "die-hards" last night. Comments I heard/read:

                    "Wish I hadn't wasted my money on Game 6"
                    "This team doesn't even deserve to be here"
                    "What a joke. No heart."
                    "(Fill in any players name) sucks! Can we please get (nash/gordon/deron/howard/melo)" (This one is especially funny, as not a one of those players made it out of the first round)
                    "No wonder no one goes to games/attendance sucks"

                    Absolutely shameful. 1 terrible loss does not a season make. This team still has a shot to advance to the ECF, however realistic that shot is. They've put themselves in a position to force a game 7 by winning at home. They've played hard, made the fans proud, gone toe-to-toe with anyone in their path.

                    I for one will be loud and proud Thursday. If the game ends up in a loss, I'll be standing and cheering the team as they go off the court. These guys have given me the most enjoyable season in over 7 years, and I for one am incredibly proud of them.

                    Go Pacers! All the bandwagoners? Good ****ing riddance.
                    Last edited by Derek2k3; 05-23-2012, 03:59 PM. Reason: spelling

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                    • #11
                      Re: Hopefully a centering thought

                      Originally posted by bellisimo View Post
                      if we lose - they will think the applause is for the Heat instead and get more sad than they really are and be like "it was all the ketchup cheering without any mustard"
                      Only if they refuse to look up into the crowd at all while they head to the tunnel.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Hopefully a centering thought

                        Originally posted by Derek2k3 View Post
                        I was ashamed of many of the Pacer "die-hards" last night. Comments I heard/read:

                        "Wish I hadn't wasted my money on Game 6"
                        "This team doesn't even deserve to be hear"
                        "What a joke. No heart."
                        "(Fill in any players name) sucks! Can we please get (nash/gordon/deron/howard/melo)" (This one is especially funny, as not a one of those players made it out of the first round)
                        "No wonder no one goes to games/attendance sucks"
                        I have been a supporter of this team through thick and thin (and a lot more thin than thick). While I understand one game does not a season make, I absolutely reserve the right to rant and emote when my team goes out and soils its britches while excreting poo all over the court while on national TV.

                        After the game is the time for "calm" reflection and thought, but immediately after? Don't take my emotions out of a loss any more than you'd take my emotions out of a win - definitely don't tell me I can be proud of an excellent game but that I can't rage when it is an execrable game.
                        BillS

                        A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
                        Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Hopefully a centering thought

                          Originally posted by Trader Joe View Post
                          At the very least, they will have taken the vaunted Miami Heat to at least 6 games, they will have been the first Eastern Conference team to beat Miami on their home court in the playoffs. Some will say that the only reason any of this series happened is because the Heat lost Bosh, and that may be true . . .
                          And we lost Jeff Foster.

                          So when the clock reads all zeroes on Thursday night, win or lose, you can be damned sure my butt will be up out of my seat giving this particular team the standing ovation they deserve.
                          As someone has already said, people will think it is for Miami if we lose. Area 55 needs to stand and chant Pacers, Pacers, Pacers, and drown out any interviews given to James and Wade.
                          Last edited by Will Galen; 05-23-2012, 02:47 PM.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Hopefully a centering thought

                            Originally posted by BillS View Post
                            I have been a supporter of this team through thick and thin (and a lot more thin than thick). While I understand one game does not a season make, I absolutely reserve the right to rant and emote when my team goes out and soils its britches while excreting poo all over the court while on national TV.

                            After the game is the time for "calm" reflection and thought, but immediately after? Don't take my emotions out of a loss any more than you'd take my emotions out of a win - definitely don't tell me I can be proud of an excellent game but that I can't rage when it is an execrable game.
                            Oh, I don't mean to come off like I don't htink you shouldn't be furious/enraged/pissed, I'm just saying don't take it so far as to make some of the comments I quoted in my post.

                            Be mad, but don't be a jackass, as my dad used to say. You can get frustrated/angry without making a fool out of yourself.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Hopefully a centering thought

                              Originally posted by Derek2k3 View Post
                              Oh, I don't mean to come off like I don't htink you shouldn't be furious/enraged/pissed, I'm just saying don't take it so far as to make some of the comments I quoted in my post.

                              Be mad, but don't be a jackass, as my dad used to say. You can get frustrated/angry without making a fool out of yourself.
                              Other than the "go get another player" quote, I don't think any of those other statements is a particularly foolish comment given Game 5. Hyperbolic, particularly the "wasted money" one, but not out of line with how the team played at all.
                              BillS

                              A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
                              Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

                              Comment

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