Party time in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS — Playing their first home playoff game in five years, the Pacers went all out for celebrity guests, trotting out the Butler Bulldogs, complete with the Bulldog mascot between the first and second quarters.

Game 3 at Conseco Fieldhouse was a sellout. Even though the home team restricted ticket sales to within the state of Indiana during the first 72 hours they were on sale, Bulls fans filled roughly 20 percent of the building.

Before tipoff, things were quiet on the concourses. The concession workers seemed fired up about the influx of Bulls fans and were ready to move some product.

One thing that got the Indiana fans fired up during the game was the “MVP” chant the first time Derrick Rose went to the foul line. Suddenly, the building got loud as the home crowd tried to drown it out with some white noise.

Earlier in the day, the Bulls looked forward to the crazed atmosphere.

“The crowd is going to be hostile,” Joakim Noah said. “It’s going to be a hostile environment, and you’ve got to love playing in environments like that. It will be fun. It’s going to be exciting. And you know they’re going to give us their best shot.”

The Bulls finished the regular season winning 11 of their last 12 road games, but the lone loss was at Indiana in overtime March 18.

“Fans are going to be crazy and the players are going to be energetic,” Rose predicted. “I remember being an eighth seed coming back home (last year vs. Cleveland), you can’t wait to come back home. There’s going to be a lot of hustle plays out there. It should be good basketball.”