When I found out last year that I had to travel to Indianapolis for business for a few days, I immediately began to make plans. I knew some sporting event had to fit into my schedule over the four days in November for my trip.

The Colts were out of town, but that didn’t matter much because I had to leave on a Sunday anyway. Indy doesn’t have a minor-league hockey team. They do have a junior-level team, but their rink was not downtown near my hotel (I wouldn’t have a car) so I didn’t even check to see if they played when I was in town.

My first choice of diversion was the Butler men’s basketball team. I really wanted to see a game in Hinkle Coliseum, where they filmed final game of “Hoosiers” The Bulldogs’ run to the NCAA final last season also made them appealing, but their one home game during my stay did not fit into my schedule.

That left the Indiana Pacers. I didn’t see them as a fall back. I just wondered if I could manage to find a ticket in the price range I wanted without having to sit in the nose bleeds. Luckily, the Pacers played twice during my visit, giving me a really good chance of seeing a game.

As it worked out, I ended up going to both. I’m not the biggest NBA fan, but found the first experience pretty exciting. Of course, it helped that I scored a ticket in the club level for $30 (my maximum) and spent the entire game watching from the restaurant in that level. They had a row of seats which looked out onto the court above one baseline. I had a fantastic view of Blake Griffin since the Clippers were in town.

The restaurant had a really good buffet (for another $30) and a much better beer selection than you would find in the seats. I never considered going to my section because of the great view and atmosphere in the restaurant.

Two nights later, I scored a $20 seat in the middle level, actually in the section below where I ate and watched the previous game. The Orlando Magic put up a much better fight than the Clippers did, but I still bailed early to go enjoy some other parts of Indianapolis.

I know the NBA has lots of problems, but I can see why it still resonates with many people. I have slowly come to re-discover the league thanks to Bill Simmons’ ESPN podcasts, and these games made me realize how fun the league can be.