INDIANAPOLIS — Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers clinched a spot in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament championship Thursday.

Their success on the national stage has ignited local excitement for the team not seen in at least a decade.

The Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas for their spot in the title game, but the first knockout round victory against the Boston Celtics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Monday night set the tone.

“I haven’t felt excitement like that since the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals,” said fan Ryan Brown, who attended Monday’s game.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a crowd like that since the Jermaine O’Neal days,” added Kyle Bovee, another Pacers fan in the crowd Monday night.

That excitement carried over into the Pacers’ watch party Thursday at Brothers Bar & Grill in downtown Indianapolis.

Brothers general manager Brett Cleary said the energy around the Pacers is already translating to more sales this season.

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in business this year,” Cleary said. “Potentially double the crowd so far and I think we’ll see a lot of people coming in the future.”

Cleary believes the Pacers’ success and the upcoming NBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse is a needed boost for downtown Indianapolis businesses after struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Great sports is always good for business,” Cleary said. “Winning teams always help.”

The Pacers are hosting a watch party for the In-Season Tournament Championship on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and the game will start at 8:30 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS — On Thursday afternoon, Anthony Sims visited George Washington High School.

“I’m here to talk to you, to tell you don’t let your location dictate where you go,” Sims told the students.

He’s also talking to them about the ongoing gun violence in the community and introducing them to boxing.

“Boxing’s cool, boxing’s fun. You can get a scholarship for boxing. You win or lose, you can come back the next day,” Sims said. “But here’s the thing, once you kill someone – once you smoke somebody, you go to prison. The rest is history.”

Sims grew up on the west side of Indianapolis and started boxing at the age of six.

“I took it seriously and ended up moving to Vegas with the Mayweathers,” Sims said.

Sims’ career has taken him all over the world. In 2012, he was an alternate on the U.S. Olympic team and as a professional, he’s 23-2 with 20 knockouts.

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“Boxing is the only place where it’s 50-50. In day-to-day life, anything can happen to you, but at least in boxing it’s right in front of you,” Sims said.

Sims wants kids in Indy to learn lessons to from boxing. He’s hosting his first event on Saturday called Naptown Rumble.

“Right now, kids in Indy don’t respect authority. They don’t want to listen, they’re hardheaded and they think they’re tough,” Sims said. “Boxing will teach you on a scale of how tough you are when you hop in that ring.”

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The event also features Indianapolis boxers. Sims wants to help put Indianapolis on the map for the sport.

“It comes around all 360. My dream was to go to LA and now my dream is to come back home and do the same things I was doing there, back here. It feels great to be back home,” Sims said.

Naptown Rumble is on Saturday at Arsenal Tech High School. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the first fight starting at 7:30 p.m.

Click here to purchase tickets. Use the discount code ‘Naptownrumble.’

Faced with some daunting development challenges and obstacles, IndyCar Series officials announced a delay in the rollout of the Hybrid Assist Unit until after the 108^th Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day Weekend.

The Hybrid Assist Unit was supposed to be on all cars in time for the season-opening March 10 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

IndyCar officials made the announcement on December 7.

IndyCar remain committed to the development of the Hybrid Assist Unit that will be part of the IndyCar engine package, but the much-anticipated debut of the new power unit is expected to launch after the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, during the second half of the 2024 IndyCar season.

IndyCar officials released some interesting milestones as Hybrid Assist Unit testing continues through the offseason.

IndyCar officials said on December 7, that since the initial on-track testing of hybrid components over a year ago, development of the new IndyCar 2.2-liter twin- turbocharged V-6 engine with hybrid technology has passed many significant milestones.

The IndyCar Series 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine was initially paired and tested with the hybrid unit Aug. 16, 2023, at Sebring International Raceway.

In just three months, a total of 15,256 miles of testing have been successfully completed with the new power unit among 13 NTT IndyCar Series drivers.

“The partnership between Chevrolet and Honda has been phenomenal,” IndyCar President Jay Frye said. “The IndyCar-specific hybrid power unit is dynamic and an engineering marvel, and we’re completely committed to its successful introduction next season.”

The IndyCar Series, Chevrolet and Honda are working in collaboration on the development of the first-of-its-kind hybrid unit with testing on tracks that mirror the disciplines of the IndyCar Series. Sessions have included ovals at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Milwaukee Mile and World Wide Technology Raceway, road courses at IMS, Road America and Barber Motorsports Park and the street circuit-like surface at Sebring.

IndyCar’s hybrid power unit is expected to enhance the racing action with additional horsepower and further the series’ efforts to deliver the most competitive motorsport on the planet. The new powerplant unit will feature additional overtake (“push-to-pass”) options, ultimately giving IndyCar Series drivers more choices and control – enhancing the on-track competition and excitement.

The start of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season is expected to feature enhanced possibilities of track records with lighter chassis components (aeroscreen, bellhousing and gearbox) prepared for the hybrid addition. Once the hybrid unit is integrated, the remaining 2024 races will feature the intensified engineering and wheel-to-wheel precision of the hybrid power era.

The hybrid system is made up of the Motor Generator Unit (MGU) and Energy Storage System (ESS), which both fit inside the bellhousing, located between the IndyCar Series combustion engine and the gearbox. Multiple strategies for regeneration and deployment have been tested as the power unit builds and transmits energy through the MGU before being saved in the ultracapacitor ESS.

The additional horsepower is deployed through the same motor generator. Unlike the traditional IndyCar “push-to-pass” system, the hybrid power unit will not have a restriction on total time used over the course of a race.

Additional testing and continued development of the hybrid package will continue throughout the winter and spring months ahead of the first race in 2024.

More information on the competitive launch of the hybrid unit will be announced at a later date.