Fishers resident Eric Bond turned a memorable Pacers postseason into something more permanent: his first book.
Bond, a 2004 graduate of Indiana University's journalism program, published “But This Is Indiana…” after following Indiana’s 2025 run all the way to the NBA Finals. He went to 10 Pacers playoff games during that stretch and said the team won every one of them.
The book starts with Bond’s childhood and family background before shifting into his long-running Pacers fandom and the 2025 season. For Bond, the writing became a way to work through the ending.
“This book helped me process that loss and celebrate the moments that make Indiana basketball so special,” Bond told WISH-TV.
Indiana finished the regular season 50-32 and entered the playoffs as the East’s fourth seed. The Pacers then got through Milwaukee in five games, Cleveland in five, and New York in six to reach the Finals. It was the franchise’s first trip there since 2000.
The Finals ended with Tyrese Haliburton tearing his right Achilles tendon in the first quarter of Game 7. Oklahoma City won that game and the series.
Bond spent a lot of the run inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, including one game that turned into a special family moment for his 10-year-old son, Alex. That trip was Alex’s first Pacers playoff game, and Haliburton hit the game-winning shot.
“That moment with my son? Pure magic,” Bond told WISH-TV. “It felt like we were part of Pacers history.”
Bond also made sure the book reached the organization itself. He sent copies to the Pacers and got an autographed team basketball back. General manager Chad Buchanan later emailed him about the book, and Jake Query mentioned it on Query & Company, his midday show on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis.
The book is dedicated to Bond’s father, Robert, who died in 2022. Robert Bond played basketball, and Eric said his love for the game and for writing traces back to him.
“It’s a tribute to my dad and the way basketball brought us together,” Bond told WISH-TV.
The story of Bond’s book also lands in the middle of a rough stretch for the Pacers. Without Haliburton in 2025-26, Indiana went 19-63, the lowest win total in franchise history.
The team had a 13-game losing streak from December into January and later dropped 16 straight from February into March, giving the Pacers the two longest losing streaks in franchise history. A March 10 loss to Sacramento made Indiana the first team eliminated from the 2026 playoffs.
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