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- Pacers Grab Series Lead + Where to Watch the Rest of the NBA Finals 👀🏀
Pacers Grab Series Lead + Where to Watch the Rest of the NBA Finals 👀🏀
Plus - Learn how the Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis overnight! 🏈
Get IN, Austin Sellers & Nate Spangle
June 12, 2025
Thursday, June 12th
🔥 Bourbon, BBQ & Live Music in the Hills – July 25–26 🍖🎶
Looking for the perfect summer weekend? The Hard Truth Bourbon & BBQ Festival in Nashville, Indiana is bringing the heat — and the Get IN team will be there to take it all in.
This two-day celebration is packed with:
Live music from local and regional acts in the scenic hills of Brown County
A full lineup of bourbon tastings, BBQ competitions, and outdoor games
A festival atmosphere that’s pure Indiana summer — bold flavors, good vibes, and plenty to explore
Whether you’re in it for the music, the food, or just the bourbon-soaked energy, this one’s worth the trip.
🎟 Tickets are live — grab yours now:
👉 hardtruth.com/event/bourbon-bbq-festival
📜 This Week in Indiana History 📜
The first in the United States to receive triple accreditation as a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden, the Indianapolis Zoo is consistently ranked as one of the top in the U.S. We celebrate it today on This Week in Indiana History, as it opened at its current location in White River State Park this week in 1988.
Though it has been at its current location for just under 40 years at this point, the zoo itself has been around since 1964. It was previously located in Washington Park but grew to the point where it needed to expand, and plans were put in motion to eventually move the zoo to White River State Park.
Unlike other zoos its size, the Indianapolis Zoo is privately funded and does not take any money from the city of Indianapolis. Its largest fundraiser is Zoobilation, a black-tie event featuring various bands, food, and activities, and it’s tomorrow night, making the downtown Indy scene even bigger with Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Russell Dickerson performing at the Everwise Amphitheatre, and an Indianapolis Indians game all on tap.
⚡ Hoosier Headlines ⚡
The Indiana Pacers charged back, then held off Oklahoma City 116-107 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at an absolute rocking Gainbridge Fieldhouse last night to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. The win stretches the series to at least six games, meaning the Pacers not only host Game 4 on Friday night but return to Indy next Thursday for Game 6. LET’S. GO.
The ‘Cers trailed 89-84 entering the fourth quarter, but then it became The Bennedict Mathurin Show as it had been for most of the night. Mathurin ignited the comeback, scoring 10 of his game-high 27 points in the final frame. Tyrese Haliburton was outstanding throughout as well, finishing a rebound shy of a triple-double with 22 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists.
The whole cast of Pacers brought their A-games, too. Pascal Siakam had 21-6-4. T.J. McConnell was a menace, pouring in 10 points to go with five steals, including three on inbounds plays after Indiana had scored a bucket. Obi Toppin had the best +/- of all players at +18 when he was on the floor. Now that’s a team win. 🙌
We’d feel remiss to not mention how Game 1 played out in Oklahoma City, too, where Haliburton led the never-out-of-it Pacers to an improbable, last-second comeback. The Pacers’ star sank a 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give Indiana its only lead of the game in a 111-110 win over Oklahoma City last Thursday.
It was Indiana’s fourth stunning comeback of the playoffs — all keyed by Haliburton with game-winning and game-tying shots in the final seconds — one apiece in each of Indiana’s series wins over Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York. 🤯
Indiana trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter with 9:42 to play, marking the biggest comeback of a finals game since Rick Carlisle’s Dallas Mavericks erased a 15-point deficit against the Lebron James-led Miami Heat in 2011. In our opinion (and the opinion of many others), we’ve got the best coach in the league.
Following last night’s dub, the Pacers can take a commanding 3-1 lead with Game 4 tipping off at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow. We’ll be there. Will you? 👊
The Get Indiana crew will be out in full force tonight at Victory Field, where the Indianapolis Indians host the St. Paul Saints in a doubleheader. The Indians will send the Pittsburgh Pirates’ No. 5 prospect Hunter Barco to the mound in Game 1, set for 6:05 p.m. ⚾
If you like baseball and live music, then tonight’s for you. From 5-5:30 p.m. and between the 7-inning contests, My Yellow Rickshaw will perform in the Center Field Plaza. 🎵
Only one ticket is needed to attend both games, and it’s a Thirsty Thursday, meaning $2 Pepsi products and $3 draft beer and Busch Light. Oh, BOY. 🍻
Check out our most recent visit to the Vic, where we tackled our own version of the 9-9-9 challenge. 👇
The 2025 Innovate WithIN State Finals — the premier high school pitch competition across the entire country — is coming up next Friday, June 20, at Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University. The event is free and open to the public.
The competition features 10 teams that have advanced through two rounds and past thousands of teams, and big bucks are on the line. Every finalist receives an all-inclusive trip to Washington D.C., plus seed funding prizes are awarded with first place receiving $25,000 and the winner of the People’s Choice Award receiving $1,500.
We’ve got three teams to keep an eye on:
Septo from Munster: They provide a non-invasive solution for infection tracking through an X-shaped, plant-powered bandage. Fun fact: They are already patent-pending!
SafetyGlow from Hanover Central: They enhance road safety with a retractable, highly visible LED light strip for trucks to reduce the risk of highway accidents. Fun fact: They have public support with letters of intent from companies and backing from politicians who see the product as a future highway standard.
Compleyes.ai from Purdue Polytechnic at Englewood & Zionsville: They help manufacturing companies streamline environmental compliance by automating manual reporting tasks using AI-powered tools. Fun fact: It took just a few weeks for them to build a working MVP (minimal viable product) and form an Indiana LLC.
Ashton Verbish of Hanover Central High School founded SafetyGlow.
From the top rope! Courtyard Fury returns to Pax Verum Brewing in Lapel next Friday, June 20, and it’s sure to be a hit.
The seven-match card provided by White River Wrestling is one you simply can’t miss. The colossal main event pits champion Jake Omen against “The Exception” Dalton McKenzie.
Limited tickets for kids 16 and under ($15), general admission ($25) and ringside seats ($35) remain. Seating opens at 7 p.m. ahead of bell time at 8 p.m. Ding, ding, ding. 🔔🎟
💎 Hidden Gems 💎
Loogootee is the home of Dairy Master, an old-school diner that isn’t flashy on the outside but is full of flavor inside. It thrives off having exceptional service, fair prices, and small-town charm.
For starters, go with the chili cheese fries or fried mushrooms before moving onto a burger (get the Mr. T, similar to a McDonald’s Big Mac), hot dog or its version of an Indiana staple — jumbo tenderloin sandwich. And you can’t leave without diving into a banana split, milkshake or flurry. 🍔🍨
Small towns across Indiana are home to mom-and-pop ice cream shops, and in Loogootee, that’s Dairy Master. Check ‘em out Monday thru Saturday from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. and on Sundays from noon - 7 p.m.
Located inside Old National Centre in downtown Indianapolis is the Murat Theatre, a popular performing arts and concert venue that seats 2,500 and has served the Circle City for over 100 years.
Guests can enjoy fresh productions from Broadway, family shows, comedians, seasonal performances and more. One of the most popular Broadway musicals — Wicked — is set for June 18-July 6.
If watching stand-up comedy is your thing, comedian and TV personality Howie Mandel is headlining the 25th anniversary of “Laughing Matters”, a fundraiser by Cancer Support Community Indiana. Tickets are still available here. 🎟
And speaking of laughs, iconic comedian and actor Jerry Seinfeld is returning to Indy for a stand-up performance on Nov. 22. You can snag tickets tomorrow starting at 10 a.m. 🎟
What’s your Hidden Gem? Submit here to have it featured!
👏 1 Big wIN 👏
The Indiana Pacers playing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 is not just a win for the organization and its fans, but it’s a huge win for Indianapolis, the suburbs and places across the state of Indiana.
Why exactly? With a capacity of 18,000, Gainbridge Fieldhouse can’t fit everybody for this NBA Finals showdown. On top of that, tickets have soared to get-in prices between $700-800 on the secondary market, so even if you wanted to go, it ain’t gonna be cheap. 💰
The alternative — watch parties. The Pacers welcomed fans into Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Games 1 and 2, and followed that up with one outside the fieldhouse last night in the Bicentennial Plaza.
Downtown bars have sprung into action with watch parties, too, including Coaches Tavern, Kilroy’s, and our personal favorite where we watched Game 3 last night — The Hangar. Tickets must be purchased in advance and include all-you-can-eat brick oven pizza, a build-your-own nacho bar, two drink tickets, “Welcome Shot”, raffle prizes, t-shirt cannon launch, hang-time challenge and more. It was electric. Boom, baby! 🏀🎟
🎙 In this episode I sat down with Jon Scott, the football archivist for the Indianapolis Colts, who has been with the team since 1979.
Jon shares his incredible experiences, from the secretive overnight move from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984 to the Colts' Super Bowl victory in 2007.
He also delves into the pivotal moments of the Colts' history, including the drafting of Peyton Manning, and reminisces about the special team dynamics and some memorable pranks.
You are going to learn about:
- The untold story behind the Colts’ sudden move from Baltimore to Indianapolis
- How meticulous attention to detail and teamwork contributed to Colts’ success
- The emotional departure of Peyton Manning and its impact on the Colts' organization