If you turned on the TV during the 2023-24 NBA season and thought your saturation settings were broken, you weren’t alone. It was bright. Like, really bright. The Pacers in season tournament court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse became an overnight lightning rod for fans, players, and even casual viewers who just wanted to watch Tyrese Haliburton cook without getting a migraine.
The NBA wanted a spectacle. They got one.
Basically, the league decided that the inaugural In-Season Tournament (now the Emirates NBA Cup) needed a visual identity so distinct that nobody could mistake a November Tuesday game for a regular regular-season matchup. For the Indiana Pacers, that meant a bold, painted-from-baseline-to-baseline floor that threw out the traditional wood grain entirely. It featured a vibrant "Indy Blue" base with a massive yellow stripe running down the middle—representing the tournament's trophy path.
The Visual Shock of the Pacers In Season Tournament Court
Honestly, the photos didn't do it justice. When you saw it in person or on a high-definition broadcast, the blue was aggressive.
The design followed a league-wide template. Every team had a "unified" look: a fully painted court, no wood showing, and a giant silhouette of the NBA Cup at midcourt. But the Pacers' color palette—blue and gold—hit differently than the more muted tones used by teams like the Lakers or the Celtics. It felt loud. It felt like Indiana was shouting that they arrived on the national stage.
Critics were everywhere. Social media was a mess of "my eyes hurt" and "fix the contrast." But here’s the thing: it worked. People were talking about the Indiana Pacers. In a league that often obsesses over the coastal big-market teams, a neon-blue floor in Indianapolis was the most discussed piece of real estate in basketball for three weeks straight.
It wasn't just about the aesthetics, though. There were some real-world functional issues.
Slipping, Sliding, and Safety Concerns
Basketball is a game of friction. Players rely on the "tack" of the hardwood to make those violent, 180-degree cuts. When you coat an entire floor in layers of paint and finish to get that specific matte look, the texture changes.
During the tournament's early stages, multiple players across the league complained about the grip. The Pacers in season tournament court wasn't immune to the "slickness" narrative. You'd see a guy try to plant for a step-back three and his lead foot would just... keep going.
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"I'm not going to lie, the court was a little slippery," Tyrese Haliburton mentioned after one of the early home games. He wasn't trashing it—he actually liked the vibe—but the reality of playing on a giant canvas is different than playing on polished maple. The league actually had to pull the Dallas Mavericks' tournament floor before a game because of manufacturing defects and "playability concerns."
The Pacers floor stayed down, but equipment managers were working overtime with the "mop boys" to ensure that perspiration didn't turn the blue paint into an ice rink.
Why the "Indy Blue" Scheme Actually Matters
If you look past the brightness, the Pacers in season tournament court represented a shift in how the franchise sees itself. For years, the Pacers were the "blue-collar, gold-swagger" team that stayed under the radar.
Then the tournament happened.
Indiana went on a tear. They didn't just play on a loud court; they played loud basketball. They beat the Sixers. They took down the Bucks in a high-octane semifinal. They eventually made it all the way to the championship game in Las Vegas against the Lakers.
That blue court became the backdrop for the emergence of a superstar. Every time a highlight of Haliburton throwing a no-look pass went viral, that unmistakable blue floor was the setting. It was branding genius disguised as a neon eyesore. You couldn't see that color and not think of the 2023 Pacers.
The Logistics of the Paint Job
Most people don't realize these courts aren't just repainted versions of the old ones. They are entirely separate floors. The NBA uses Robbins and Connor Sports to manufacture these portable "All-Star" style floors.
- They are built as 4-foot by 8-foot panels.
- The panels are locked together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
- The paint is applied in a climate-controlled factory to ensure the color is perfectly consistent across the whole surface.
Because the Pacers in season tournament court was so saturated, any scratch or scuff from a player's sneakers showed up instantly. By the end of the fourth quarter, the "Indy Blue" would have white streaks all over the paint from the friction of high-end Nikes.
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Comparing the Pacers Floor to the Rest of the League
While Indiana went with the blue/yellow combo, other teams went in wilder directions. The Pelicans had a deep purple and green floor that looked like a Mardi Gras float. The Bulls had a red court that looked like a scene from a horror movie.
But the Pacers court stood out because of the contrast. Blue and yellow are complementary colors on the wheel, meaning they "pop" when placed next to each other. This is great for comic books. For a 48-minute basketball game? It’s a lot for the human brain to process.
There’s actually some science behind why it felt so weird. The "Purkinje effect" describes how the human eye perceives colors differently in different light levels. When you have a massive surface area of one solid color—especially a cool color like blue—it messes with your depth perception and how you track a fast-moving orange object (the ball).
Was It a Success?
Depends on who you ask.
If you ask the NBA’s marketing department, it was a home run. TV ratings for the tournament were up significantly compared to previous November windows. The "visual disruption" forced people to stop scrolling and see what was happening.
If you ask a purist who wants to see the "Hickory" style wood grain and the classic pinstripe vibes of the 90s Pacers? They probably hated it.
But here is the reality: the Pacers in season tournament court was a vibe shift. It signaled that the NBA was willing to get weird to capture attention. It also proved that the Pacers were ready to be the face of a new era.
The team embraced it. The fans in the "0-Zone" started wearing matching blue gear. It created a home-court advantage that felt modern. It didn't feel like "Small Market Indiana" anymore. It felt like a New Age powerhouse.
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What Happens to the Court Now?
These floors aren't permanent. After the tournament ends, they are packed up into crates and stored. The Pacers go back to their standard "core" court for the remainder of the season.
There is some talk about whether the league will tone down the designs for future iterations of the Cup. Some rumors suggest they might leave more "natural wood" in the middle of the floor to help with the slipping issues and the TV broadcast "bleeding" effect.
But for one month in 2023, the basketball world was obsessed with a blue rectangle in the middle of a corn-growing state.
Improving the View: What to Watch for Next Time
If the league sticks with these ultra-bright floors, there are ways to make the experience better for you as a viewer.
- Adjust your TV's "Vivid" setting: If you're watching a game on the Pacers in season tournament court, turn off Vivid mode. It over-saturates the blues and makes the floor look like it's glowing. Switch to "Cinema" or "Game" mode for a more natural look.
- Watch the floor for "scuffing": You can tell how hard a game is being played by looking at the white marks left on the blue paint. It's a weirdly fascinating way to see where the most action is happening on the floor.
- Check the lighting: Notice how the shadows of the players look different on a painted floor versus a wood one. The light doesn't "bounce" off the blue paint the same way it does off polished maple.
The Pacers in season tournament court was a gamble. It was loud, it was polarizing, and it was undeniably Indiana. Whether you loved it or wanted to throw your remote at the screen, you remember it. And in the world of sports marketing, that is the only metric that actually matters.
The next time the tournament rolls around, don't expect the Pacers to go quiet. This is a team that has found its identity, and if that identity happens to be wrapped in a neon-blue package that makes the rest of the league uncomfortable, they'll take that win every single time.
Keep an eye on the official NBA announcements for the upcoming season’s court reveals. Usually, these drop in late October. Look for "Indy Blue" to make a return, perhaps with a slightly more matte finish to help those sneakers grip the floor during those high-speed transitions.
The era of boring basketball floors is officially over. Indiana made sure of that.