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Pacers' ticket sales aren't suffering with George injury

Brian Spurlock / USA TODAY Sports

It's been a rough offseason for the Indiana Pacers, but their fans aren't ready to jump ship. 

Lance Stephenson decided to take the money and bolt for Charlotte while Paul George will miss the season after breaking his leg, eliminating two starters from last year. 

However, a diminished roster apparently hasn't discouraged Indy fans from re-upping at the box office. 

"I don't think there's any sense of doom and gloom," Bill Benner, the Pacers' senior vice president for corporate, community and public relations told the Indianapolis Star. "We're not having people bail on us. The immediate reaction from our season ticket holders was that they're rallying behind this team."

Indiana finished 15th in attendance last season with an average of 17,501 spectators (96.3 percent capacity) per game - its highest number in 13 years. And while it's still too early to release official figures, the team expects the season ticket renewal rate to finish in the top 10 of the league. 

Benner believes that despite the loss of a marquee player like George, the remaining roster players, as well as a friendly environment at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, will be enough to keep fans coming through the gate. 

"The easy reaction [to George's injury] was, 'Oh my God, oh my God.' But there is a great deal of curiosity about the team that we'll have. Our fans have enjoyed not just Paul George, but the entire team. And not just the team, but also the game experience.

"It's become the place to be over the past couple of seasons, and we'll try to continue to build on that."

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