INDIANAPOLIS — How refreshing to hear people actually excited about a trip to Detroit?

"We're going to the D!" shouted Travis Walton as he paraded around the court, with the very latest in twine necklace chic draped around his neck. "It's going to be a Dee-troit par-tay!"

Durrell Summers' cell phone had already blown up with messages from family and friends from his northwest Detroit neighborhood, all probably asking the same question: Can you hook us up with Final Four tickets?

Tom Izzo could barely contain his emotions. A Michigan Man in the truest sense of the term, he understood the depth of what might rank as his finest coaching achievement.

"I know this probably sounds corny," Izzo said, "but this is like a fairy tale story. I really hope that we've given people reason to feel happy about who we are and where we're from."

Michigan State gave the city of Detroit a timely, much appreciated gift Sunday.

It has given a depressed city seven days to forget. Seven days where it doesn't have to apologize for feeling good about something relatively trivial. Seven days where front-page stories chronicling economic decline and uncertainty will be balanced with uplifting tales of a program whose toughness personifies its coach as well as its namesake.

There was nothing pretty about the Spartans' 64-52 Midwest Regional championship victory over Louisville. But isn't that how it should be when the reward is a visit to Detroit?

That isn't a knock. That's a compliment.

Some Louisville players already had discussed plans of a celebratory parade back home once they took care of the formality of flicking the underappreciated Big Ten champions off their shoulders as you would any other nuisance. But the Spartans once again lived up their program's creed, scrawled once again the locker room board before the game.

"Players play. Tough players win."

The Cardinals grew frustrated that an opponent actually dared defending them as though it were against sacred Big East policy. They quit in the second half.

Detroit doesn't need any more quitters defiling its ranks. The city got the right team because it got the tougher team.

"Coach Izzo and I talked about getting to Ford Field and the Final Four when he recruited me," sophomore guard Kalin Lucas said. "This has been our dream. And, now, we've done it. You can't describe how it feels to have a chance to play for the national championship in your hometown."

Perhaps the proudest Spartan of all was the one who stood the tallest.

"I'm so happy for Michigan State, but I'm really happy for the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit," said Magic Johnson, who watched the game with his father, Earvin Sr., from behind the MSU bench. "This is about representing where you're from. It doesn't matter if you wear blue or green or whatever. First and foremost, you're from the state of Michigan. And when you're tired of seeing your hometown or your state getting kicked, you can take pride in seeing someone from your state kicking back."

Johnson had come full circle. It was 30 years earlier in this city that Johnson exchanged celebratory hugs with teammates after the Spartans clinched a trip to the Final Four. It was his point guard progeny that got the hugs this time as he grabbed Lucas, virtually swallowing the 6-footer within his massive frame.

He offered advice to Lucas later in the locker room.

"You're the leader so now it's time lead," Magic said.

He told Lucas that he had got one day to celebrate and then it was back to business.

The dream was Detroit. The ultimate goal remains the national championship.