Pacers Preview: Mission begins and ends with a title
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Assistant Editor
INDIANAPOLIS – Before fighting George Foreman in 1974, boxing great Muhammad Ali once explained that his immunity to pressure came from having wrestled an alligator, handcuffed lightning and murdered a stone.
George Hill has done none of that. He just shares Ali’s attitude of, “Bring it on.”
With the Pacers beginning the regular season tomorrow night against the Orlando Magic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, they approach the year with fans’ expectations at their highest point in nearly a decade. Greatness is on the table, a championship in realistic sight.
And Hill is anything but nervous, scared or apprehensive.
“Any time there’s pressure, you want that,” Hill said. “You want everyone to have high hopes for you. That’s what gives you a chip on your shoulder to push through everything. I’m sure everyone in this locker room wants to get that chance to play for a title. Our whole team is excited. Still we have a lot to prove.”
Indiana came within a victory of the NBA Finals less than five months ago before falling 99-76 to eventual champion Miami in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
“To go a whole summer with a bitter taste in your mouth isn’t fun,” Hill said.
That’s why the Pacers are so eager to finally break through to a place the franchise has been only once before. In 2000, Indiana won a conference title behind a balanced, professional bunch that included Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, Rik Smits, Mark Jackson and Dale Davis. More than a decade later, the names are different, but the team-based, defensive-oriented approach remains the same.
With Paul George, an All-Star, and former All-Stars in Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and David West, the Pacers are loaded, and they know it.
Of course, a slew of deep and talented teams over the years have been sidetracked by ego, contract uncertainty and bickering. With Granger and Lance Stephenson in the final year of their contracts, there are potential distractions that must be overcome.
“It’s not all going to be roses,” said Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations. “You’re going to have losses. Certain guys aren’t going to be able to play the minutes they want. You’ve got to stay together. If you’ve got enough talent, you can do something special.”
Most every player on the team has said their personal agendas have been pushed aside in hopes of an elusive title. Luis Scola, acquired in an offseason trade with Phoenix that sent out Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee, will come off the bench after starting 410 of the 468 games in which he appeared with the Suns and Rockets.
“It’s the role that I’m facing now,” Scola said. “I’m happy to be on a championship team. I’ll try to embrace the role as much as I can. I believe there are a lot of great players around the NBA playing this type of role. I will try to be one of them.”
There are a few reasons why these Pacers might be more than just another really good team that is on vacation the first week of June:
— Granger: The forward is on the franchise leaderboard in many key categories, even though he missed all but five games last season. Now, the organization is committed to returning the Pacers’ most tenured player to a significant role once he recovers from a strained calf, which shouldn’t be too much longer. Granger will probably end up starting at small forward. He’s a potential 15-point scorer who has the ability to create his own shots and frighten opponents as George’s long, sweet-shooting wing partner.
— Stephenson: He didn’t space the floor as well as he could after joining the starting lineup early in the season. He responded by working out with renowned shooting coach Hal Wissel and insists his jumper is better than it was last year. If so, teams will be unable to swarm Hibbert as much, and Stephenson will be a more well-rounded, efficient player.
— Scola: He’s not the penetrating guard the Pacers have hoped to acquire for a while. However, the 6-foot-9 Scola is an upgrade over Tyler Hansbrough. Scola is by far the most accomplished backup power forward the Pacers have had, giving them a bench presence and versatile offensive weapon.
Scola, along with point guard C.J. Watson and sharpshooting forward Chris Copeland, were major additions made by Bird after he returned to the organization in late June following a year off. During his time at home in front of the television, Bird decided the Pacers’ second unit needed another reconstruction. He wasted no time executing an overhaul that largely undid the work of Donnie Walsh and Kevin Pritchard from the 2012 offseason. Ultimately, Bird earned rave reviews.
George referred to the incoming talent as “amazing” and suggested the top five backups could just as easily start. The lone holdover from last season’s bench, center Ian Mahinmi, is also happy with the changes.
“I’m feeling good about this summer, feeling good about what the front office did,” said Mahinmi, who is particularly smitten with Scola. “He’s internationally known. He’s somebody (who) has been doing it for years and is well-respected. His IQ is one of the highest in the game now. It’s going to be a great opportunity for a guy like me to learn from him and play with him. I think he’ll be great for us.”
Watson and Scola upgrade significantly Indiana’s outside shooting. In the playoffs last season, the Knicks and Heat swarmed ball handlers in the paint, showing a flippant disregard for the Pacers’ 3-point abilities. Copeland connected on 42.1 percent of his triples as a rookie, while Watson has shot at or close to 40 percent from 3 the past three seasons.
“You can’t just leave me open or sag off me or go under pick-and-rolls,” Watson said. “I know our big men get double-teamed a lot. I’ll be out there to be someone to throw the ball to and shoot it.”
All the pieces, it seems, are in place.
Network executives see it. There are 17 Pacers games scheduled for ESPN, TNT and NBA TV, with more nationally televised contests possible.
Owner Herb Simon’s wallet feels it. It has cost the Pacers $70.4 million to put together a team that has dreams of bringing the first NBA championship banner to Indianapolis.
And the larger league dialogue acknowledges it. George is already spoken of as one of the best players in the NBA and could become the biggest star in a Pacers uniform since Miller.
Whether the Pacers can live up to the hype will be decided by a lot of basketball played between now and the beginning of the NBA Finals next June. But with George, Granger, West and Hibbert together, the Pacers are certainly embarking on one of the most promising seasons in franchise history, whether it produces a trophy or not.
“You talk every year about getting better than last year,” rookie Solomon Hill said. “The only thing that we can do is get to the Finals. This team is built to win.”
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5 things to expect from the Pacers
1. A quick start: The Pacers finished the first quarter of the 2012-13 season with a 10-11 record. The opening of this year’s schedule sets up for a better beginning: Six of their first nine games are at home, and two of the road games are against lottery teams from last season. In fact, expect the Pacers to start 4-0. Their first four opponents compiled a 1-12 record against the Pacers last season.
2. Roy Hibbert sweats early: The Pacers’ star center will want to hit the ground running with a string of tests before Thanksgiving. The first 11 games are against Nikola Vucevic of Orlando, Anthony Davis of New Orleans, Andrew Bynum of Cleveland, Andre Drummond of Detroit, Joakim Noah of the Bulls (twice), Jonas Valanciunas of Toronto, Brook Lopez of Brooklyn, Marc Gasol of Memphis, Larry Sanders of Milwaukee and New York’s Tyson Chandler.
3. Everyone’s full attention: The Pacers know they can no longer catch anyone by surprise now that they’re receiving more national publicity. In a poll of general managers by NBA.com, the Pacers were voted as the second-most likely team to win the championship (tying with San Antonio, behind Miami). Also, a few media personalities have picked the Pacers to win the title, including Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
4. Cohesive play: Hibbert, David West, George Hill, Paul George, Lance Stephenson and Danny Granger are in their third season together. Moreover, the starting lineup of George (23 years old), West (33), Hibbert (26), Granger (30) and Hill (27) is at a point in their careers where they recognize how to play team ball. “The team’s pretty young,” reserve C.J. Watson said. “They know what to do and what not to do. As long as we come together as a team, we’ll be fine.”
5. More butts in seats: For years, the Pacers have finished near the very bottom of the league in attendance, even as the team was winning. This trend has been in place since the late 1980s. But the Pacers might be a tougher ticket this winter. Season ticket sales are up 30 percent, the team reports.
Following the Pacers
ON TV: The majority of Pacers games will be broadcast on Fox Sports Indiana, which is available to subscribers of Bright House, Comcast and other cable providers across Central Indiana.
ON RADIO: Pacers games will air on the radio on WFNI, (1070 AM). Games will also air across Indiana on these stations: WAXL-FM, Jasper/Huntingburg; WBIW-AM, Bedford; WBOW-AM, Terre Haute; WHON-AM, Richmond; WJCP-AM, North Vernon; WMDH-AM, New Castle; WNDI-FM, Sullivan; WORX-FM, Madison; WPGW-AM, Portland; WREB-FM, Greencastle; WSDX-AM, Brazil; WWBL-FM, Vincennes/Washington; WXFN-AM, Muncie; WYFX-FM, Mt. Vernon; and WZBD-FM, Berne.
MORE PACERS PREVIEW:
Meet the team
Five big questions
2013-14 schedule and highlights
Donald Sloan: ‘It’s now or never’
Ranking the East
