Pacers win season opener behind balanced attack
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — Everything felt new for the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
There’s no Paul George. There’s no Larry Bird.
New floor. New uniforms. New PA announcer. New players. And most importantly, a new style of play.
Gone are the days of playing through one guy. This is now a team that hopes to bring a balanced attack every night. Mission accomplished in the season opener, as eight players scored in double-figures to lead the Pacers to a 140-131 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Good start to the 2017-18 season pic.twitter.com/NPU4pjS7EF
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 19, 2017
Victor Oladipo had a hot start in his Pacers debut, scoring 19 points in the 1st-half. Foul trouble limited his minutes in the second half, and he finished with 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
“I was just trying to go out there and set a tone,” Oladipo said. “Hopefully Pacers fans got a chance to see what we’re capable of. The thing I love about this locker room- guys want to get better. It’s a hungry group. I love these guys that I’m playing with.”
The man he was traded with for Paul George also had a big night. Domantas Sabonis scored 16 points on a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, to go along with seven rebounds off the bench.
“People talk about the trade like it was me for Paul,” Oladipo said. “But Domantas (Sabonis) is the real deal. That kid can play basketball. You’ll see.”
It was only one game, and it was only against the Brooklyn Nets, but Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard must have been very pleased with his return for Paul George on opening night.
Myles Turner had a huge night with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocked shots. The 21-year-old face of the franchise is ready to break out and lead this team, but he won’t be alone. “It’s funny to call me a leader,” Turner said. “We’ve got a team full of leaders. And that helps.”
As far as offense goes, we’re just getting started.
New point guard Darren Collison recorded a double-double himself with 21 points and 11 assists. He made one of the best plays of the game late in the 4th-quarter. With the Pacers leading 132-128 and 1:30 left to play, Collison could have taken a wide open three and forced the issue. Instead, he took the ball to the top of the key, ran time off the clock, and then drove and finished for one of the game’s biggest buckets.
Fan-favorite Lance Stephenson had a rough start, missing his first six shots. He then went 6-of-13 the rest of the way and finished with 16 points. Thad Young and Bojan Bogdanovic were the other Pacers in double-figures scoring 17, and 14, respectively.
The Pacers clearly have work to do on the defensive end after giving up 131 points. But on the offensive side, there was a lot to like. It was the first time Indiana scored 140 points since November of 2010. They dished out 29 assists and scored 28 fast-break points.
“It was a good showing for us offensively,” said point guard Darren Collison. “I think guys did a good job of doing exactly what Coach (McMillan) has been training us all summer to do, getting out on the break and being one of the best conditioned teams in the NBA. This early in the season, you don’t usually see teams pushing the ball the way we did and we got out on the break and got some easy opportunities.”
It’s a long season, and this new-look Pacers team will have plenty of obstacles to overcome. But one thing seems clear- this team could be a lot of fun to watch and has a group of guys that will be easy to root for.
