The Indiana Pacers have been changing their identity since being Eastern Conference Finals contenders four years ago. They were a slow-paced, gritty, defensive-strengthened team that played with two bigs on the floor. To Larry Bird’s desire, they’ve tried to embrace a faster style of play, which ties into Paul George playing more minutes at power forward last season.
Bird talked to Reggie Miller, who filled in on the Dan Patrick Show, about wanting to see is team score the ball more this season:
“We want a style where we can score,” Bird said. “I’d like to score 105 points a game or maybe 106, but still defend the way we have.
“Nate’s got over 900 games that he’s coached in the NBA and he’s got a style…I think he’s going to do an excellent job for us.”
Bird, like any other competitor, is looking for the best of both worlds with his team — be able to score and defend at a high level. The Pacers averaged 102.2 points per game last season which ranked around the middle of the league. Being able to score over 100 points is a necessity to win in the landscape of today’s league.
The Pacers are going into the season with more weapons, depth, and balance. Jeff Teague is more of a playmaking point guard than his predecessor George Hill, Thaddeus Young is an asset unlike they had prior, and Al Jefferson has true credibility as an inside scorer. A combination of those new assets flourishing, Paul George continuing to lead the way, and Myles Turner taking another step could lead to Bird’s wish being granted and the Pacers being taken a lot more seriously.
