COURTSIDE VIEW Conrad Brunner

"It's very weird," he said.

Of course, it was no more unusual than what Hardaway was able to do Friday night. In his first game in more than a year, with two practices under his belt since signing with the Pacers Thursday, the 36-year-old guard played 21 minutes and produced 14 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals as the Pacers cruised to a 51-point blowout of Chicago, 140-89, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

"I couldn't imagine a more successful first time out," Hardaway said. "It was a great start."

The Pacers' ability to sign his former point guard - particularly at this late stage in the season - made Miami coach Pat Riley more than a little envious.

Hardaway was lost to injuries in his last three playoff trips with the Heat, largely due to the accumulated wear and tear through the course of the regular season.

"I'd love to have done that. He'd have loved it, too,'' Riley told the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel Friday before Miami faced Minnesota. "You know, just sort of, 'Tim, go to the Bahamas until April.' He'd be, 'Great, good.'

"We were always blind-sided by Tim's injuries. They were late and they would happen late. And all of a sudden, in March or April, he'd start feeling some pain and we wouldn't practice him any more and he'd tweak it in a game. We had three straight years where he wasn't right."

Told of Riley's comments, Hardaway smiled and shook his head.

"I know what he's talking about," he said. "Fresh legs, fresh mind."

Hardaway's performance was more than statistically successful. It was consequential. Despite having one practice and one shootaround under his belt, he stepped right in and made a difference.

The Pacers led 31-25 when he entered the game with 1:49 left in the first quarter. They led 53-32 when he went to the bench with 7:26 left in the half. The team went 8-of-10 from the field with Hardaway on the floor; the only two misses were his. In his 6 minutes, the Pacers outscored the Bulls by 15 points.

Considering this was his first competitive basketball since suffering a broken bone in his left foot on March 23, 2002 while with Denver, it was quite an encouraging performance.

Thomas

"We were playing well, moving the ball well and when Tim came in, because he's such a good passer, he added to that," said coach Isiah Thomas. "He got guys easier shots, better looks and that became contagious."

The impetus built during Hardaway's initial stint carried through the first half. The Pacers established season highs for points in a quarter (39 in the first) and half (74 in the first) and took a 28-point lead into the second half, by which time things were fairly well settled. All that remained to be determined was if Jalen Rose would find the hoop at some point, which he never really did. After going 7-of-24 in his first trip to Conseco Fieldhouse with the Bulls, Rose went 5-of-14 in the return trip.

Rose, who scored 12, was in fact outscored by Hardaway, one of seven Pacers to produce double-figures in points. Brad Miller had his best game in weeks with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Pacers outrebounded the Bulls 31-9 in the first half and 59-27 overall, shot 61.9 percent from the field and racked up 34 assists. The point total represented the Pacers' highest in regulation in more than 13 years, since a 144-105 victory over Golden State on Jan. 15, 1990. The margin was the team's second-widest ever in the NBA (to a 65-pointer over Portland, 124-59, in 1998).

Hardaway signed Thursday morning, participated in a scaled-down practice, then walked through the team shootaround Friday morning. Yet he not only knew what he was supposed to do, he was instantly directing traffic for his teammates.

"I've been in the league 13 years; I know what the coaches want," Hardaway said. "All offenses are the same. They're just called different names."

He looked much more like a future Hall-of-Famer than a reject from the scrap heap. In the process, he helped inject life into the Pacers when they were in desperate need. The victory pushed them one-half game behind third-place Philadelphia in the East.

Harrington

"I was definitely surprised (by Hardaway)," said Al Harrington, who scored 19 in 25 minutes off the bench. "It just shows that players play. They always have it."

The Pacers don't know about always just yet, but Hardaway definitely had it Friday night.

"If he is healthy and in shape, I think he's coming back at the right time,'' Riley said. "He's got three weeks to go and he'll pick up all of that stuff quick. He could be a great addition for them right now."

No arguments were forthcoming from the halls of Conseco Fieldhouse.