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Pacers Keeping an Open Mind While Developing Personality

It takes time for a child's personality to develop. The same is true for a newborn basketball team, which the Pacers are this season with their first-year head coach, two new starters and at least six new players on the roster.

Nobody knows who they are, least of all coach Nate McMillan, who has seen them everyday in practice and in six preseason games.

"Reading teams in the preseason is very difficult to do," he said Friday, following practice at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "A lot of guys, these games mean zero to them. It means more to (players fighting for spots). We're going to be looking for who we are. Starting against Dallas."

That comes next Wednesday, when the Pacers open their regular season at the fieldhouse against the Mavericks. While optimism reigns about a team that won 45 games last season and appears to have upgraded its roster, the future is unknown. They'll play at a faster pace and try to score more, while still trying to be stingy on defense. But will they have chemistry? Will they be tough? Will they bring energy?

Paul George was a crucial part of teams that reached the conference finals in consecutive years in 2013 and '14. Now he's the acknowledged star and leader of a new team that is still trying to find itself.

"We don't have a personality yet," he said. "Our game gave (the previous teams) our personality. We could always suffocate teams defensively; that became our personality. Just hard-nosed toughness. We're still trying to find that with this group."

Traditionally, great teams have had a physical, macho element emanating from at least one player who sets the tone. Dale Davis, for example. David West, for another, as well as Lance Stephenson. Does this team have one of those?

"Not really," George said. "We don't have that bruiser, backbone-tough guy in this group."

Does it need one?

"We can get by without it," he said. "You have to have every guy (on the attack). Not just one guy doing it. It comes with trust, and it takes some time."

McMillan wouldn't mind having one, but who? Myles Turner has an NBA body and plenty of energy, but is 20 years old. George and Thad Young are on the slender side, more agile than hostile. Guards Jeff Teague and Monta Ellis are undersized for their positions, known more for offense than defense.

"We're looking for that," McMillan said. "We'll see who becomes that guy. For us, it was about trying to establish a style of play during this preseason and building off of that. We're still establishing who we're going to be."

McMillan expects to learn more next week, when the Pacers play three games that count. Starters will be playing starters' minutes, and presumably with more intensity than in the preseason. All the newness, however, figures to take a toll for awhile. Larry Brown's first Pacers team started 1-6, but went to the conference finals. Larry Bird's first team went 2-5, but went to the conference finals. McMillan knows from his experience as a player and coach how it can go when players and coaches are getting acquainted, but hopes his team doesn't squander a favorable November schedule in the process.

"You have to expect there's going to be an adjustment," he said. "But it's kind of hard to get a feel for what teams are going to do. You're gong to be playing for real. A lot of veterans don't flip that switch until the real deal starts. That goes for some of our guys, too. I'm sure there will be an adjustment for us. I just hope we're adjusting off a good start."

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