The talk in practice on Friday had been about talking – especially on defense in a pick-and-roll league where communication is essential.
So, in the game on Saturday, the Pacers talked. C.J. Miles made sure of it, stretching out his hands and tapping his thumb against his fingers while defending on the perimeter, which was sign language for "Talk to me. Tell me what's going on behind me."
It was no coincidence the Pacers turned in their best defensive effort of the young season, holding Chicago to 94 points on 43 percent shooting, with the best part of the Bulls' offense coming after the outcome had been determined.
The Pacers' 111-94 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse provided the best evidence yet they can be the team most people expected heading into training camp. The Bulls had played the previous night in Chicago while the Pacers were off, but that advantage doesn't change the fact the Pacers played much better at both ends of the court.
They were more patient on offense, scoring just two fastbreak points and getting to their second and third options in the halfcourt, and they were more aggressive on defense. They limited the Bulls to 18 3-point shots, 13 less than their average heading into the game, and allowed just 36 points in the paint.
"It's just communication," said Myles Turner, who had four blocked shots to go with his 16 points. "That's what we've been talking about the last few games. We have to be able to trust we have weakside help. That trust is starting to get there."
The only blight on the evening was the ejection of Paul George with 1:42 left in the third quarter. Frustrated by a foul call, he kicked at the ball that was conveniently bouncing in front of him. He meant to send it into the basket support, but sailed it directly into a spectator's face. She was unhurt, and George immediately walked over and apologized with a hug, but his mistake called for an automatic ejection.
George didn't try to duck out. He was waiting for the media when they entered the locker room, and spoke matter-of-factly about the incident.
"I meant to kick the ball against the stanchion," said George, who scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds before departing. "My soccer skills aren't as good as I thought.
"It happened, I'll move forward from it. I'm grateful we won the game and that the ejection didn't cost us."
Said coach Nate McMillan: "Emotions took over in that situation and he knows that's something you can't do."
The Pacers closed the third quarter with an 8-3 run to open an 88-64 lead, and Miles made sure they didn't give it back in the fourth. He opened the period with a 3-pointer. After the Bulls scored seven straight points to pull within 20, Miles hit consecutive 3-pointers on kick-outs from Lavoy Allen and Al Jefferson, opening a 97-71 lead and forcing a Bulls timeout.
"We did a good job of finishing our offense with a lot of motion, a lot of movement," McMillan said. "We played in a real good rhythm and created opportunities for each other most of the night."
Miles finished with 20 points in 21 ½ minutes off the bench, hitting 4-of-7 3-pointers. Even better news for the Pacers was that Jeff Teague broke out of his shooting slump with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting. After hitting just 2-of-18 3-pointers in the first five games, he hit 3-of-5 in this one.
"It's about time I made a shot," he said. "My teammates gave me opportunities to get open and I hit some shots, but it was all about our defense and getting back in transition and playing together."
Nobody represented the Pacers' togetherness better than Monta Ellis, who averaged 25.5 points per game one season and built his reputation on scoring. He took just two shots and scored just two points, but passed out eight assists, committed one turnover and played stellar defense. His assignment most of the evening, future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, scored just four points on 1-of-9 shooting.
Ellis and Teague, in fact, totally outplayed Wade and Rajon Rondo, outscoring them 23-13, compiling nine more assists and committing three fewer turnovers.
"Both those guys are playmakers," Turner said. "Monta's been scoring his whole career. To have the luxury of him being a playmaker as well is huge for everybody on this team."
More than anything, the victory seemed to reveal a positive character for the Pacers. Thursday's 125-107 loss at Milwaukee was embarrassing, in their minds. The video review of it before Friday's practice led to a spirited session, which led to what happened on Saturday.
"We really focused and emphasized having each other's back defensively and playing hard, and we did both of those things tonight," George said.
"We were just great on our weakside help. We didn't allow good looks. Everything was contested."
The Pacers are now 3-3, with nine of their next 12 games at home. Having reached sea level, they now have their best opportunity of the season to rise in the Eastern Conference standings. Saturday's victory counted as just one, and came against a tired team, but appeared to be a significant step forward.
"I feel like we know what each other do better now," Turner said. "The first couple of games we were still trying to get a feel for each other. We didn't get a chance to establish chemistry in training camp. As the games are progressing it's gotten better."
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