Pacers placing focus on defensive end of floor

Larry Bird has spent the better part of the past five years trying to change the culture of his franchise from that ugly night in November 2004 when members of the Pacers charged into the stands during a brawl with the Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

"It's been about re-connecting with our fans, about getting the kinds of players and personalities that make you feel good about cheering for them and being associated with them," said Bird, the president of basketball operations. "I think there are times when you can settle for being good enough with what you have or you can make major changes because it's best for the long run. We've got a group of guys in our locker room that you can get behind."

Now the culture of change is focused on the style of play that the Pacers take onto the floor. In other words, after proving that they can put up points with the best of them, now they want defense to mean something more than that thing that goes around dee-yard.

A year ago, the Pacers averaged 105.8 points a game on offense, but gave up 106.2 at the other end. They ranked 15th in the league in field goal defense and 26th in overall points allowed.

"The goal this season is not to give up on a style or change anything about the way we want to push the tempo, run with the ball and score," said coach Jim O'Brien. "But we want to incorporate some defense into that style. We want to get up on our opponents, apply the pressure and force turnovers and mistakes by the other guys.

"I'm not saying that we're suddenly going to turn into a team that's holding opponents to 85 or 90 points every game. That's not going to happen when you're running with the ball. The focus is on lowering our opponents' field goal percentage, making them work harder to score points.

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O'Brien said he's pleased with the Pacers' high-octane offense, which was paced by first-time All-Star Danny Granger's 25.8 ppg last season. But O'Brien knows all that scoring prowess doesn't mean a thing if the Pacers can't apply the brakes on the opposition from time to time.

"The truth is, we like the way our guys have learned to move the ball and play at a fast pace," O'Brien said. "But if you're going to be a team that has success in playoffs -- or in our case, gets back into the Playoffs -- it's playing solid team defense that's going to take you to that next level."

To that end, the Pacers' offseason acquisitions were focused at the defensive end. Draftees Tyler Hansbrough and A.J. Price are both willing defenders in college. Free agents Earl Watson, Dahntay Jones and Solomon Jones have carved out their NBA reputations at that end of the floor, too.

"We needed to get better on defense and the easiest way to do that is to get better defenders," Bird said. "I think with guys like Dahntay, Earl and Solomon, you can put a unit onto the floor that can establish itself as a defensive team. Those guys are different types of defenders individually. But when you mix Hansbrough in there with them, what you see is intensity, an aggressiveness to just get in there and mix things up that wasn't there before."

Dahntay Jones will likely come off the bench for Granger and Brandon Rush, Watson is behind T.J. Ford at the point guard spot, Solomon will split time with Roy Hibbert and Jeff Foster in the middle, while Troy Murphy, Hansbrough and (eventually) Mike Dunleavy round out the frontcourt. The newcomers will bring much-needed depth and allow O'Brien to switch his lineups to make defensive adjustments.

Dunleavy will start the season still on the shelf as he's recovering from knee surgery. Without his 15-20 points a game, Indiana will have to rely on some defense to keep pace.

"It's all about being aggressive, having that kind of attitude," Watson said. "You want to be the one who sets the tone of the game and dictates the tempo. You want to pick up full court and stay in the other guy's face.

"This is a team that wants to get the ball and run and can score a whole lot playing that style. Playing tough defense doesn't have to mean you're gonna play low scoring, boring games. If you play it the way we want to play, it can be a lot of fun to watch."

1. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE The high-scoring Pacers, who have proven they can fill up the hoop, have to show they can stop someone. 2. HEALTH DEPARTMENT The Pacers need veteran Mike Dunleavy to return from his knee surgery and rookie Tyler Hansbrough to get past shin problems. 3. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR The new defensive philosophy starts in the middle, and Roy Hibbert (or Solomon Jones) has to step up to seize the day. -- Fran Blinebury