I N D I A N A   P A C E R S
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Pacers at a Glance Coach: Isiah Thomas Last Year: 42-40 (Stats) Key Additions: G Fred Jones, G Erick Strickland Key Losses: G Kevin Ollie Projected Starters PG Jamaal Tinsley SG Reggie Miller SF Ron Artest PF Jermaine O'Neal C Brad Miller Key Subs PG Erick Strickland SG Ron Mercer PF Al Harrington C Jeff Foster

By John Hollinger, CNNSI.com

After two years of rebuilding, it's time for the Pacers to put up or shut up. The past twelve months saw the emergence of Jermaine O'Neal and Al Harrington (before his year was cut short by a knee injury), the acquisition of Ron Artest and Brad Miller to round out the frontcourt, and the drafting of point guard Jamaal Tinsley.

With several other options available on their deep bench, the Pacers look ready to turn the corner this season. They proved it in the first round of last year's playoffs, taking the eventual conference champion Nets to five long games -- and getting the better of them for much of the series -- before succumbing in double overtime in Game 5.

Having spent the past two years building this team, the Pacers will have little patience with coach Isiah Thomas if he can't deliver the goods this season.

Jermaine O'Neal, F -- O'Neal's continued development over the past two seasons has been a huge story. The trade for Brad Miller allowed O'Neal to move into his natural power forward spot, where he thrived at both ends of the floor. His low-post game is murder on smaller forwards, and he has the perimeter skills to take less mobile players off the dribble.

O'Neal still has a few kinks to iron out, though. Most notably, he needs to improve as a passer and cut down on the turnovers. He was susceptible to doubleteams last season because he is as blind as a bat when it comes to spotting up teammates. He can expect many more doubleteams in the future. If he can consistently locate the open man he not only can get more open 3s for Reggie Miller, but he also will make opponents less willing to double him in the post, opening space for his scintillating spins on the block. O'Neal defends, rebounds and scores at an All-Star level. His passing is the main thing keeping him from being a big-time star.

Jamaal Tinsley, G -- If the Pacers are going to win the Eastern Conference, Tinsley needs to step up his game from a year ago. Last year he put together a decent rookie season, but in the playoffs he was frequently benched due to shaky decisions.

More is expected from him this year. As the quarterback of the team, he needs to keep his head together so the Pacers don't have to resort to Erick Strickland or Ron Mercer at point guard in crunch time. He can't be getting T'd up for yelling at Keith Van Horn from the bench (a key mistake in Game 5 of the Nets series) or making other rookie mistakes.

Tinsley's head coach had a rocky rookie season before establishing himself as a superstar, and sharing his experience may help Tinsley smooth out his game this season. Unfortunately, the team isn't in a position to wait around on his development.

Can Reggie keep it going one more year?

The biggest fear in the heart of Pacer fans is that Reggie Miller will suddenly lose it. He dropped off a bit last year, but he provided enough theatrics in the playoffs to reassure everyone that he could keep it going for at least one more year.

On the other hand, Miller is 37 years old, and instead of resting this summer, he played for the U.S. in the World Championships. The face of the Pacers for the past decade and a half, Miller is an icon in Indy and won't be easy to move out of the lineup if and when he does begin slipping. Not that Indiana would have anyone who could replace him. Ron Mercer is strictly backup material, and Fred Jones is at least a year away from being a key player.

For all those reasons, Miller is the Pacers' biggest question mark. He needs to play at his accustomed level for at least one more year if this club is to contend for the Eastern Conference title.

A beast in the East

Fast Facts • Jermaine O'Neal averaged 1.6 assists per game last year, the lowest mark of any player with a scoring average above 16.0 points per game. • Reggie Miller shot 91.1 percent from the free-throw line to lead the league -- and it was his worst mark in four years.

Now that they've picked up all the pieces, the Pacers just need to put them together. Last year's five-game nail-biter with the Nets in the first round showed that they're ready to make the leap. With a budding star in Jermaine O'Neal and two underrated bookends in Brad Miller and Ron Artest, the Pacers' frontcourt is the best in the East. Add in a deep bench that features Foster, Harrington and Austin Croshere, and the talent on hand is impressive.

Sizing up the Eastern Conference, few teams have enough weapons to match the Pacers, and Thomas will make sure that they keep up the intensity on defense. Although they won only 42 games a year ago, they could end up winning the East this season.