Bird shouldn't have to; they may not be legends, but there are three clutch guns Indiana's new coach can turn to at crunch time—Dream Teamers Reggie Miller and Chris Mullin, as well as versatile center Rik Smits. And to deliver them the ball there is Mark Jackson, the guy who last season broke Jazzman John Stockton's nine-year grip on the NBA assists title.

Miller and Mullin both have ABA three-point range, which makes them especially dangerous now that the arc has been moved back to 23'9" (though it's still 22 feet at the corners). "If you double-team Rik and keep a guy on Reggie, Chris is going to be open," says Bird. "If you keep a guy on Chris and double-team Rik, Reggie is going to be open. It's going to be difficult for the defenses."

Ah, defensive difficulties. Be assured the Pacers won't just cause them—they will endure them as well. The word quick is seldom used in describing either Jackson or Mullin unless it is preceded by ain't very. Miller is average at best on defense, and the same qualities that make the 7'4" Smits light on his feet when he has the ball make him susceptible to being knocked around when his opponent has it.

To combat what is certain to be the team's primary weakness, Bird hired defensive specialist Dick Harter from the Trail Blazers as an assistant coach. But not every Pacer is incapable of guarding someone. The Davises—Antonio and Dale, unrelated except by style of play—are solid defensive power forwards. Dale started most of the 1996-97 season and, though he averaged just 10.4 points, earned his keep on the boards, pulling in 9.7 rebounds per game. He was lousy from the line, however, making just 42.8% of his attempts, a problem that was epidemic among the Pacers. (The team shot 72.2% from the line, and if you throw out Miller's 88.0%, that number falls to 68.2%.)

Antonio, who averaged 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, will have good company on the Pacers' pine. Third-year man Travis Best was competent as Indiana's starting point guard before the team reacquired Jackson in February (the Pacers had traded him to the Nuggets in June '96). He is quicker than Jackson and superior defensively but lacks the veteran's vision on the court. Former Michigan star Jalen Rose should be an exceptional ball-handling small forward—as soon as he realizes he is not a point guard. Free-agent signee Mark West is a durable backup for Smits and shooting guard Fred Hoiberg has showed flashes of near brilliance. Bird spent his one draft pick on a player who the coach himself says reminds him of a young Larry Legend—Providence's Austin Croshere, a 6'9" gym rat with a great shooting touch.

The original Larry Legend has commanded his team to pick up the tempo this year. To accomplish that, he has emphasized conditioning in the preseason. "If they can survive training camp, we'll be ready to go," Bird says. But he had better be careful; these Pacers are a frail bunch. Mullin has missed 20 or more games in six of his 12 NBA seasons, Smits—who becomes a free agent after this season—missed the first 30 games last year after having surgery on both feet, and all the starters except Davis are over 30.

The addition of Mullin, who was acquired Aug. 12, and full seasons from Jackson and Smits should be enough to all but guarantee that Indiana will improve on last year's record, the team's first sub-.500 mark since '91-92. Trading center Erick Dampier, the club's first-round choice in '96, for Mullin sent a sign to the league that the Pacers, who made the conference finals two years ago, think they have a chance to make another run at the Bulls.

"This is a statement that we want to win now," Pacers president Donnie Walsh said of the acquisition of Mullin. "And if I can do something to help us win right now, I'll do it—short of hurting Michael Jordan or something."

Unfortunately, Donnie, it looks like that's what it's gonna take.

—Mark Bechtel