3 Indiana Pacers

Swingman Ron Artest was driving his Blazer from his home outside Indianapolis to the Pacers' training camp in Cincinnati when he had an epiphany: The NBA ought to assign someone to watch the defense being played in every game. And just why would this be a good idea? "That way, when they hand out all the awards, the best defensive player wouldn't keep getting overlooked," Artest says. "I mean, I wasn't even second team all-defensive. That upsets me."

Artest might be tone deaf to subtlety, but he has a point. Last season he ranked second in the league in steals (2.56 per game) and rebounded well for a perimeter player (4.9). Plus, his on-the-ball D was exceptional. Just ask him. "I stopped all sorts of players, night-in, night-out," says Artest, who missed most of the preseason recovering from surgery on his left pinkie. "People don't score on me because a lot of times they don't even get a shot off."

Even if award voters overlook Artest, he is held in high regard by his peers—no less than Michael Jordan calls him "one of my favorite players." The fact that Arrest's emotions are more raw than carpaccio sits fine with coach Isiah Thomas. "I want that intensity," Thomas says. "Ron's as committed as any player I've ever seen, and his work ethic is off the charts. There's no hidden agenda. He just says, 'I'm coming to play, and I'm kicking your ass.' And that's every night."

Acquired in the middle of last season from Chicago in the Jalen Rose trade, Attest, 22, is a pivotal figure in the Pacers' transition from a gerontocracy to a neonatal brigade. When Indiana made the Finals in 2000, the majority of the players were north of 30; this year's team will be among the youngest in NBA history. The lone rookie, 23-year-old guard Fred Jones from Oregon, is older than five Pacers. "There have been adjustments, no doubt," says Reggie Miller, who turned 37 in August, "but they're a good bunch of guys, and they keep me plugging along."

Indiana deserves credit for rebuilding without making a detour through Lotteryville. Still, this callow group needs to coalesce, something that never occurred last season. The Pacers could set the pace in the conference; they could also cost Thomas his job. The disarmingly candid defensive stopper predicts the former scenario. "Man, are we going to be good," says Artest. "If we don't win the East, that will be more disappointing than if I don't make first-team all-defense."

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