Mavericks at Pacers
If there is a team in the Eastern Conference capable of challenging the Cleveland Cavaliers for supremacy, it might be the Indiana Pacers. The 2016-17 Pacers will begin trying to prove themselves when they open the regular season by hosting the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
Indiana said goodbye to coach Frank Vogel after falling in seven games to second-seeded Toronto in the first round of the playoffs last spring and brought in veteran Nate McMillan to run the staff while upgrading the roster with center Al Jefferson, forward Thaddeus Young and point guard Jeff Teague. The three combine with MVP candidate Paul George and second-year center Myles Turner in an upgraded offense that is expected to improve on last season's scoring average of 102.2 points, which ranked 17th in the NBA and seventh in the East. The Mavericks, who were one spot ahead of the Pacers in 16th in scoring at 102.3 points, made their own roster upgrades by plucking a pair of players away from the Golden State Warriors in forward Harrison Barnes and center Andrew Bogut, though Barnes struggled with his shot in the preseason. "Shooting percentages have never been an important thing to me," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters of Barnes. "I look much more at the process, the force and conviction with which guys are stepping into shots. He's ready to go. He'll be ready on Wednesday."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (2015-16: 42-40): Dallas is trying to extend its window to compete for a championship while Dirk Nowitzki, 38, is still a useful player and Barnes, 24, is the player expected to bridge the Nowitzki era with the future. Barnes was signed to a four-year, $95 million deal in the offseason despite shooting 38.5 percent from the field in the playoffs with the Warriors last spring, including 5-for-32 in the final three games of the NBA Finals as Golden State watched a 3-1 lead in the series slip away. Barnes will have a familiar face next to him in Bogut and another in new shooting guard Seth Curry, the brother of Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who was signed to a two-year deal worth nearly $6 million.
ABOUT THE PACERS (2015-16: 45-37): Jefferson, 31, battled injuries last season and suffered through his worst statistical campaign since 2005-06 by averaging 12 points and 6.4 rebounds in 47 games for the Charlotte Hornets. Indiana is hoping Jefferson can stay healthy and productive while coming off the bench and tutoring Turner, 20, who averaged 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22.8 minutes during his 2015-16 rookie campaign. Turner will get a much bigger role in McMillan's offense and is healthy heading into the season after missing time in training camp in the NBA's concussion protocol.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers took both meetings last season, including a 107-81 triumph at home on Dec. 16, and are riding a four-game winning streak in the series.
2. Dallas G Devin Harris (foot) is not expected to play on Wednesday.
3. Indiana SF C.J. Miles (knee) will not need surgery and is expected to be available for the opener.