Great Pacers Q and A: Bad Boys Still or Not?

[Pooh]

Pacers.com's Conrad Brunner frequently answers questions from emailers, this was a feature in his latest Q & A.

Q. Last year's Pacers were widely despised as the Bad Boys of the league, thanks in no small part to Ron Artest's combustible behavior on court. This year, however, the Pacers' character is that of a disciplined, defense-oriented, strong road team - hallmarks of the Pistons in the past two seasons under Rick Carlisle. With the coach’s influence clearly apparent, where would you say the Pacers are headed, character-wise, with Carlisle at the helm? Is what we see now what we'll get for the rest of season? Or are there more tricks under Carlisle's sleeve? (From Zach in Tagaytay City, Philippines)

A. The Bad Boys label never really fit the Pacers, but it stuck because of Artest’s behavior and the presence of coach Isiah Thomas, who helped develop the original Bad Boys theme as the leader of the Pistons. It may have indirectly contributed to the team’s downfall last season because the players, perhaps unwittingly, may have tried too hard to fulfill the image assigned to them in order to please the national media. It gave them an iden y, albeit a negative one, and in today’s business world, any iden y is better than none. Just ask the Spurs. It apparently is not enough just to be a great team. You have to be a great team with a marketing hook to please the networks and advertisers.

This season, the Pacers have displayed much more than good citizenship. They’ve shown discipline, maturity and some real toughness. I’m not talking about the push-and-shove toughness; that’s phony stuff just for show. Take last night’s game against Minnesota, for example. The Pacers had to work much harder than expected to win in Orlando the night before, while the Timberwolves were resting in an Indianapolis hotel. But it was the Pacers who came out with high energy and set the tone of the game, refusing to yield to cir stance. Another example: when the Knicks put together that stunning 24-0 third-quarter run to wipe out a 15-point lead last Saturday night, it would’ve signaled a total collapse by many teams. But this group just gathered itself, re-focused on the task at hand and won the game.

As for Artest, think back to the preseason, when he picked up a technical foul and was immediately pulled from the game by Carlisle. Artest complained about it afterward but Carlisle handled it exactly right. He enforced his rule but didn’t make a big deal about it. Ever since, Artest has not only kept his composure, he has been a leader in helping teammates keep theirs when tempers flare. To borrow a phrase from Larry Brown, this team is playing the right way. It has been – and should continue to be – an extremely enjoyable thing to watch.

[pacersrule03]

Just ask the spurs, lol. I liked last years bad boys team, but we're doing better w/o that label this season. Artest is past that and i can't wait to see him in an all-star jersey in feb.