This year's Pacers squad is one of the most complete and well-round teams of its history. In fact, it greatly compares to the 1999-2000 team, which challenged the Lakers in the Finals that year... 1999-2000 Pacers: ============== C: Rik Smits PF: Dale Davis SF: Jalen Rose SG: Reggie Miller PG: Mark Jackson key bench contributors: Austin Croshere, Travis Best, Sam Perkins, Derrick McKey Compared to this year's Pacers squad... 2003-2004 Pacers ================= C: Jeff Foster PF: Jermaine O'Neal SF: Ron Artest SG: Reggie Miller PG: Jamaal Tinsley key bench contributors: Al Harrington, Anthony Johnson, Jonathan Bender, Fred Jones So which team would you rather have? Both teams have depth and experience, however this year's Pacers do have a significant upgrade in athleticism while also still inconsistent at times. This Pacers team will likely be the Eastern Conference representative in the Finals, and I am interested to see which team you'd prefer...
This year's team is better. Jeff Foster may be a step down from Rik Smits on offense but his defense will be needed to guard the big men of the West. Jermaine O'Neal is an upgrade over Dale Davis on both ends of the floor. Ron Artest has molded his offensive game well to pair with great defensive play. The Reggie Miller now may not be as good as the Reggie from then, but he will not be needed to carry the Pacers as he had to each game before. Jamaal Tinsley and Mark Jackson are similar players who can pass but can hardly shoot. The bench from 99-00 is better and has more experience, but this year's bench has more firepower and is more athletic.
I agree with Trip. While Jeff Fosters offence needs tuning up I find him to be one of the more underrated defenders in the NBA. He plays good position defence and is a perfect complement to JO's dominance. I think this years team is better than the 1999-2000 because they just have more talent. Jeff Foster is a better defender than Rik Smits (although that is not saying much). You have an absolute stud in JO who works hard on both ends of the court and is developing into a serious contender for the MVP in the future. I would prefer Ron Artest any day over Jalen Rose due to the fact that his defence is hall of fame material (not to mention a strong offensive game as well). The guards are a tossup. I would be comfortable with Mark Jackson running the team rather than Tinsley. Both of their defences are deplorable but Mark Jackson has the edge in consistency and knowledge of the game. Reggie Miller is not the same player he was in 2000 but he knows his role and can STILL make the big shot. Today's bench is a little better than 2000's but not by much. Looking at the benches you get the feeling that they are totally different. 2000's bench was made up of role/lunch pail type players who had specific duties on the court. While today's bench is a lot more atheletic and can get up and down the court in a flash. Some of those bench players can be starters on other teams (Harrington, Bender) and that just shows their talent. This year's team is just a lot more talented than 2000's. They have the legs to get up and down the court and they are playing very well with each other. They have the inside presence to go along good perimetre shooting, a defensive two-headed monster in JO and Artest and a very deep bench. If they can't get it this year there is always next year and the year after. 2000's team was talented but had old players who were passing their primes.
