This wasn't how it was supposed to go in their highly anticipated season opener, not after the glow emanating from a series of widely praised offseason changes and the hopeful indications that took root in the preseason games.
Then again, they never did claim they would have it figured out from the very beginning.
The Pacers' 119-100 loss to Detroit at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday was predictable in that a team with four new starters and five first-year players getting playing time lacked cohesion at times. Other aspects of its performance were less foreseeable and more mysterious.