The Pacers and Heat are both adjusting to a new season with new roles and in the Pacers' case, a new style of play.
Both teams have showed great promise but also signs of growing pains. The Heat have lost their last two games and the Pacers have dropped three straight. Painful, indeed.
Tonight they try to get straight on national television with the ESPN Friday night game broadcasting from the Fieldhouse. For the Pacers, their defensive identity has been in the witness protection program since leaving Los Angeles last week. The team spent the past two off days trying to reclaim their true identity at the defensive end and will try to emerge on the public stage once again against the Heat.