"James, pay attention to the fill-in, NN watch your defenders, don't miss them." On October 16, 2002, in the preseason game between the Pacers and the Heat, Meng Xu held the tactical board while shouting loudly at the court. Due to Larry Bird's physical discomfort, all the games of the Pacers this year's preseason are led by assistant coach Lester Connell, because it is a preseason, so as the team's main Jermaine O'Neal, Reggie Miller, Mutombo and others rarely play, a game will play for 20 minutes at most, Meng Xu is symbolic to play more than ten minutes, in his spare time, Meng Xu, who was sitting on the sidelines and was a little bored, also made a cameo appearance as an assistant coach, snatched the tactical board from Lester Connell, Took over command of the game.

"Leicester, these newcomers to our team this year are very good." Before the end of the third quarter of the game, the Pacers led the Heat by nearly 20 points, so Meng Xu, as the "coach", is also in a good mood now.

"yes, Larry's eyes are still as good as ever, and maybe this season, we can really successfully defend the title." Lester Connell, who was sitting on the sidelines, nodded to Meng Xu after hearing Meng Xu's words, the Pacers have come to a lot of newcomers this summer, Mutombo who joined as a free agent, Hamilton who came in a trade, and two rookies NN Hilario, and Tyshawn Prince, they performed very well, not only quickly integrated into the team, but also played very well in the summer league and preseason. Although the new season has not yet begun, the current media unanimously believes that the Lakers will regain their championship in the new season, especially the Los Angeles media, and even shouted to break the Bulls' 72-10 regular season record. As for the defending champion Pacers? Who they are, in front of a team of four superstars, any team is the end of the mantis arm blocking the car. And with these new players, one by one outstanding, compared to last season, the Pacers' roster depth and team strength have also been greatly improved, and the Pacers are now looking forward to the opening game with the Lakers, and the "historic team" in the media's mouth.

After Mutombo came to the team, he quickly completed a seamless connection with Jermaine O'Neal, the interior combination of the two, showing absolute dominance in the preseason, in 20 minutes of playing time, the two can combine to contribute more than 5 blocks, although they have not competed with the Lakers, but in the face of the Pistons who have been suppressing the Pacers' interior line last season, the Pacers actually have the upper hand, Clifford Robinson and Ben Wallace composed of the interior combination, Completely suppressed by Mutombo and Jermaine O'Neal.

It's not just Mutombo, Hamilton who was traded from the Wizards, in the case of Meng Xu rarely playing, Hamilton averaged 19 points per game, became the Pacers' top scorer in the preseason, Hamilton's style of play is almost exactly the same as Reggie Miller, he doesn't need the ball, his ability to run without the ball is first-class, and he can adapt to any tactics of the team, whether it is around Meng Xu or around Jermaine O'Neal, he can adapt very well. And Hamilton's defense is also very good, although like Reggie Miller, Hamilton does not have excellent physical fitness, but relying on tireless running, and excellent positional sense and anticipation, almost no one can easily get rid of Hamilton's close defense. Aside from a slight drop in shooting percentage, Hamilton is more than capable of replacing Reggie Miller's role with the Pacers.

As for this year's two rookies, NN Hilario and Tyshawn Prince, in addition to a little lack of game experience, they have fully adapted to the rhythm of the NBA game, NN Hilario has excellent physical fitness, flexible footwork, and has a very good rebounding sense, although he will not be able to take on any heavy responsibilities in the Pacers for a while, but in a few seasons, NN Hilario can grow into a very good interior line, in Larry Bird's plan, Let NN Hilario play Mutombo as a substitute for a few seasons, and then when Mutombo is overwhelmed, NN Hilario is replacing Mutombo, and the Pacers' interior line has successfully completed the replacement of the old and the new. And Tyshawn Prince, who was picked up almost for nothing, although he doesn't have many offensive means, has a good 3-point shot, which is very suitable for the Pacers' current tactical system. And Tyshawn Prince's defense is also very good, he and James Posey are completely two styles of defenders, Posey has excellent physical fitness, plus first-class defensive awareness, even when defending a lot of interior lines, he does not fall behind, but Posey has no advantage in defending super scorers like Kobe, and Reggie Miller Hamilton who doesn't need to hold the ball, and Tyshawn Prince is a completely different style, with a super long arm span, excellent speed and flexibility, and excellent running and jumping, Tyshawn Prince was a nightmare for outside shooters like Reggie Miller and Hamilton, and in the preseason game between the Pacers and Bucks, Ray Allen was shot 2-of-11 from the field by Tyshawn Prince.

"Yes" and Lester Connell looked at each other and smiled, Meng Xu sat on the seat next to Lester Connell, originally with the continuous reinforcement of the Lakers, after forming an unprecedentedly powerful F4, the haze that was shrouded in the head of the Pacers, with the Pacers' outstanding performance in the preseason, was also swept away.

Of course, the Pacers are not without problems now, after the addition of Mutombo and Hamilton, the Pacers' starting lineup last season has undergone a very big change, Lorencen White was pressed to the bench, Reggie Miller has also become a pseudo-starter, so the Pacers who replaced 2 starters need to be re-run-in, Mutombo is okay to say, as a defensive center, the Pacers themselves do not need him to score, as long as he can complete his task on the defensive end, It's okay to share the pressure for Jermaine O'Neal. And Hamilton, perhaps from the core of the team to the second-in-command, and then abandoned by the team, after trading to the Pacers, he is not even the third, and the huge psychological gap has brought a lot of psychological pressure to Hamilton, so although whether it is on the training ground or on the field, Hamilton has conscientiously completed the training session and meticulously implemented the head coach's arrangement, but anyone with a discerning eye can see that Hamilton's spirit is obviously not high now, and there is little communication between him and his teammates, perhaps in Hamilton's view, After playing this season with the Pacers, he may be leaving when his contract ends.

On October 23, the last preseason game between the Pacers and the Cavaliers ended, and the Pacers won all eight preseason games, so now both the Pacers and the fans who support the Pacers are full of expectations for the new season. With the end of the preseason, the 2002-2003 NBA regular season will also kick off, and on October 29, the Pacers will sit at home to face the first opponent of the new season, the Los Angeles Lakers.