points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help Louisi

INDIANAPOLIS -- Nate McMillan learned a lot the last three seasons as an Indiana Pacers assistant.Working with a more mature team and established leaders, McMillan shed the drill-sergeant label he earned in Seattle and Portland. Working with a defensive-minded team, he found it to be OK to loosen up the reins on offense. And because he wasnt the head coach, McMillan had time to rethink his coaching philosophies.All the new Indiana coach has to do now is stay true to those lessons and keep winning.What we have to do this year, including me, is reinvent ourselves, McMillan said. The style of play has changed and a lot of teams have gone small ball. I think Golden State and Memphis really changed the way people developed their teams. You saw, not long ago, it was big versus small. Small won.Now everyone is trying to adapt.A year ago, Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird promised fans a faster, more entertaining style of basketball. Instead, it got scrapped because Indiana didnt have enough pieces to make it work consistently. Indiana made a first-round playoff exit and Bird hired McMillan to replace Frank Vogel.Bird continued the transition this offseason, acquiring point guard Jeff Teague and power forward Thaddeus Young in trades and signing free agent center Al Jefferson to go with three-time All-Star Paul George and budding second-year center Myles Turner.And suddenly, the future looks bright.I think its back, George said when asked about the Pacers title hopes. Having David (West) and having Roy (Hibbert), that was a great unit. I dont want to jump the gun and say this is the best team Ive played on, but it certainly could be.McMillan just has to find a way to embrace the new style and win games in ways most people never envisioned in his first two head coaching stops.This is a different team. We have a lot of guys in their prime and I hope we have a lot of hungry guys, McMillan said. I think they want to be part of a winner and, hopefully, they want to win big.Here are some other things to watch for from the Pacers:RATED PGIn his first full season back from a broken leg, George led the Pacers in scoring (23.1 points), was second in rebounding (7.0) and third in assists (4.1). He was even better in the playoff (27.3 points, 7.6 rebounds) despite acknowledging he wasnt completely healthy. How much better can George be this season?Ive always kind of seen myself at that next (elite) level of talent, and I think this is really my first opportunity to prove Im the best player on the court every night, he said.BACK HOME AGAINTeague returns to his hometown, and the former All-Star is a more natural point guard than his predecessor (George Hill). Teague also is quicker and better at getting to the basket than Hill, all of which will help smooth the transition. But without Hill, the Pacers lose a versatile defender. Teagues contract also expires at the end of the season.TURNERS TURNTurners rookie season was first slowed by an injury, then by his inability to crack the starting lineup until midseason. Yet the 6-foot-11, 20-year-old showed so much promise that the Pacers wasted no time naming him the starting center, and they expect the progression to continue this season.My approach didnt change, the quality of my work changed, Turner said of his offseason. I was really able to hone in on what I wanted to work on.SHOOTING STARSThe biggest question is whether the Pacers have enough 3-point shooters to make the spread offense work. Bird and McMillan discount those criticisms, figuring Teague, George, Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles and potentially Turner can all shoot 3s.BUSY FIRST WEEKThe Pacers are busy right away: The opener comes at home Oct. 26 against Dallas, followed by back-to-back road games against Brooklyn (Oct. 28) and Chicago (Oct. 29). SWell Bottles Nz . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. Swell Water Bottle Nz . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. http://www.swellbottlesnz.com/ .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Swell Traveler Sale . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Swell Bottle 17 Oz Sale .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. LAFAYETTE, La. -- Bryce Washington scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help Louisiana-Lafayette rout Division II Panhandle State 117-47 in its home-opener on Thursday night.The Ragin Cajuns bounced back from an 84-83 loss at Montana State on Monday to snap a two-game skid. Louisiana-Lafayette had a double-digit lead five minutes into the game and cruised from there.Washington was 8 of 9 from the floor. Roydell Brown added 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting for the Ragin Cajunns, which shot 65 percent from the field.dddddddddddd Frank Bartley, who scored a career-high 29 points against Montana State, finished had 12 points. Johnathan Stove added 11 points.Louisiana-Lafayette outrebounded the Aggies 55-19.Jaedon Whitfield led Panhandle State with 13 points. The Aggies shot just 16 of 61 from the floor and had 24 turnovers. ' ' '