An early message sent to Ford and Rush

ATLANTA - Yeah, we can say the Pacers played a legitimate playoff team in their season opener. That's letting them off the hook too easily, though. That was a woeful defensive performance against the Hawks. Defense was optional in the game. Taking care of the ball was, too, because the Pacers turned it over 25 times. We'll have plenty of time to talk about the defense this season because I've got a hunch that this won't be the last time they have a pitiful performance on that end of the court. The two things that stood out to me (other the defense and turnovers) is coach Jim O'Brien benching of starters T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush for Earl Watson and Dahntay Jones in the second half. Ford, who was the only starter who didn't have a turnover, was 1-of-9 from the field in 23 minutes, including just seven in the second half. Watson took advantage of his extended minutes to score 20 points in 25 minutes. His 3-pointer in the fourth quarter gave the Pacers ...