Tonight at 7:00 p.m., the NBA kicks off the 2013-2014 season at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana, where the Pacers will host the Orlando Magic in NBA action that can be live streamed here. Magic fans can catch the radio broadcast of the opener on AM 580 WDBO, while Pacers fans can hear the game on ESPN The Fan 1070 AM.
The Indiana Pacers took the eventual champion Miami Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals, and have championship aspirations with Paul George at the forefront. "Last year, the expectations were high, but there's not a whole lot different this year -- other than that we're bigger and stronger," head coach Frank Vogel said.
They were expected to have wing scorer Danny Granger back, but he will miss the first three weeks of the season with a calf injury. "It's not terrible," said Granger. "They (the doctors) just said to sit out until I didn't feel it."
The Pacers biggest weakness last season was a weak bench, which was shored up through free agency, and a trade with the Phoenix Suns that netted them Luis Scola. The Pacers dealt a lottery-protected first round pick, plus Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee for the scoring power forward.
"I think when you trade away a future first-round pick and a couple of players like we did, I think it sends the message that it's not a go-for-it year but a go-for-it time for the next couple of years," Vogel said.
For Orlando, this season is expected to be of the rebuilding variety, with top pick Victor Oladipo at the center. He makes his debut near Indiana University, where he made his bones as one of the NCAA's premier guards.
"I have higher expectations of myself, even higher than some people have of me," Oladipo said. "I'm just going to play basketball at the end of the day. And I want to win just like everybody else."
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