Since Rose was last on the floor, Paul George and Roy Hibbert have morphed from ordinary players into genuine stars for 
the Pacers. Indiana also has added the likes of Luis Scola and C.J. Watson to replace Tyler Hansbrough and D.J. Augustin on a horrendous second unit. With a stellar starting lineup, their presence will make a difference.
In 2012-13, Scola averaged 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26.6 minutes to Hansbrough’s 7.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16.9 minutes. Watson shot 41.1 percent from beyond the arc to Augustin’s mark of 35.3 percent.
Still not sold? Both Lance Stephenson, who tallied 7.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals during the 2013 playoffs, and Granger, who has career averages of 18.1 points and 5.2 rebounds on 38.4 percent shooting from distance, will add valuable depth. Regardless of which player starts, it will be exactly what Indiana’s already elite team needs.
Chicago may be improving, but so is Indiana, which has interior and perimeter stars to counter Rose and company. For that reason, the only number that truly matters is one.
It’s been one full season since Rose and the Bulls won the Central Division title. As Chicago looked to recover, Indiana was ready to pounce, taking the crown.
Eastern Conference’s Top 2 Defenses
During the 2011-12 season, the Bulls had the top scoring defense at 88.2 points per game. Not far behind were the Pacers, which ranked 10th at 94.4 points.
Last season, the Pacers overtook the Bulls as the top defense in the East by allowing 90.7 points to Chicago’s 92.9 ppg. Indiana also led in opponents’ field-goal percentage at .420 and opponents’ three-point percentage at .327, while Chicago was ninth and fifth, respectively.
The teams posted nearly identical numbers in terms of pace – the number of possessions a team has per game – with Chicago at 92.0 and Indiana at 92.8.
What does this mean? Last season, the Bulls and Pacers played the same style of basketball, and Indiana did it better. The return of Rose will clearly have an impact on the way Chicago plays, as well as its offensive efficiency. But the Pacers are a proven title contender that has made dramatic upgrades of its own.
Elite defense, even head-to-head matchups and a division title that both teams want. What more could Rose look for in a rivalry?
Max Ogden is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
This is clearly a rivalry, I think the issue is that Rose just isn’t very bright. What I took from his comments is that there was bad blood between the two teams after that playoff series, but that is gone because the only major players left from that Pacers team are Paul George and Roy Hibbert. I guess you could say Granger too if you believe in the comeback. Lance was on the team that year, but he had been suspended by the team prior to the playoffs and TJ Ford was brought back to be the 3rd guard. So the bad blood with players like Foster and Hansborough and the others that pushed the rivalry to another level is gone with the Pacers new roster. Rose just wasn’t able to articulate that because he is dumb. He’s a great player, but he clearly wasn’t at Memphis for academics. Actually, wasn’t it proven that he cheated to get into Memphis?