It's one game out of 82, and will hardly deify or damn the Pacers regardless of the outcome.
It is, however, a meaningful gauge of just where they stand in this brave new world of uptempo play and wide-open offenses that practically worship the 3-point shot. It has to be, when you play the masters of what you're aspiring to do, just as if you were to race the world's fastest human.
"One hundred percent," C.J. Miles said Monday, looking ahead to Tuesday's game against the 22-0 Golden State team that comes to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "In this new style, for sure, because you're playing against the team that has the whole league trying to do it.