"Chemistry" was the word Larry Bird threw around Conseco Fieldhouse on Friday.

Will improved chemistry translate into more than 35 victories and an end to the Pacers' one-year hiatus from the playoffs? That remains to be seen.

In the meantime, the Pacers are relying on camaraderie to offset an uneventful summer. They open camp Tuesday at the Fieldhouse.

"I'm very confident that this team is going forward," Bird said. "I like the additions we made. You look around and you see big names in other places in the (Eastern Conference) that people feel are ahead of us. But through hard work and practice, chemistry plays a big part in everything we're trying to do.

"I think we're a lot better team than we were last year."