PACERS NOTEBOOK: OUT OF THE SHADOWS PACERS ACCEPT THEIR POSITION AS THE UNDERDOG.

Byline: Steve Dilbeck Staff Writer

Not that they have a complex, or they're tired of hearing about L.A.'s glamour boys or think the spotlight is having a little trouble with this equal billing business, but . . .

Hey, America, we're over here! The other team. The Indiana Pacers, or as they're apparently known in many parts, the team that is not the Lakers.

The Pacers said the proper things about their NBA Finals opponent leading into tonight's series opener, but when a New York Times reporter described Kobe Bryant as ``awesome'' to Pacer Jalen Rose, it was more than he could let slip past.

``The unique thing about all this is - and I'd be lying to say I don't have to get used to it - I have to get used to when when we talk about their players, we 're going to put them on a pedestal,'' Rose said.

``When we talk about our players, we're going to talk about like bottom journeymen. I have to get used to this, I'm sorry.''

The Pacers tried not to play the respect card, but they know the Lakers are heavily favored. And well aware at the NBA's pleasure that a team from a major media market with high-profile stars made it into The Finals against small-market Indiana.

``Yeah, it's good,'' said Indiana coach Larry Bird. ``It's good to have New York, good to have the big cities.

``But we can't really worry about that. We've worked very hard to get here. We've done as much as any other team. We fought for the three years I've been here to make it to this point. We really don't care who our opponent is. We want to play, we want to win. We know we're going to be the underdogs. We know no one is giving us an opportunity to win.''

Said forward Dale Davis: ``It doesn't matter. I think we've been underdogs throughout all the series we've been in, and we were the No. 1 seed. Whether we're the underdogs or not, we have an opportunity here to do something for this franchise.''

--The Miller factor: Guard Reggie Miller did not lead the Pacers in scoring during the regular season - Rose topped him by one-tenth of a point - but he has stepped it up in the postseason, leading Indiana with a 23.8 scoring average.

Miller and Bird said they expect the Lakers to use different starters - Ron Harper will probably open on him, with Bryant also getting some time - to alternate against Miller, as Phil Jackson did when he coached the Bulls.

``They're both great defenders,'' Miller said. ``Kobe being a first-team all-defensive team, and me having great battles with Ron when he was in Chicago. They present different challenges. They're both long, they're both quick, they both play good position defense. And overall their team defense is great, too. It's nice to have Shaq in the middle in case you get beat.''

--Homecoming: Miller isn't the only Southern Californian on the Pacers. Forward Austin Croshere starred at Crossroads High in Santa Monica.

``Magic was my favorite player by far,'' Croshere said. ``It was pretty hard as a kid growing up in L.A. not to be a Lakers fan, and in turn, not to be a Magic Johnson fan.''

Croshere said he did play against Magic in some pickup games at UCLA.

``Kind of a surreal experience, to be honest,'' he said. ``Just catch yourself out there, trying to play a pickup game and then saying, `OK, all right. I'm guarding Magic Johnson.' ''

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Photo: Indiana's Dale Davis (32) and Rik Smits apply defensive pressure on the Knicks' Patrick Ewing, something they hope to do against the Lakers.

Chuck Robinson/Associated Press