"T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic will be in an unfamiliar position starting Thursday.

No practice. No watching film on their playoff opponent. No getting tickets for friends and family.

Ford and Nesterovic won't be in the playoffs for the first time in their careers.

"I don't know what it's going to be like," Nesterovic said. "I've never been in this position before. But, hey, it's part of life. We tried hard. It just didn't work out."

The Indiana Pacers, who host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse, were eliminated from playoff contention last week.

Nesterovic, in his 11th season, has appeared in 64 postseason games and won an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005.

Ford started 15 of the 16 playoff games in which he has appeared.

"Being in the playoffs, the whole world is watching," Ford said. "Everybody is tuned in and there's so much hype that goes into the playoffs. The best out of seven. You're just going to miss going against the same guy and trying to get the better of that guy and performing and get your team a victory."

Both players talked about helping the Pacers get back to the playoffs after a two-year hiatus when they were acquired from Toronto last summer.

That goal was challenging because the Pacers had seven new players this season.

"You need time to start clicking and playing together so you know each other," Nesterovic said. "As time goes by, everybody starts learning what everybody can do. It's much easier to play like that at the beginning.

"We were new with each other and having to figure things out."

The Pacers had two new point guards (Ford and Jarrett Jack) and two rookies (Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert) in the rotation. Also, Mike Dunleavy played little and had surgery March 6 to remove a bone spur from his right knee.

They've won more than two games in a row just once, they've blown 15 double-digit leads and they're 9-12 in games decided by three points or less.

Ford, who was demoted from the starting lineup last month, is second on the team in scoring at 15.1 points and is averaging a team high-high 5.4 assists. Nesterovic, whose playing time has decreased each month and likely won't be back next season, is averaging 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 68 games.

"It shows around the NBA with all the trades that it's very difficult for guys to make a transition in a few months," Ford said."