In the end, it doesn’t really matter if the Indiana Pacers read nursery rhymes to every kid in the city, open soup kitchens and eradicate the H1N1 virus. Yes, they’ve reconnected with the populace and managed to stay off the police blotter, and for that, they get high marks.

But now it’s time to win.

Or, at the very least, play a lot better than they did in Friday’s night’s spirit-crushing 96-83 home opening loss to the Miami Heat.

It might be time for Pacers coach Jim O’Brien to mimic Indiana Fever coach Lin Dunn, who, after two season-opening blowout losses to begin the season, pleaded for a "mulligan.’’

What went wrong?

We could save time and space and tell you what went right, but that wouldn’t fill any space and we get paid by the word around here.

They got lit up, beat down and generally whupped by former Pacer Jermaine O’Neal, who finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, then graciously gave a signed pair of shoes to a young man sitting behind the Heat bench.

It’s still early, and we know O’Neal’s unfortunate injury history, but watching him now, he looks as quick and explosive as he ever has. For those of us who liked O’Neal — he was a diva, but a truly likeable and well-intentioned diva — here’s hoping he pulls it back together and returns to form.

“Solomon (Jones) and Roy (Hibbert) got schooled by Jermaine, but the more times they play against quality big men, the better they will get,‘’ a somber O’Brien said after the game. "He (O’Neal) pretty much scored at will and (Dwyane) Wade was Wade.’’

They failed in the one area in which they were supposed to excel: They couldn’t score, couldn’t hit a shot, especially behind the 3-point line, where they were 4-for-23. The first half, they missed a bunch of open shots. The second half, they missed a bunch of contested shots with the Heat playing the kind of defense the Pacers hope to someday learn.

They managed a statistical rarity in the first quarter, when they lived and died (mostly died) on the perimeter: They scored no points in the paint. Little wonder the Heat shot 20 more free throws than the Pacers (46 to 26). Except for the occasional Hibbert flourish, they have virtually no inside game, and don’t figure to discover one any time soon.

For the second straight game, the Pacers backup backcourt was far more effective, offensively and defensively, than the starters. Do I see a trend developing?

In two games, T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush have been alternately awful and invisible. In two games, Dahntay Jones and Earl Watson (with help Friday night from Luther Head) have been dramatically more productive. It’s still early, but the initial conclusion is the Pacers are better with Jones and Watson on the floor than they are Ford and Rush.

At least right now.

Ford played 20 minutes and 23 seconds Friday night and had ZERO assists. Zilch, nada. And that was better than his performance in the season opener in Atlanta, when he scored three points in 23:08.

And Rush? Call him The Enigma , which would be a cool nickname if he wasn’t so darned, well, enigmatic. Against Atlanta, he played 19:16, scored six points and had no rebounds. Friday night, he played 12:41, had two points, one rebound and four fouls.

One night, he looks like the best player, the most athletic player, on the floor. Next night, he’s floating, his face impassive, like a guy emotionally uninvolved in the game.

Before the game, I asked O’Brien if he knows yet what buttons to push with Rush.

“I haven’t figured that out, or if I’ve figured it out, it hasn’t worked,‘’ he said. "It’s a matter of him playing loose. He’s not a guy who responds well to people getting on him hard.’’

So what does it take?

This is going to be one of O’Brien’s bigger challenges this year. He needs to crawl inside Rush’s head and motivate him, but he can’t risk losing him and sending his fragile confidence south.

Even the halftime act had a wreck. A young man on the bicycle stunt team crashed badly and was taken off the court on a stretcher. We are told he was taken to Methodist Hospital, but there was no further word. The Colts reflexively reported he was day-to-day.

Seriously, does anybody ever remember an injury during "Quick Change’’?

In the interest of keeping hope alive, there’s this: The Pacers held an opponent under 100 points, and the Heat shot just 44 percent from the field. And we’ve already gotten a glimpse of the kind of toughness that Jones (that’s Dahntay, although Solomon’s been reasonably good, too) will bring. He didn’t have much of a stat line, scored only six points, but he possesses a grit that’s sorely lacking in his teammates.

“He’s got the type of mentality we need to build this on,‘’ O’Brien said. "We need that same type of hard-nosed basketball from everybody.’’

It’s only two games. Whether that’s the good news or the bad news, time will tell.