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10/27/00
Adversity breaks some people. It makes others break records. You aren't good enough. That is basically what Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said when he wouldn't play Jermaine. The straw that broke the camels back was in the Western Conference Finals. Jermaine was allowed to play with the sole purpose of hacking Shaq. A slap in the face to go in the game at the end of the half and wrap up Shaq in a bear hug to take advantage of his poor free throw shooting. Sad and a waste of talent. The Pacers won't make that mistake to overlook Jermaine's skills and ability. Neither will those who vote for the Allstar team the next 12 years or so.
11/7/00
Foul Trouble. You can't play well if you don't play. In two of the first three games J.O. has been limited in playing time and his ability to play his game. Part of it is knowing what you can and can't do. Part of it is the respect of the refs. Both will be resolved. Refs respect those with skill and those with skill adapt. J.O. has skills.
11/18/00
J.O. said before the season started that if he had went to college he would have been the number one pick in this years NBA draft. On November 18th he faced number one draft pick Kenyon Martin. He scored 23 points with 13 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 7 turnovers. Kmart had 15, 13, and 5 with only 4 turnovers. O'neal posterized Kmart several times with monster dunks, several blocks and altered shots. J.O. said "I didn't play well, right now, I'm just a problem for my team out there." Coach Zeke had a slightly different take. "Jermaine has a chance to be a great player in this league, he needs to concentrate more on the little things." said Coach Thomas. "Foul shooting, handling the ball. Those are things he can correct."
November 2000
After only shooting around 50 percent of his free throws the first few weeks of the season, Jermaine dedicates himself to improving by shooting 300 free throws at the end of most every practce.
12/16/00- after hovering around 50% from the free throw line, J.O. hits 5 of 6 and 8 of 10 on consecutive nights. He now take 2 deep breathes trying to concentrate and relax from the line. Being an 85% free throw shooter in highschool, J.O. seems to be on the road to becoming a complete player and future allstar.
1/1/1- Jerms New Year's resolution? To win and alot more than the 5 games under .500 the Pacers were at years end. J.O. has never been on losing team.
1/10/01-From the Indpls. Star Newpaper. O'Neal's blocked shot of Darius Miles' dunk didn't have a direct impact on the game, but it was a made-for-TV highlight if ever there was one and the talk of the team bus after the game. Early in the third period, with the Pacers leading 48-47, the Clippers' pogo stick of a rookie drove hard from the left wing for a dunk. O'Neal met him at the peak of his jump, high above the rim, and snuffed the ball. The force of the block caused both players to fall on their backs. "One of the greatest defensive plays I've ever seen," said Thomas, who's seen a few. "It was like when Rocky and Apollo Creed knocked each other out and they both fell down." O'Neal, who watched the play on the flight to Salt Lake City after the game, conceded it was "a nice block." But he took it in stride. "I look to block almost every shot," he said. "Whenever somebody drives the lane, I see it as a legitimate chance for me to block a shot." O'Neal had 96 blocked shots heading into Tuesday's game. That's two more than the player for whom he was traded, Dale Davis, had last season, and four fewer than team leader Rik Smits had. O'Neal is on pace to surpass the team record of 184 blocks, set by Herb Williams in 1985-86.
Feb 19, 2001 issue of Sports Illustrated Jermaine O'Neal will be the East's best big man in the second half. You can almost see the rough edges getting smoother on O'Neal, 22, who looks like this season's Tracy McGady-an abundantly talented young player on the brink of stardom. O'Neal's solid numbers (13.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.57 blocked shots at week's end) will be even better after the break. Next year, they'll be spectacular.
Pacers v. Boston 4/13/01-as reported in the Indianapolis Star and a NBA.com article Jermaine O'Neal, already the best shot-blocker the Indiana Pacers have ever had, played Friday night's game against Boston with Bill Russell sitting courtside. That would be the same Bill Russell who is widely acknowledged as the greatest shot-blocker ever to play basketball, if not its greatest defensive player. "It was an honor to meet him," O'Neal said. "He said he likes the way that I play. That meant an awful lot to me, a guy who means the world to me," O'Neal got more than a compliment from Russell, however. He got an offer. "He said he wanted to work with me on some things," O'Neal said. "He's a young player who has plenty of potential," Russell said. "I think I know a few things that can help him reach it." | ||
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