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Pacers prove they're stand-up guys
01:27 AM CST on Saturday, January 8, 2005
Undermanned and overwrought is no way to go through an NBA season.
Every key member of the Indiana roster has been suspended, sued, injured or unemployed in the last two-and-a-half months. The Pacers have been drawn into a national debate about violence in sports and dismissed as a viable championship contender.
Moore column: Pacers proving they're stand-up guys
And they're still standing.
Indiana is not the best team in the league, not with forward Ron Artest suspended for the remainder of the season to reflect on what rage did to his career and the franchise. But you can't find a team that is more resilient.
The character that was called into question after that November melee in Auburn Hills has proven to be the team's greatest strength. The Pacers are sensitive to their image, appropriately contrite and above all, competitive.
The 16-14 record Indiana carries into tonight's game against the Mavericks at American Airlines Center is better than it has any right to be. It's a tribute to the 16 players who have moved in and out of the starting lineup and to the flexibility and focus of Rick Carlisle and his coaching staff.
"I guess you can argue we've done well considering," Carlisle said. "At the same time, this franchise isn't about going 5-10 over a 15-game period.
"But you know, I'm not sure any of that really matters right now. To us, the most important thing is to get a little better every day."
The brawl that spilled into the stands and across TV screens rained condemnation on the Pacers, Detroit Pistons and their fans. The Pacers absorbed the brunt of the punishment meted out by commissioner David Stern.
Stung with the harshest penalties in league history, Indiana had no choice but to close ranks, support each other and endure.
"You take one bad situation and it opens up the door for criticism," said forward Jermaine O'Neal, who is back after having his 25-game suspension reduced to 15 games by a federal judge. "Not just for us, but for the entire league.
"We are extremely apologetic to our peers. Whether it's players, coaches or front office, it's unfair for people to have an assumption on who we are as people from that one incident. It's a situation that should not have happened. But it happened. The only thing we can do is move on."
The Pacers have done a better job of moving on since O'Neal's return. His performance – an average of 29.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in six games – reminds everyone why he was such a strong candidate for the league's Most Valuable Player award last season.
Indiana's goal, formed the moment the suspensions hit on Nov. 21, was to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference until O'Neal and Stephen Jackson returned. The Pacers will have to wait another nine games for Jackson. But the team finds itself two-and-a-half games behind Cleveland in the Central Division because Freddie Jones, Jeff Foster, Jamaal Tinsley, Reggie Miller and rookie David Harrison have all come up big at various times during this difficult stretch.
"We've been forgotten about for quite some time," O'Neal said. "Even last year when we had the best record, nobody really wanted to give us our due. But our goals are still what they were. We still expect to represent the Eastern Conference come June and still expect to win the championship."
Too many competitive and legal obstacles remain to expect that to happen. But as Jackson travels and practices with the team leading up to his return on Jan. 26, there's a sense that the Pacers have weathered the worst of this storm.
"Things are looking up, but it's no time to exhale," Carlisle said. "It's time to tighten our belts a little more and really work toward continued improvement.
"That's the key to us being a contender."
Pacers prove they're stand-up guys
01:27 AM CST on Saturday, January 8, 2005
Undermanned and overwrought is no way to go through an NBA season.
Every key member of the Indiana roster has been suspended, sued, injured or unemployed in the last two-and-a-half months. The Pacers have been drawn into a national debate about violence in sports and dismissed as a viable championship contender.
Moore column: Pacers proving they're stand-up guys
And they're still standing.
Indiana is not the best team in the league, not with forward Ron Artest suspended for the remainder of the season to reflect on what rage did to his career and the franchise. But you can't find a team that is more resilient.
The character that was called into question after that November melee in Auburn Hills has proven to be the team's greatest strength. The Pacers are sensitive to their image, appropriately contrite and above all, competitive.
The 16-14 record Indiana carries into tonight's game against the Mavericks at American Airlines Center is better than it has any right to be. It's a tribute to the 16 players who have moved in and out of the starting lineup and to the flexibility and focus of Rick Carlisle and his coaching staff.
"I guess you can argue we've done well considering," Carlisle said. "At the same time, this franchise isn't about going 5-10 over a 15-game period.
"But you know, I'm not sure any of that really matters right now. To us, the most important thing is to get a little better every day."
The brawl that spilled into the stands and across TV screens rained condemnation on the Pacers, Detroit Pistons and their fans. The Pacers absorbed the brunt of the punishment meted out by commissioner David Stern.
Stung with the harshest penalties in league history, Indiana had no choice but to close ranks, support each other and endure.
"You take one bad situation and it opens up the door for criticism," said forward Jermaine O'Neal, who is back after having his 25-game suspension reduced to 15 games by a federal judge. "Not just for us, but for the entire league.
"We are extremely apologetic to our peers. Whether it's players, coaches or front office, it's unfair for people to have an assumption on who we are as people from that one incident. It's a situation that should not have happened. But it happened. The only thing we can do is move on."
The Pacers have done a better job of moving on since O'Neal's return. His performance – an average of 29.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in six games – reminds everyone why he was such a strong candidate for the league's Most Valuable Player award last season.
Indiana's goal, formed the moment the suspensions hit on Nov. 21, was to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference until O'Neal and Stephen Jackson returned. The Pacers will have to wait another nine games for Jackson. But the team finds itself two-and-a-half games behind Cleveland in the Central Division because Freddie Jones, Jeff Foster, Jamaal Tinsley, Reggie Miller and rookie David Harrison have all come up big at various times during this difficult stretch.
"We've been forgotten about for quite some time," O'Neal said. "Even last year when we had the best record, nobody really wanted to give us our due. But our goals are still what they were. We still expect to represent the Eastern Conference come June and still expect to win the championship."
Too many competitive and legal obstacles remain to expect that to happen. But as Jackson travels and practices with the team leading up to his return on Jan. 26, there's a sense that the Pacers have weathered the worst of this storm.
"Things are looking up, but it's no time to exhale," Carlisle said. "It's time to tighten our belts a little more and really work toward continued improvement.
"That's the key to us being a contender."
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