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Rich
Posts: 27410 Alba Posts: 6 Joined: 12/30/2003 Member: #511 USA |
![]() http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/05/sports/basketball/05KNIC.html
February 5, 2004 O'Neal's Parting Shot Fails to Ruffle Knicks By STEVE POPPER GREENBURGH, N.Y., Feb. 4 — In the closing seconds of the Knicks' stirring victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, Penny Hardaway delivered the final blow, a spinning jumper that banked in and set off a minor celebration. In the Pacers' locker room afterward, Jermaine O'Neal said: "We just have to have a long memory. They played very well. They celebrated like they won a championship, though. We'll remember that." On Wednesday, the Knicks dismissed the comment more easily than they had beaten the Pacers. "Jermaine O'Neal hasn't won any championships," Stephon Marbury said. "If that was Shaquille O'Neal saying that, it's one thing. But he hasn't won one championship. He hasn't won one playoff series playing in Indiana yet, so for us, we felt like we were making strides. I would rather us feel like how we felt last night than to act like we didn't do something. They're a really good team, and beating a really good team and going where we came from, you know, we're making really big steps." The Knicks moved four games away from .500 at 23-27, second in the Atlantic Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference. What O'Neal may not have grasped is that while the Knicks were well aware that this was not a championship game, victories of this sort have been so sparse that it excited the crowd and the team. It wasn't just that the Knicks won, it was how they did it. Rather than relying solely on Marbury or Keith Van Horn, the Knicks received clutch performances from Kurt Thomas, Michael Doleac and most of all Hardaway. It would be difficult to blame Hardaway, 32, for being excited about a moment that raised memories of the player he once was. "I think that's immaturity on his part," Hardaway said of O'Neal and his comments. "Anybody can celebrate the way that they want to. You don't know how much it meant to players, the organization or to anybody. You can't worry about it. If you lose the game, you say, `They outplayed us,' and move on. You can't be saying, `We'll remember,' because this is a league where anything can happen at any given time." . . . (IMO, O'Neal should have taken it as a compliment that the Pacers are thought of as one of the best teams in the East. btw, The rest of the article is about Penny's comeback from the injuries.) |
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Rich
Posts: 27410 Alba Posts: 6 Joined: 12/30/2003 Member: #511 USA |
![]() http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/107596502797160.xml
Knicks: Fire back after O'Neal slaps them Thursday, February 05, 2004 BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO Star-Ledger Staff GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- They were jubilant and they showed it. Nothing wrong with that. Of course, the best thing the Knicks could have done Tuesday night was to acknowledge the Garden crowd's acclaim with a grateful wave, and walk off as if they had expected to beat the best team in the East all along. Instead, they celebrated right in front of the Pacers, which is not a crime, but not the decorum of true contenders, either. Who says so? Jermaine O'Neal says so. "We just have to have a long memory," the Pacers All-Star forward harrumphed after the Knicks' 97-90 victory. "They played very well. They celebrated like they won a championship, through. We'll remember that." The Knicks were informed of O'Neal's comments at yesterday's practice session, and while they were genuinely confused about what the fuss was about, their sharp return volley suggested that a rivalry has been reborn. "Jermaine O'Neal hasn't won any championships," Stephon Marbury spat. "If that was Shaquille O'Neal saying that, it's one thing. But he hasn't won one championship. He hasn't won one playoff series playing in Indiana yet, so for us, we felt like we were making strides. "I would rather us feeling like how we felt last night than to act like we didn't do something. They're a really good team, and beating a really good team and going where we came from, you know, we're making really big steps." Penny Hardaway, the star of crunch time, didn't seem sure whether he should jab or slug, so he settled for this: "I think that's immaturity on his part," he said of O'Neal. "Anybody can celebrate the way that they want to. You don't know how much it meant to players, the organization or to anybody. "If you lose the game, you say, 'They outplayed us,' and move on. You can't be saying, 'We'll remember,' because this is a league where anything can happen at any given time. You just never know. He's a talented player. He's too good to worry about how we celebrated. There's nothing he can do about that." And to a man, they regarded it as a victory worth celebrating. The only ones who weren't openly joyous were Lenny Wilkens and Isiah Thomas. Proud they were, yes; but both has experienced hundreds of games just like it, and both believe in the NBA credo that one game cannot make a season. "When you've been around as long as we have, I don't take personal satisfaction out of certain situations," said Wilkens, when asked about his postgame meeting with Thomas, the former Pacers coach. "To me, when you move on, you move on. It should be that way. If not, then you've got a hang-up. "(Thomas) was happy with the progress the team is making. Here, we played the strongest team in our conference and we withstood the test. I mean, it was a good win for us so he was happy to see that." |
Rich
Posts: 27410 Alba Posts: 6 Joined: 12/30/2003 Member: #511 USA |
![]() http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/15312.htm
STEPH, PENNY FIRE BACK By MARC BERMAN February 5, 2004 -- It's official. The Pacers and Knicks have reignited their rivalry. Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway shot back at Jermaine O'Neal yesterday for crying about the Knicks' final-second celebration Tuesday. Marbury pointed out O'Neal has never won a playoff series with the Pacers and Hardaway said O'Neal's comment smacked of "immaturity." Marbury sparked the celebration, running around the court with the ball like a halfback, laughing and swinging his right arm jubilantly. O'Neal said after the Knicks' victory, "We remember those guys acting like they won the championship, so hopefully the guys on our team will have a long memory about the celebration." Marbury thought it was a healthy burst of emotion and didn't take kindly to the remark. "Jermaine O'Neal hasn't won any championships," Marbury said. "If that was Shaquille O'Neal saying it, that's one thing. He has not won one championship. He hasn't won a playoff series playing in Indiana. "For us, we feel we're making strides," Marbury added. "I'd rather have us feeling like we did (Tuesday) night than to act like we didn't do something. They're a really good team and to beat a really good team from where we came from, we're making steps." Said Hardaway, "It's immaturity on his part. Anyone can celebrate the way they want to. You lose a game, you've just got to say, hey, they outplayed us. He's too good to be worrying about how we celebrated." |
jhferry
Posts: 20089 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 7/24/2003 Member: #447 |
![]() Not to mention...
I still have memories of the pacers celebrating on the Garden floor in 2000. Screw them. |