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.)

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."

Watch and see what this behavior will produce in the long run.

Watch and see what this behavior will produce in the long run

Yeah it finally shows some balls on this team, whats your problem with that? They are exactly right, who the hell is Jermaine O'neil?

Sometimes a player brings intangibles that stat lines dont show, not too mention Penny has been far more than the throw in we originally thought. These guys have pride and balls.

What is it you would rather have. A euro 7 footer everyone else passed on in the draft.
A euro point guard(whos not having a great year) who didnt want to play here.
One of the most overpaid, talentless point guards ever.
Charlie ward? seriously...
Some dude who use to be great but has glass knees.
A draft pick this year thats worthless.
Next years pick is protected.

You think any of the above have any balls? Dice pratically ran out of here.

Posted by jhferry:

Not to mention...

I still have memories of the pacers celebrating on the Garden floor in 2000. Screw them.

exactly.

that was the perfect comeback by Marbury I think. Show's J'neal that although his team is 1st in the standings, it's only the regular season so he shouldn't be too proud.

Damn right we have balls and the right to celebrate. If the Pacers concentrated on the game as much as whining like little beyotches about catching that L, maybe they would have won the game and THEY would have been the ones celebrating.

Damn right our confidence is up and it's well deserved. Hopefully we'll have alot more reasons to celebrate in the season and the playoffs as well.

GO KNICKS!!!!

I guess none of you have never been on a team that was favored before and lost. The feeling stinks, so any added hoopla can bring out the beast in competitive players. Marbury hasn't seen anything yet.

Posted by djsunyc:

i think that's the really the only problem with j.o. right now, he thinks he's already the man and that he's accomplished so much in this league. you could also see it in how he plays. he's AWESOME, but he does need a little growing up to do. and trash talking is good, it's about time we got some passion back in here...

amen

I like how Marbury and Hardaway replied to O'Neal's immature comments. O'Neal better get used to us celebrating because its going to happen again when we beat them in the playoffs