J. O'Neal Reheats Rivalry With Pistons

[jochhejaam]

<sigh>... I don't know why some players don't just let their playing do the talking for them but O'Neal for some reason feels the need to run his mouth. This is a vastly different Indiana team from last year with Artest and Miller gone and O'Neal injured, still O'Neal wants to play the Pistons in the first round because he said they match up well with us even with him being injured.

O'Neal reheats rivalry

Pistons are befuddled by injured center's claim that Pacers match up well with East champs.
David Goricki / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- The Pistons-Pacers rivalry is alive and well thanks to a player who won't even be on the court tonight.

Jermaine O'Neal, the injured Pacers center, made a statement the Pistons won't soon forget.

O'Neal told TNT analyst Charles Barkley last week that the Pacers matched up well with the Pistons, and even beat the Pistons without him earlier this month. (more like a fans take than a player's)

"I don't understand that comment," guard Rip Hamilton said after practice Wednesday. "I don't know why he likes it (matchup)."

The Pacers did beat the Pistons 93-85 earlier this season, but it's Detroit that holds the edge when it counts -- the postseason. (hello O'Neal)

"We've definitely had a nice little rivalry going the last couple of years," Hamilton said. "They're playing well. They've won six of the last seven games. It doesn't matter who's playing for them either. They play the same way.

"We didn't show up (in the loss), and we all know that. We let it slip away."

The Pacers trail the Pistons by 15 games in the Central Division.

"A lot of things enter into it with the regular season," coach Flip Saunders said regarding the Pacers' regular-season success against the Pistons.

"We were coming off a back-to-back and they were waiting for us for three days. It's more of a concentrated effort in the playoffs."

And what about O'Neal's comments?

"When people say they want something usually they really don't want it," Saunders said. "If you really want something you're usually going to keep your mouth shut." (not me :lol )

Different look

The Pistons face a decidedly different Pacers team.

Besides O'Neal's absence, Indiana no longer has Ron Artest . In Artest's place? Peja Stojakovic .

Still, the Pistons don't have any problem getting excited to play the Pacers.

"Aside from Miami and San Antonio, we also pretty much get up for this game, too," reserve forward Antonio McDyess said.


Pacers at Pistons

Tip-off: 8 tonight, The Palace
TV/radio: TNT/WDFN 1130
Outlook: The Pistons defeated the Hawks, 97-87, on Tuesday at The Palace. They open a four-game, five-day stretch tonight against the Pacers. … Indiana is 6-3 against Detroit during the regular season the last three seasons, including a 93-85 victory Feb. 4 at Conseco Fieldhouse. … The Pacers have won six of their last seven despite playing without Jermaine O'Neal (groin injury).

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060223/SPORTS0102/602230341/1127

[SlasherX]

he should start watching MJ commercials.

"LET YOUR GAME TALK"

[Darrin]

Why is this such a big deal? Let him talk, let him think what he thinks, and the results in the playoffs will speak for themselves.

[101A]

Aside from Miami and San Antonio, we also pretty much get up for this game, too," reserve forward Antonio McDyess said.

And McDyess (without knowing it) disses the Mavs.

[Darrin]

Aside from Miami and San Antonio, we also pretty much get up for this game, too," reserve forward Antonio McDyess said.

And McDyess (without knowing it) disses the Mavs.

Wow, talk about digging for controversy. The Mavs and Pistons have NO history outside of a spackling at American Airlines Center earlier this year. Detroit has met all of the teams mentioned in the playoffs.

As for the Pistons/Pacers, there was a time that Rick Carlisle (assistant coach for Pacers 2000 Finals appearance) was here, and Isiah Thomas (Pistons legend) was their coach. There's Corliss Williamson throwing a ball in Jermaine O'Neal's direction which set off an elbow-fest that ended with JO being bear-hugged by then-Indiana-assistant coach Tree Rollins. There's the last-second shot controversy where it took the referees 20 minutes to determine if the Pistons or Pacers won the game. The shot clock appeared to expire before the shot left O'Neal's hands.

The Pacers first loss at Conseco in 2003 was against the Pistons (18 straight wins not counting that game).

There's the fact Rick Carlisle was fired by the Pistons and re-hired by the Pacers. The Central Division crown has been split between these two teams over the last four years, soon to be five. The last four Defensive Player of the Year Awards have been split between the Pacers (Ron Artest - 1) and Pistons (Ben Wallace - 3).

Pistons fans (this one especially) feel Wallace's best defensive season, 2003-04, he was jipped because of manufactured facts from the Indiana press office. The Pistons won 13 straight games in 2004, and went into Conseco Fieldhouse looking to set a new franchise mark. The Pacers beat the Pistons badly. Many thought the Pacers would kill the Pistons, until they got Rasheed Wallace.

The Pistons and Pacers had one matchup after Rasheed (in the regular season): The Pacers didn't score 70 points.

There's the Playoff series where the 61-win Pacers lost to the 54-win Pistons. There's the "they will not win Game two" comment from Rasheed, there's the block heard 'round the NBA with Tayshaun on Reggie. There's the comment that O'Neal made saying that the Pistons were "lucky" to win the title because of the injuries to Jason Kidd, Jamaal Tinsley, himself, and Karl Malone.

There's the brawl. There's the social argument that whole incident started. There's the argument over if Ben Wallace (by pushing Artest) or Ron Artest (by going into the stands) started the horrific incident. There's legal charges filed against players and fans over that incident.

There's Reggie Miller saying: "I don't understand why the Pistons, the Palace, and the CITY OF DETROIT (The Palace is 32 miles outside downtown Detroit) weren't punished as much as we were."

There's the fact Reggie Miller's first playoff series (1990) and last playoff series (2005) ended at the hands of the Pistons. It was the Pistons who stopped Reggie Miller from an NBA crown in 2004 and 2005. Reaching back, it was a Piston (Otis Thorpe) that poked Reggie's corena in April of 1996 that ended their season prematurely (after two-straight Conference Finals appearances).

There's Stephen Jackson's pre-season comment "I think (the Pistons) run is over. They've been good for the last couple of years, but I think now that Larry Brown's gone, they won't be that good."

And now this.

There's a tremendous amount of history between these two teams. Dallas and Detroit have no such history. There's a reason they are meeting on National Television for the NBA's Rivalry Week.

[FreshPrince22]

Yes, they matchup great with us.....


Except in the playoffs.

[himat]

Why is this such a big deal? Let him talk, let him think what he thinks, and the results in the playoffs will speak for themselves.

I agree, it's not a big deal.

[sprrs]

At least we know the Pistons didn't half-ass it in the two games with us. That would really hurt the confidence to see that they weren't even trying.

[mikejones99]

None of you thought Indiana would crush Pistons in the brawl game either. Of course players have to think and talk like they can beat anyone. Pistons are about -$4.00 to win this game.