It’s hot and humid in Indianapolis this month. Storm clouds have rolled in often, typical of this time of year. Some of the weather has been so tumultuous that brand-new Lucas Oil Stadium, set to publicly open later this summer, has incurred some substantial leaks.
However, looking down South Pennsylvania Street it’s obvious that some of those clouds haven’t decided what to do above Conseco Fieldhouse.
Should the clouds part and allow sunshine to bathe the arena, signifying the rays of hope that are now engulfing the Pacers?
Or maybe the humidity and clouds should combine to provide a heavy, dense fog. Supplying a substitute for the white smoke that signifies the election of a new pope, marking the departure of Jermaine O’Neal, the face of the franchise for the last handful of years, and handing the torch over to Danny Granger as the team’s new figurehead.
Another possibility is a few days of rain, representing the sorrow often felt when a franchise, city and its fans say goodbye to a player that has had as profound of an effect as O’Neal has with the Pacers.
His last four seasons with the team were respectable, but often forgettable because of both injuries and the well-documented struggles of his teammates.
Since Indiana fell just a two wins shy of an NBA Finals appearance in June of 2004, O’Neal has averaged 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 206 games.
Prior to that, Jermaine averaged 18.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per contest. The one stark difference, considering his rather consistent play, is that he appeared in 308 games during his first four seasons with the Pacers.
It’s safe to say that had it not been for a myriad of injuries, namely to his knees, O’Neal would still be calling Indiana home. However, he admitted on Wednesday that he was excited to receive a change in scenery.
"It's probably been one of the worst situations any pro team has been through," O'Neal said of the Pacers’ recent struggles during his introductory press conference in Toronto.
J.O. even admitted that he broke down and cried when he heard the news of his trade from the Pacers to the Raptors, an expression that wouldn’t have seemed possible just four years ago.
“There are a lot more things that went on behind the scenes that kind of wore you down. It wore me down a bit mentally and I started to not really enjoy playing as much as I used to love to play the game,” O’Neal said with Bryan Colangelo at his side. “When I got the call from my agent and he told me about the possibility of coming here, it was like a rebirth. Sometimes you lose that love and you need a move or something to get that fire back in you.”
As hard as that may be to hear for Pacer fans, if anyone can relate it’s the surrounding community, who seem to have lost their love for the game as well. If you’re looking for evidence, check out the NBA’s latest attendance numbers.
No matter how badly Indiana and J.O. needed to part ways – and they very much did – the power forward definitely enjoyed some great times in blue-and-gold.
Here’s a chronicling of O’Neal’s greatest moments during his eight seasons as a member of the Pacers.
August 31, 2000
The Pacers acquire O’Neal and Joe Kleine from the Trail Blazers in exchange for Dale Davis.
October 31, 2000
Jermaine makes his debut against the Spurs in a 98-85 season-opening loss, tallying 16 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes. It would mark the first of many double-doubles he’d record for Indiana.
March 13, 2001
He notches 28 points, 18 rebounds and 8 blocks in 54 minutes of action in an overtime loss to the Rockets.
April 18, 2001
In a win over Cleveland, O’Neal posts 30 points and 20 rebounds, his first twenty-rebound performance.
April 21, 2001
In his playoff debut with the Pacers, he helps stun the 76ers in Game One of their first-round series with 12 points and 20 boards.
December 22, 2001
O’Neal scores 38 points, then a career-high, in a close 109-103 victory over the Cavaliers.
November 26, 2002
He records the second 20/20 game of his career, posting 26 points and 21 rebounds in a win against Washington.
January 22, 2003
Jermaine notches a triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks) in a victory over, ironically, the Raptors.
February 4, 2003
He tallies his third 20/20 game, contributing 23 points and 20 rebounds in a 97-94 loss to the Lakers.
April 21, 2003
The Pacers lose their first-round series to the lower-seeded Celtics, but Jermaine posts 20/20 game number four in the first of Indiana’s two wins. He narrowly missed the mark on three other occasions during the six-game battle, posting efforts of 25/19, 19/22 and 25/19.
November 4, 2003
In an eleven-point win over the Nuggets, O’Neal notches his fifth 20/20 performance with 25 points and 20 boards.
November 19, 2004
Jermaine scores 20 points and grabs 13 rebounds in a big 97-82 win over the Pistons, who eliminated the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals just months earlier. He is then forced to deck a Detroit fan that charges him during ‘The Malice At The Palace’.
January 4, 2005
O’Neal scores a career-high 55 points in a win over the Bucks, the second highest single-game effort in the franchise’s history (NBA).
April 27, 2006
He posts 37 points and 15 rebounds in Indiana’s win over the Nets in Game Three of their first-round series. The Pacers eventually lose in six games.
May 4, 2006
In his final postseason game in Indiana, O’Neal tallies 21 points and 6 rebounds as the Pacers lose 96-90 to end their season.
December 31, 2007
Jermaine notches his final double-double as a Pacer, with 20 points and 13 rebounds in a loss to the Bobcats.
In addition to all those memorable single-game performances, O’Neal took home quite a bit of hardware and led many a statistical category during his tenure in Indiana.
-Led the NBA with 228 blocks during the 2000-01 season.
-Took home the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in 2002.
-Made the All-NBA Third Team in 2002 & 2003.
-Named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2004.
-Finished third in the 2004 MVP voting behind Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.
-Made six All-Star appearances (consecutively), the most in team history.
-Tallied 243 double-doubles as a member of the Pacers.
As his career currently stands, O’Neal will not make the Hall of Fame. However, it wouldn’t be hard to envision the Pacers retiring his jersey once the sun has set on his career. That’d be no small feat in Indiana, where just four players have their name and number hanging in the rafters.
With that said, it will likely be a long time before such an honor is discussed. However, Jermaine doesn’t have to play another game in the NBA to be considered among the greatest Pacers ever to grace the floor.
It would be hard to argue against referring to Jermaine as the second greatest player ever to play for Indiana (in the NBA), as no one else has enjoyed the same success on both an individual and team level. Some believe he led the greatest team the franchise has ever fielded in 2004, although the 2000 squad that made the Finals would certainly receive consideration as well.
Quite simply, Jermaine O’Neal is a class act. He’s helped dispel the negative stigma surrounding players that jumped straight from high school to the NBA, while at the same time defending what he feels is a man’s right to make his own decisions upon reaching the militarily-legal age of eighteen.
Regardless of how happy he is to be out of Indiana, there will always be a part of the heartland in his 6’11” frame. Even he’d admit that.
If the weather could be controlled, the proper conditions over Conseco Fieldhouse would likely vary over the coming days.
Maybe some rain drops in the early morning, followed by a slight fog around noon, concluding with bright rays of sunshine in the afternoon to honor the future that both O’Neal and the Pacers will hopefully enjoy.
Only this time, they won’t be enjoying it together.
Authored by Andrew Perna
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