reflections
October 4th, 2007 A lot can change in 3 years

  A lot can change in 3 years. Especially if you’re the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers ended their 2003-2004 season with a franchise record 61 wins. Good golly, that seems like decades ago. Coming off 61 wins, the Pacers were labeled contenders for the 2004-2005 season, and being an avid Pacer fan, I agreed. But we all know how the season turned out. The Pacers started off hot, winning 6 of their first 8 games. Then they went to play against their biggest rival at the time, the Detroit Pistons. The Pacers ended up winning the game, but lost their chance at a championship.

 I won’t get into the brawl. We all know what happened, and we’ve seen it probably more times than we cared to, but the aftershock of the brawl still haunts the Pacers. Not to mention, that season was Reggie Miller’s last NBA season, and it appears that he picked the perfect time to retire. The next year wasn’t much better for the Pacers. Artest demanded a trade, tried to take it back, and was finally traded to the Kings. The Pacers received Peja Stojakovic, which on paper made the Pacers look pretty darn good. Jermaine O’Neal, Peja Stojakovic, Jamaal Tinsley, Stephen Jackson, Danny Granger…ect.

  But the Pacers were eliminated by the New Jersey Nets in the first round of the playoffs, their only two wins coming from the games in which Peja played. Of course, Peja didn’t resign with the Pacers, why would he? But Larry and Donnie made things okay. They traded their trade exemption and 1st round draft pick for Al Harrington, reuniting him with his former team. Harrington was traded 38 games later, along with Stephen Jackson, Sarunas, and Josh Powell. In return, the Pacers welcomed Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod. The trade was made to improve team chemistry, and the Pacers lost 23 of their last 29 games, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

 So what does this up and coming season bring for the Indiana Pacers? A coaching change was finally made, and it appears the Jim O’Brien looks to make the Pacers play more of an uptempo game, which hopefully will suit Jamaal Tinsley. However, this season brings alot more questions than answers. Will Jermaine O’Neal be traded? If he’s not, will he opt out of his contract at the end of the season? Who will be the starting five, and for once, will we have a set rotation? Better yet, why on earth was Darrell Armstrong released? Whatever happens, I will be watching every minute of it (most likely frustrated), but still rooting for my Pacers, and hoping a little lady luck comes our way.

  D.S.

 If you have any comments, questions, or just want to debate sports, I can be reached at david.tunafishsandwich@gmail.com

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