O'Neal apologizes for bashing Pacers fans ( 2003-11-14 11:27) (Agencies)
Indiana Pacers forward
Jermaine O'Neal apologized Thursday for criticizing Pacers fans after Tuesday
night's 78-76 loss to Boston.
"If I offended anybody by my comments about not wanting to get booed, I
totally apologize," O'Neal said. "This is a city that means a lot not only to
me, but to this organization and to this team."
On Tuesday, O'Neal was upset by some fans' behavior during the second half of
the game, in which the Pacers squandered a 15-point lead.
"You're not going to win every game by 20 points," he said then. "When games
are tight, that's when you need the fans. We don't need fans booing us or making
obscene gestures to us when we miss shots. I don't think the greatest player
ever has made every shot."
O'Neal went to the bench with foul trouble for much of the second half,
during which the Pacers shot just 32 percent from the field, inducing boos after
shots clanked off the rim, and the offense turned the ball over.
O'Neal said he didn't mean to criticize the fans, he was just urging them to
support the team through tough stretches, much like he sees when the Pacers go
on the road.
"We want to be able to hit tough spots and know that we're not going to get
booed," he said. "Every game is not going to be an easy game. It's a very tough
sport and there are a lot of good athletes, but sometimes you have to step back
and kind of think about some of the things you said. The timing just wasn't
right."
Fans haven't had a lot to cheer about at home so far this season. The Pacers
are off to a 6-2 start, but both losses have come at home.
"Fans pay good money to come watch us play," O'Neal said. "They pay my
salary. They deserve to see a good game. They deserve to see the team win. I
think, at the end of the day, I just felt I owed the city an apology, it just
wasn't a good time for it."
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said O'Neal's comments were based more on his
frustration about losing a close game and had little to do with his actual
feelings about the fans.
"The most important people to this franchise are the fans," Carlisle said.
"The onus is on us as a team to provide a strong effort and a good product.
That's not going to change as long as I'm here."
