O'Neal Battles Slump

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">His limp isn't as noticeable. His shot selection and release are fine.

But the ball isn't going in for Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal.
O'Neal went into Wednesday's game at Milwaukee in the midst of his worst shooting slump of the season.

"This is a (heck) of a time for me to go through some struggles," O'Neal said after going 7-of-22 against Philadelphia on Tuesday. "I struggled a lot on shots I normally make. Being contested really wasn't a factor because I'm always contested by multiple guys."

O'Neal averaged a season-high 22.4 points in February, but his average has dropped the past two months. He averaged 18.6 points on 42 percent shooting in March and he was scoring 17 points and shooting 38 percent this month before the Bucks game. O'Neal hit 7-of-17 shots and scored 16 points at Milwaukee.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle reiterated before Wednesday's game that a lot of O'Neal's problems center on his inability to practice because of his injured knee and ankle.

O'Neal shoots in practice but not at game speed.

"I'm getting work in," said O'Neal, who usually spends practice and time on the sideline watching teammates. "The ball is feeling good when I shoot it."
Carlisle said coaches have shown O'Neal more video of opponents to help him find ways to get easier shots or get to the foul line, where he is shooting nearly 90 percent this month.

"He's got to approach it the way he's been doing it the last six or seven years he's been here," Carlisle said. "He's our franchise player and we need him to stay aggressive."</div>

Source: IndyStar