Jermaine O’Neal Pacers 39pts 9rebs 4blks vs 76ers (2004)

November 12 2004

Jermaine O'Neal this night had one of the best games of his career (up to that point) against the 76ers, finishing with 39 points (then-career high), 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks. O'Neal shot 14 for 23 from the field, and was a perfect 11 for 11 from the free throw line. O'Neal would be fouled out by the referees on an Allen Iverson flop, to O'Neal's disbelief.

Seven nights later, O'Neal's NBA career would forever change. He and his teammates would get involved in a scuffle at the closing minutes of a nationally-televised game against the Detroit Pistons, their counterparts and rivals in the Eastern Conference. The heated scuffle would turn into a melee, with Ron Artest getting hit with a beer cup while laying on the scorer's table, trying to calm himself down. Artest would jump into the stands, with Stephen Jackson and others following him. O'Neal made his way up, but his story begins on the way down back to the court, where he is met by Pistons fans. Those fans are very lucky O'Neal slipped when attempting to punch them. If you haven't seen the video, I strongly advise you to watch it. David Stern laid down the suspensions the following day, 25 games for Jermaine. O'Neal appealed the suspension, and eventually wound up in a court room versus the NBA. It was deemed by a federal judge that O'Neal acted in self-defense for himself and others, and was reinstated, however O'Neal's suspension was active during the court proceedings, so O'Neal was in total suspended for 15 games. While he was successful in the court room against the NBA, Jermaine's career suffered the most of his teammates in the aftermath of the Malice at the Palace. Artest found success in Houston and then in LA, winning a ring next to Kobe Bryant, and Jackson later re-joined the Spurs, where he multiple times came up big for the team in the playoffs.