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Sat, Apr 25th 2009, 11:10
Jermaine O'Neal finally finding comfort zone - and just in time
First came the pass from Jermaine O’Neal to Dwyane Wade. Then the dunk and the foul. Then more than 19,000 fans jumped to their feet.
Then came something O’Neal has rarely shown – emotion.
The Heat’s maligned center, remembering the phone call he received after Game 1 in Atlanta, ran to center court, absorbed the crowd and pointed.
“My brother called me and asked me when was the last time I enjoyed the game with emotion,” O’Neal said. “I’ve been an emotional player and that was my calling card in Indiana. I haven’t really done that because I haven’t been comfortable.”
He is getting comfortable and just in time for the Heat.
And his brother, Clifford O’Neal, must like what he’s seeing, too.
O’Neal’s 22 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double in a Heat uniform, helped Miami to an easy 104-78 victory, a game in which the Heat held at least a double-digit lead for the final 27:10.
O’Neal’s veteran presence down low is what the Heat needs in the grind-‘em-out game that is playoff basketball. Most expected the Heat would turn to Michael Beasley as its low-post option in the playoffs, especially after he averaged 23.6 points in the last five regular-season games.
But Beasley has looked more like the rookie he is in the first three games while O’Neal has become a nice complement to Dwyane Wade.
Beasley had rough night (1-of-9 from the floor) and now has just 24 points in the series.
O’Neal has scored 41 points in the past two games on 13-of-23 shooting.
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