While Jermaine O?Neal is talking about how no one on the Nets can stop him, in New Jersey the belief is, and as Steve Popper of the New York Times reports it is the more believable scenario right now, that Kenyon Martin can more than handle O?Neal without any assistance.

"I always feel like that," Martin said. "I've been talking like that for a while, before I got in the league. I've always felt like that. No matter who I'm on, I can ? I'm not going to shut guys out, this is the N.B.A. ? but I feel like I can do a pretty decent job of limiting what they do."

And after holding the All-Star to only 12 points in each of the past two games ? both losses to O?Neal?s Pacers, Martin has a reason to talk.

"We're not trying to get in his head," Martin said. "We're just playing him tough. We just played him different than we did in Game 1. He got the ball anywhere he wanted to in Game 1 and he made shots. He was 5 for 17 and 3 for 11 in the other games. We knew we had to play him different, whether he was talking or not."

"We won two games, man. Everybody's talking about Jermaine, Jermaine, Jermaine. Let them keep focusing on him. We're worried about winning."

While Pacers coach Isiah Thomas did not plan on playing guard Ron Mercer on MVP chance Jason Kidd, but his team?s hopes of surviving in this opening series against the New Jersey Nets might rest on it.

"I can see us doing that again," Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said on Sunday, referring to his Game 3 switch at point guard.

Mercer is four inches taller than usual point guard Jamaal Tinsley, and the Pacers game plan is to try to make the All-Star guard shoot over the defender.  Ron Artest has also spent some time on Kidd, who thus far has been virtually unstoppable, scoring and passing almost at will.

"He's hurt us every game," Mercer said of Kidd. "He's shorter and quicker. I try to use my height as an advantage and try to challenge the shots he takes, to make sure he shoots over a bigger guy.

As the old saying goes ?even if a shooter if off they still believe that their next shot is going in?.  If you are after a case study to see if this theory rings true then look no further than Kerry Kittles of the New Jersey Nets.  With his side down with 22.5 seconds left in Game 3 it was Kittles, 1-for-10 to that point and shooting 28% in the series against the Pacers, who found the ball in his hands.  Kittles rose and hit the shot for his team, setting up the win and now an opportunity to close out the series.  There is no doubt that it was a big shot, but exactly how big a shot was it?

"I've seen bigger shots and I've hit bigger shots," Byron Scott said yesterday, laughing. "For this franchise and for this season, the way we've been playing, that was the biggest shot that I've been associated with. Everybody in Indiana would probably be a little indifferent because of the shot against Orlando that I hit . . . but that was the biggest shot that I've seen in a long, long time."

"To make a shot like that on the road, in the playoffs in a crucial game for us, it's a big shot," Kittles said. "I know I was struggling, but there was no use in me sitting on the bench getting down about a bunch of missed shots. I gotta think, ?Hey, if I get an opportunity to get back in the game, I gotta go out there and make something happen.' "

Jermaine O?Neal vowed he would play better in Game 3 of the Indiana Pacers series with the Nets, but at the end of the day he had the same figure ?12? next to his name in the scoring column as he did in Game 2 with the result also being identical, an unwanted ?L?.

"There wasn't a whole lot of effort in that game," he said, pointing to the Game 2 box score. "I was very intense and very focused and very aggressive (Friday). I gave myself a chance to get going, but I just couldn't get going."

O?Neal had a chance to send the game to overtime but missed a free throw was 3.6 seconds left, sealing New Jersey?s 85-84 win.

"I wanted this game in a major way," he said. "We were the only game on TV tonight. The world was watching. The series was tied. We were on our home court. And I got an award (for Most Improved Player before the game). That was the perfect scenario for me."

Jermaine O?Neal, the feisty power forward of the Indiana Pacers, was yesterday named the NBA?s Most Improved player after posting career highs of 19.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 37.6 minutes per game.

O'Neal received 52 of a possible 126 votes from a national media panel. Detroit's Ben Wallace, the league's defensive player of the year, was second with 16 votes and Dallas guard Steve Nash was third with nine. Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd received three votes.

As the Nets-Pacers series is set to continue in Indiana tomorrow, keep your eye on Indiana forward Jermaine O?Neal.  O?Neal was egged on by Indianapolis reporters yesterday as he responded to comments made by Jason Kidd and Byron Scott Tuesday.

"They run their mouths a lot from the coaches to the players," O'Neal said. "I feel like they are trying to disrespect us. That is not going to happen. It is easy to front-run. Those guys were quiet as a mouse the first game. They got a lead (in Game 2), and all of a sudden, they want to be tough guys and fight and all that."

"Nobody on that team can check me one-on-one, period," added O'Neal, whose Pacers will play host to the Nets tomorrow in Game 3 of the best-of-five series. "There are a bunch of tough guys over there but you didn't hear from them when they lost Game 1. They win Game 2 and everybody gives their opinion. One thing I can say is that (Game 3) is a game I don't think anybody should miss."

O?Neal?s comments come in light of his 12 point 6 board performance in Game 2, following up from his 30 point 11 rebound outing as the Pacers won the series opener.  O?Neal, refusing to give the Nets defense credit, said he shut himself down.  It was Kidd?s sarcasm towards this comment which got to O?Neal.

"Well, that is good," Kidd said with a smirk. "He stopped himself. We didn't have to do anything in that aspect. So since we didn't stop him, we can only make it tough on him, and it is up to him to stop himself. We'll see what happens come Friday."

New Jersey say they can shut down rising star Jermaine O?Neal, but the problem player for them in this series seems to be Ron Artest.  The reason, writes William Rhoden of the New York Times, is because what Artest brings to the table cannot be practiced against.  He brings crazed emotion, defensive intensity.

"Most players play not to get hurt," his coach, Isiah Thomas, said yesterday. "They never put themselves out there physically or emotionally. Everybody plays safe. He plays from a place of pure, raw passion, and it's an angry place. It's a place of defiance.?

"For most players in this league, when a guy scores, they run downcourt. You score on Ron, he's really angry, to the point where he's beating himself up. You want that kind of guy. Those are the kind of guys you win with."

But Artest disagreed with Thomas? assessment of him, emphasizing that he does not come from a dark, angry place.  This is how he grew up playing.

"You can't play with anger. When I was at St. John's, I was so demanding at practice, but my team knew all I wanted to do was win; they knew I wasn't just being stupid. They knew I wanted the best for everybody."

Reggie Miller enjoys playing with his new team mate Ron Artest, who his Pacers acquired from a mid season trade with the Bulls for Jalen Rose.  While he admits that Artest can sometimes be out of control he likes Artest?s desire, a factor in Indiana?s big win over the first seeded New Jersey Nets.

"I kind of like when he goes crazy. He has passion," Miller said. "He wants to win. Being stuck in Chicago for a few years will do that to you. Now he has a chance to show the world."

Artest finished the game with 12 points, 6 rebounds, four assists and four steals, picking up three of those steals in a 1:29 span late in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line.

"The ball was right there and I just went after all of them," said Artest, who had the job on MVP candidate Jason Kidd in the fourth.

The Eastern Conference playoff picture is set. And the Milwaukee Bucks won't be around for the photoshoot.

The Toronto Raptors clinched the Eastern Conference 7th seed by defeating Cleveland 103-85 in Toronto. Morris Peterson and Jerome Williams each scored 22 points for the Raptors, who won 12 of 14 after Vince Carter announced he would have season-ending knee surgery.

Meanwhile, the Bucks forgot to show up in Detroit for their game against the Pistons. Needing a win to clinch a playoff berth, the Bucks lost 123-89. The Bucks, who came within one game of going to the NBA Finals last year, lost 16 of their final 22 games.

"I could imagine not having home-court advantage in the playoffs, but not being in the playoffs . . . in the last month we were second or third seed. Now we're in a position where we'll be home watching it," mustered Milwaukee guard Ray Allen.

Milwaukee's final chance to land a playoff spot lied in the hands of Philadelphia, their 2001 Eastern Conference Finals opponent. The Sixers played the Pacers, the youngest team in the NBA who was also needing a win to clinch a playoff berth. Indiana put the final nail in Milwaukee's coffin by beating the short-handed Sixers 103-80.

"My job is to inspire them to go out and do the impossible," Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. "Making the playoffs, as the youngest team in the league, is the impossible."

"After 70 games, you're no longer young," center Jermaine O'Neal said after Indiana's win. "At this point, you're educated about this league -- what it takes to win and definitely what it takes to lose."

"With us, every player stopped thinking about how young we're supposed to be. That has nothing to do with it. Every team has obstacles. Ours just happened near the end of the season. Every player just looked in the mirror and said, 'We're going to handle our business.' "

Elsewhere, the Tracy McGrady-less Magic lost to Miami by a score of 103-89. The loss dropped the Magic into the 5th seed in the East, costing them home court advantage. The Hornets beat the Bulls 112-106 to lock up the 4th seed.

So it comes down to this.  Three teams occupying positions 7 through 9 in the East, each with an identical 41-40 record.  Only today remains, and only 8 survive.  The situation came into fruition last night with Milwaukee?s victory over the Raptors, who could have clinched a place if they had won.  Indiana also defeated the Cavaliers in Cleveland, which made way for the current three way tie for seventh place.

Tonight Milwaukee takes on Detroit in Michigan, Indiana host the Philadelphia Sixers and Toronto will play Cleveland in Canada.  Should all three either win or lose it will come down to tie breakers, which the Bucks own over both the Raptors and the Pacers.  Should Indiana be tied with the Raptors Toronto holds the tie breaker.

If the Bucks win they will take the seventh seed automatically, and if they lose they need to prey that one of Indiana or Toronto lose otherwise their season is over.  Indiana must win to survive and even that isn?t assured, while an Indiana and Milwaukee win will see Toronto hitting the golf courses early.

"It's amazing," Toronto coach Lenny Wilkens said. "You play 81 games and it comes down to the 82nd game. We need to be ready."

"We still have one more," coach George Karl said. "There's not a lot of celebration. Tonight will be a night for preparation, rest and rehab. Detroit's a team that's not going to give it to us. We're going to have to go and get it."

While Toronto face a lottery team in the Cavaliers, both Indiana and Milwaukee face playoff teams in their final bouts.  Milwaukee, who earlier in the season were considered a favourite to take out the East, have the harder task out of the two playoff opponents, with the Sixers recently losing to Chicago in Philadelphia after the Sixers rested their stars including Allen Iverson, Dikembe Mutombo and Derrick Coleman.  Should they do the same against Indiana this could spell trouble for the Bucks.

"It's on us, but it's been on us for the last five games. We'll see what happens. If we win, we control our own destination," said Milwaukee forward Glenn Robinson.

The top three positions in the East are set with New Jersey, Detroit and Boston respectively.  Orlando, Philadelphia and Charlotte are jockeying for the fourth position in the East and home court advantage in the opening round, the Magic currently holding a one game lead over the other two.  Orlando is set to play host to Miami tonight while Chicago is at Charlotte.