Privately, Jermaine O'Neal had rooted hard for the summer trade proposals that would've sent him into the waiting arms of Jason Kidd and Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. Behind O'Neal, he had left a season when the Pacers stopped playing for deposed coach Rick Carlisle and free-fell out of the playoffs, and there arose such an inevitability about his leaving the Pacers.

All his old running buddies - Reggie Miller, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson - were gone, and that lost night in Auburn Hills three years ago still haunted his franchise, haunted him.

Pacers GM Larry Bird wanted Marcus Williams, but the Nets wouldn't part with the young point guard as part of a package with Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krstic. Bird wanted Andrew Bynum, but the Lakers were willing only to give back Lamar Odom.

So nothing happened and O'Neal seethed through summer. There was a strange episode with reporters in Los Angeles where his words about wanting out of town, he still says, "were edited way out of context." The Pacers hired Jim O'Brien, and he kept hearing about running the ball and shooting three-pointers and wondered how that was building around him in the middle. He watched the Pacers sign a Lithuanian League MVP, Kareem Rush, and an Orlando bench-warmer, Travis Diener, and wondered who are these guys?

"People think that when you're going to build around (three-pointers), you're going to forget about the inside," O'Neal said. "... When we went into this direction, and looked at some of the signings we made this summer, I didn't really know the guys. But getting the opportunity to play with (them), it's all really started to make sense to me.

"You don't have to have a team full of brand names, but just have a team that's going to go out and play hard together. I think that's the one thing that's going to separate us from the last couple years is that we're going to play hard every single possession."

Give O'Neal this: He isn't pouting. For now, he's trying hard to make this work. Maybe it'll never work here. People have the Pacers pegged as a lottery team, but O'Neal, 29, is trying his best to play the part of the franchise player. This offense, he tells you, will work for him. No longer are the Pacers asking him to grind in the low post every possession because, as he said, "That's hard on your body over an 82-game season." O'Brien wants to use O'Neal's ability to pass the ball, wants to spread the defense with those shooters, and get him the ball in different spots.

"If anything," O'Brien said, "Jermaine O'Neal is expected to do more offensively this year than in the past."

Rush and Diener are perfect to play long ball. Already, these Pacers have had a 101-shot preseason game, including 11 of 26 three-pointers. The three exiled Golden State Warriors - Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu - have returned looking bigger and stronger. Across the roster, there are a lot of Pacers who've been bounced around in basketball, who have something to prove. All together, they have to win over a community in Indianapolis that feels betrayed over the franchise's character failings these past few years.

"Winning always brings people back," O'Neal said, and he's right, but ultimately you wonder if the Pacers can do enough of it to win its franchise player back for good. He can opt out of the final two years of his contract this summer, but no one believes he can find that $44 million coming to him on the market.

The Nets still are a distinct possibility, but sources say Bird isn't that enamored with Jefferson and his contract. With young forward Danny Granger, he believes he has a younger, less expensive model. Nevertheless, the Pacers still could do that trade and ship Jefferson elsewhere, but they're giving it one more shot with him. For now, anyway, O'Neal's giving it another shot with them.

"People are going to talk (about me leaving) because No. 1, I do have an opt (out) in my contract, and people think I'll opt out next year if the team isn't doing well," he said. "But I don't believe we will be struggling, because of our philosophy and the type of coaching we have this year.

"It is a possibility that I'm going to be traded but ... I told the guys that this is where I'm at, where I want to be, and I'm going to play hard every night."

For now, O'Neal takes his final leap of faith with the Indiana Pacers. Another year, another fresh start for this spiraled franchise. He's right. Winning always brings back the people, and maybe, just maybe, that includes Jermaine O'Neal too.

There's plenty of love flowing in the Southeast Division these days.

When the NBA recently asked each of the league's 30 head coaches to name the teams they thought had improved the most from last season, Boston was the obvious first choice of nearly all. The Southeast coaches, however, also made a special point of recognizing their peers.

Atlanta coach Mike Woodson complimented Orlando and Charlotte on their respective acquisitions of Rashard Lewis and Jason Richardson.

Washington coach Eddie Jordan and Miami's Pat Riley chose Orlando and Atlanta, the latter for its draft-night selections of Al Horford and Acie Law.

New Magic coach Stan Van Gundy even mentioned his former employers, the Heat, citing the pending return of Dwyane Wade.

Riley, of course, might differ with Van Gundy. This week, he declared the Heat were starting over after "not accomplishing one thing." If anything, that leaves Miami with that much more room for improvement.

Here's the predicted order of finish for the Southeast:

1. Orlando Magic

Allow us to introduce: Rashard Lewis, Adonal Foyle and Marcin Gortat.

Dearly departed: Grant Hill, Darko Milicic and Travis Diener.

Is that confetti in your hair? Hiring Van Gundy was a smart audible after Billy Donovan accepted Orlando's coaching job then immediately bolted back to Florida. Dwight Howard, provided he cuts down his turnovers and polishes his footwork, is well on his way to becoming the East's most dominant big man. With a former West All-Star (Lewis) now lining up next to Howard, the Magic should make a run at the Southeast title.

How's Cancun in June? Good news: The Magic no longer have to fret about Hill's near-daily medical reports. Bad news: Lewis, their new $118 million man, sprained his right ankle in the second preseason game.

In the crosshairs: Lewis received his big payday. Now he has to prove he deserves it. The talented 28-year-old swingman has only 16 games of playoff experience to show for his nine seasons in Seattle and his production dipped noticeably during two of those three trips to the postseason.

2. Washington Wizards

Allow us to introduce: Oleksiy Pecherov and Nick Young.

Dearly departed: Jarvis Hayes and Calvin Booth.

Is that confetti in your hair? The Wizards didn't make any notable changes to their roster, and it's not hard to see why. Injuries to Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler cut short what could have been a promising playoff run. Even with Etan Thomas possibly missing the season after heart surgery, Jordan returns all five of his starters - and a pair of key reserves in Antonio Daniels and Darius Songaila - from a team that looked capable of winning 50 games.

How's Cancun in June? Arenas is returning from surgery on his left knee and has already said he plans on opting out of his contract after the season. Antawn Jamison also is in a contract year. Can the Wizards stay focused? Even with talk of a disconnect between Jordan and Washington's front office?

In the crosshairs: If the Wizards are fortunate enough to win the Southeast, they'll still be exposed in the playoffs if their defense doesn't improve. That improvement needs to start with Arenas. Showing he can contribute on both ends of the floor will only help Agent Zero land the hefty payday he's seeking.

3. Miami Heat

Allow us to introduce: Smush Parker, Daequan Cook, Anfernee Hardaway and Alexander Johnson.

Dearly departed: Gary Payton, James Posey, Jason Kapono and Eddie Jones.

Is that confetti in your hair? Wade should be back by the start of December. Provided Shaquille O'Neal can stay close to healthy, the Heat will be packing a formidable one-two punch come April.

How's Cancun in June? Riley has already criticized the conditioning of Antoine Walker, Parker and Hardaway - after previously faulting himself for not doing more to upgrade the team's roster. Dorell Wright has yet to show he's capable of holding down a starting job. Oh, and did we mention Wade will probably miss most of the first month of the season while his surgically repaired left knee and shoulder continue to heal? Sounds like good times in South Beach.

In the crosshairs: O'Neal's legacy is secure, along with his bank account. But does the Big Fella still have enough left in his oversized tank for the Heat to make a serious playoff run? A clue: He played in just 59 and 40 regular-season games the previous two seasons and has already been limited by a quadriceps injury this fall.

4. Charlotte Bobcats

Allow us to introduce: Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley and Jermareo Davidson.

Dearly departed: Brevin Knight and Jake Voskuhl.

Is that confetti in your hair? The Bobcats made it clear this summer they're serious about challenging for their first playoff berth. They hired a new coach (Sam Vincent), traded for an athletic scorer (Jason Richardson) and re-signed their top two free agents (Gerald Wallace and Matt Carroll). Add Emeka Okafor, Raymond Felton and Adam Morrison and Charlotte will have a young but talented core.

How's Cancun in June? Losing Sean May, Charlotte's expected starting power forward, to microfracture surgery was a big blow for a team already lacking frontcourt depth. Othella Harrington also has been sidelined with a knee injury and center Primoz Brezec only recently returned to the team.

In the crosshairs: Richardson's arrival and Wallace's return takes some of the pressure off Morrison. But the Bobcats' 2006 first-round pick still needs to improve that .376 shooting percentage - and at least attempt to play a little defense - if he wants to avoid being stuck with the bust label.

5. Atlanta Hawks

Allow us to introduce: Al Horford and Acie Law.

Dearly departed: Royal Ivey.

Is that confetti in your hair? Joe Johnson is primed for another All-Star season. Marvin Williams has shown signs of living up to his potential. Horford looks ready to contribute. Are the low-flying Hawks prepared to finally soar into the playoffs?

How's Cancun in June? While the Hawks have made it a point to chant "One, two, three playoffs" at the end of each practice this preseason, they're not going to have an easy time reaching that goal. Aside from Johnson, Atlanta is short on veteran talent.

In the crosshairs: Josh Smith is going to have to grow up this season for the Hawks to end their eight-season playoff drought. No one questions Smith's talent - on any given night he's capable of being a devastating matchup for opponents - but his shot selection also has the potential to wear on his coach.

The NBA preseason game between the New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics was canceled after one half Friday night because of damp court conditions at the DCU Center.

Boston led 36-33 at halftime when the game was called because of condensation forming from ice beneath the floor. The 25-year-old city-owned facility is home to the AHL's Worcester Sharks, an affiliate of the San Jose Sharks.

"The players felt like they were risking injury by playing on the court," said Danny Ainge, the Celtics director of basketball operations. "They didn't feel like they could get any footing and they were slipping and sliding, so it was pretty unanimous among the players and the officials and the coaches that the game should be called."

He said the dampness was noticed earlier in the day, when the outside temperature reached 71 degrees, but it seemed to improve before game time.

"It was slippery this morning," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "Both teams wanted to play, but you have to use caution. As people got in the building, it got warmer and warmer, so we didn't feel comfortable going on."

Ray Allen sparked a 13-0 first-quarter run with consecutive 3-pointers as Boston took a 21-8 lead. New Jersey's Gamin Jones scored nine in the second quarter.

"It was pretty slick, we talked about it before the game and we knew that it would be hard to play with that element," Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said

An official met with both teams at halftime, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers said they all agreed to cancel the game.

"It was the perfect storm, in a bad way," Rivers said. "Who would have thought the temperature would reach 70 degrees in late October?"

Celtics management hurriedly arranged an autograph session for the disappointed fans in the crowd of 10,600, but ended it after about 20 minutes because of security concerns.

"People get excited," Garnett said. "We did what we could do. ... They got some autographs, they got some conversation and we all got out of there safe."

The offseason acquisitions of Garnett and Allen have generated excitement among the fans of a team that hasn't won an NBA title since 1986.

"I think what happened was we tried to make a quick plan to try to sign autographs for fans, but when the fans tried to line up quickly, there wasn't really enough room and they had to spill onto the court," Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said.

Because of the surge of people, the team ended the session for safety reasons, he said, but there was no disorder.

"We thought the fans were terrific. They were as understanding as they could be. But Mother Nature threw us a curveball," Twiss said. "The fans were disappointed. We're disappointed because we couldn't finish the game."

John LeHair, director of marketing for the DCU center, declined immediate comment Friday night.

The Celtics pledged either a full refund or 50 percent discount on a ticket if fans requested it.