The trade that took place between the Pacers and Raptors last June looked like a one-sided deal in favor of Toronto.
Jermaine O'Neal was supposed to go to Toronto and team with All-Star Chris Bosh to give the Raptors a dominating one-two punch in the frontcourt. The Pacers, meanwhile, received some expiring contracts in return. So much for thinking it was going to turn out that way.
The O'Neal-Bosh experiment never worked out and the former Pacer was shipped to Miami last month.
The Pacers still have T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston and rookie Roy Hibbert, but they haven't done much better record-wise. The Pacers could miss the playoffs for the third straight season. Ford and Hibbert are fixtures in the starting lineup, while Nesterovic and Baston likely won't be re-signed during the summer.
The Pacers and Raptors meet for the third time this season Sunday in Toronto. Ford hopes his second trip north of the border will be better than his first visit, when he had four points on 2-of-8 shooting.
HAWKS 101, PACERS 87: The Pacers didn't have an answer for Hawks All-Star guard Joe Johnson. Johnson scored 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting. The Hawks took an 11-point lead at the end of the third quarter and the Pacers didn't get any closer than that rest of the game. Point guard T.J. Ford led the Pacers with 29 points to go with five rebounds and five assists.
