My love affair with the sport of basketball began twenty years ago. In the mid-80’s, it wasn’t Boston Celtics’ superstar Larry Bird or the Los Angeles Lakers’ one and only Magic Johnson who hooked me on the game. It wasn’t Chicago Bulls' sensation Michael Jordan either.
The player that turned me into the full-fledged basketball addict that I am today was a skinny kid who played shooting guard for the UCLA Bruins.
His name—Reggie Miller.
Growing up, I was also a ridiculously skinny kid. As a young hoopster, I wanted someone to look up to. When I saw Miller play, it was love at first sight. He immediately became my favorite basketball player.
Around that same time, Indiana Pacers GM Donnie Walsh also discovered Miller.
The Pacers selected Miller with the 11th pick in the 1987 NBA Draft.
At the time, neither decision was popular.
My elementary school basketball teammates didn’t understand my identification with Miller. They especially didn’t understand my identification with the Pacers. My teammates were all Celtics, Lakers, and Bulls fans. When they practiced in their backyards and driveways they always pretended to be Larry, Magic and Mike. I was always Reggie. I became an Indiana Pacers fan because I was a Reggie Miller fan.
Meanwhile, Pacers fans didn’t understand Walsh’s decision to draft Miller. They favored Indiana Hoosiers guard Steve Alford. Pacers fans made this blatantly clear when they booed the selection on draft day.
Still, both Walsh and I remained steadfastly confident in our selections. We both knew that Miller was special, both personally and professionally. We just didn’t know how special. The road that Reggie Miller took to becoming a great player, and even a greater person, is truly amazing.
As a young child growing up in Riverside, California, Miller was forced to wear Forrest Gump-like leg braces to correct a hip deformity that caused severely splayed feet. Due to Miller’s condition, doctors feared that he might never walk correctly, let alone run. After four years, he finally shed the leg braces. He was not only walking, he was running.
Like Forrest, Reggie grew into a man who inspired many.
Now that Miller could finally run, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older siblings and become a great athlete. Miller’s brother, Darryl, was a professional baseball player. His sister, Tammy, played volleyball at Cal-State Fullerton. Another sister, Cheryl, is a basketball Hall of Famer and possibly the greatest female player of all time. Emerging out from underneath of the shadows of such fine athletes was no easy task. Nonetheless, during Reggie’s days as a UCLA Bruin he accomplished just that.
At UCLA, Miller became a star. During his sophomore season he helped the Bruins win the 1985 NIT Championship. As a senior, he led them to the 1987 Pac-10 Conference Championship. Miller exited college with a history degree and as the Bruins second all-time scorer, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Despite a magnificent career as a collegian, the general consensus was that Miller wasn’t athletic or durable enough to excel in the NBA.
Walsh and the Pacers vehemently disagreed with this popular opinion. The franchise selected Miller and never looked back.
Miller started for the Pacers during his NBA rookie season. 1987-88, and averaged 10 points a game. By Miller’s third season, 1989-1990, he had increased his points-per-game average to 24.6 and was one of the NBA’s brightest young stars. He also made his first NBA All-Star Game appearance in 1990.
Even though Miller had enjoyed tremendous personal success during the early stages of his NBA career, he had yet to attract the national spotlight. That all changed in 1994. He put on a performance for the ages in the NBA Playoffs against the Knicks. It was the first of many clutch “Miller Moments”…
Miller Moments
1994 Eastern Conference Finals Game 5
Miller and the Pacers were on the road facing the heavily favored New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Miller—who seemed to be draining three-pointers all the way from New York City’s Times Square—scored an unfathomable 25 fourth-quarter points, leading the Pacers to a 93-86 comeback victory. He ended up scoring 39 points. The legend of this game has been magnified due to the legendary courtside war of words exchanged by Miller and die-hard Knicks fan and filmmaker Spike Lee.
Spike Lee on Miller, “When he’s old and in a wheelchair, they’re going to roll him out onto the (Madison Square) Garden court and he’s still going to hit threes."
1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals Game One
Miller and his Pacers were back at the Garden, facing the rival Knicks. Down 6 points with less than 17 seconds remaining, Miller scored an impossible 8 points, two threes and two free throws, in 8.9 seconds to give the Pacers a remarkable 107-105 victory. This outcome left the Knicks, Knicks fans, and courtside Lee speechless. When people recall Miller’s playing days, this is the game they most often talk about.
1998 Eastern Conference Finals Game 4
Miller’s Pacers were down 94-93 to the Chicago Bulls with less than three seconds remaining. Miller shook free of Michael Jordan’s defense, caught an inbounds pass, and nailed a dagger three to give the Pacers the 96-94 win. Afterwards, the home crowd inside the Pacers’ Market Square Arena exploded as Miller and his teammates celebrated.
"You might make your first 10 shots and everything is going great, but when the game is on the line, those other 10 don't mean anything." – Reggie Miller
2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 5
Miller almost single-handedly eliminated the eventual Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Nets in the final game of this best-of-5 series. First, Miller banked in a 40-foot buzzer-beating three to tie the game and send it into overtime. Next, the vertically-challenged Miller somehow dunked on three Nets late in the first overtime to extend the game again. Due to no fault of Miller’s, the Pacers eventually lost after a second overtime period.
The abovementioned are just a few of the seemingly countless moments that made Reggie Miller synonymous with the word “clutch.” However, he will not only be remembered for these moments, but also in the record books:
He made the NBA All-Star Game five times.
He won a gold medal playing for the USA’s Dream Team II in the 1996 Olympics.
He averaged 18.2 points per a game during his career.
His scoring average increased to 20.6 during the playoffs.
He is the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made.
He is 12th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Another way to evaluate Miller’s career is by the success his Pacers enjoyed.
Until Miller’s arrival, the Pacers only made the NBA Playoffs twice—bounced quickly both times. During Miller’s career, the Pacers made the playoffs 15 of his 18 seasons, making the Eastern Conference Finals six times and the franchise’s only NBA Finals appearance.
The loyalty Miller showed the Indiana Pacers is absent in professional sports today. Only ex-Utah Jazz PG John Stockton played more games while playing for one team during the span of an entire NBA career. The Pacers rewarded Miller with a Bentley and the honor of being the only NBA player whose jersey number has ever been retired by the franchise.
Miller’s accomplishments on the basketball court only tell half of the story. He is just as “clutch” of a person.
People haven’t always been kind to Miller. In 1997, his $2.9 million dream house burned to the ground. The disaster is still suspected to be the result of a hate crime. He’s also received numerous death threats from deranged fans over the years. Nonetheless, Miller has responded with nothing but generosity.
Miller donated considerable time and hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims of the 9/11 tragedy in New York. He is one of the nation’s foremost philanthropists supporting burn and arson victims. These charitable efforts, along with charitable work in the Indianapolis area, won Miller the NBA’s 2003-04 J. Walter Kennedy Community Service Award.
Miller holding his NBA Community Service Award.
It turns out that Reggie Miller was the perfect choice for both Walsh and me. Walsh found a franchise cornerstone for nearly two decades. I found a hero who inspires me personally on a daily basis. Reggie touched Walsh. Reggie touched the skinny kid who was looking for a hero. And Reggie touched legions of fans worldwide. He is the reason many of us have such an allegiance to the Pacers.
None of us will ever forget the story of a skinny handicapped kid who couldn’t run as a child, but ultimately ran circles around the competition during a career that will surely end at the Basketball Hall of Fame. We will never forget how “clutch” Reggie was, both on and off the court. We will never forget the story of Reggie Miller, one of the greatest personal triumphs the sports world has ever known.
Well this has to be my favorite athlete of choice. Very nice selection, I don't think you could have chose anyone better. There's a lot of players in the NBA today and we've seen our share of past players, but none with the moxy of Reggie. The man's uncanny ability to take the game in his hands and come out on the winning end was rare. You might have mentioned he has recorded the best free throw percentage of any player during a season. Most people know that though. It still doesn't sway me from giving you my third 5 rating on the assignments. Great job, Reggie will always be remembered not only in Indiana but in NBA history. The Hall of Fame will surely induct "Mr. Clutch."
Last edited by SportsUniverse on May 26th at 3:56 AM.
By the way I forgot to tell you something. I have Reggie Millers' last ever 3 pointer recorded as a ringtone as described by "Slick" Lenard. Every time someone calls I'm reminded of how many times I've heard "BOOM BABY."
I appreciate this.
I grew up in Indiana, I have been a Pacers fan aince the early 80s. Underdogs!
Later I lived in San Bernardino, CA, for a good while. Just up the the 215 from Riverside. I played ball with a guy named Windish who grew up in Riverside and was neighbors with a family called "Miller". Maybe they had something in the lemonade stand in that neighborhood, or at the local Jack 'n the Box or Bakers, but my friend, James (unassuming 6 footer, mustache, belly) could nail the three down your ####...
Good stuff! 2000 was Shaq and Kobe's coming out party, but for me it was the confirmation that Reggie belongs with all the great "also rans": Ewing, Barkeley, Stockton and Malone, AI, and until proven otherwise: GP. I would take that team into most gyms!
All time 3 shooter, and free thrower?
Some of the best moments in NBA history? Clutch.
And there are a lot of haters...
SportsUniverse, thanks for both the props and your input... Reggie is my hero, making this both easy and hard. It was hard because with such an illustrious 18-year career, what can you afford to leave out? I approached this like I was making a film about Reggie's life. What had to be in there. That is why I left the free throw shooting out. He is only the 7th most prolific free-throw shooter in league history. That number isn't quite as staggering as the others, and I was trying to keep the length of this down to 1,500 words including the table.
Jerry West was the original "Mr. Clutch", but even he would have to admit that Reggie is as clutch as they come. Thanks again...
edclinch, it must be the lemonade!! Anyway. I respect Stockton, Barkley and Reggie way more than those other guys. Ewing, Malone and G.P. have all sold out once they've passed their primes in order to get a ring (all failing so far).
Reggie is one of a kind. When you look up "intestinal fortitude" in the dictionary, you should see his name! Keep the Pacers fans coming! Thanks for stopping by again...
P.S. - What us Pacers fans lack in numbers, we make up with passion.!
Yeah, it's lost a little luster and I agree, it some how sounded other wordly when Reggie prompted the cheer. We all miss him and I think that goes for everyone, you can't say any thing bad about "Miller Time"
SportsUniverse, the reinforcement of your statement is the standing ovations that Miller received from both Knicks fans and the Detroit Pistons coaches and players during his swan song. You know you are R-E-S-P-E-C-T-ed when even your biggest rivals show you that level of admiration.
Adam, nice post. As someone who has lived in Indiana all their life, I can say I've followed his career with the Pacers for a long time. During his rookie year, my father took me to a Pacers autograph signing and to a seven year old, he was very kind and as skinny as he was, I was awe-inspired. Like you, I played basketball and always thought of his workouts and shooting drills (though my form isn't as unorthodox as his). It's just a shame that Reggie played his prime years during the Jordan decade of the 90's and ran into the Lakers juggernaut in 2000. It could be argued that the Pacers in the late 90's gave the Bulls a better run for their money than anyone else, including the Jazz. Excellent post (and I loved the Gump picture)! Good luck!
MooreSports, man, it seems as if everyone has a connection with Reggie. I suppose that is a testament to his greatness. You and I especially have much in common Reggie-wise... similar ages and experience.
As a player I was unorthodox, but pretty successful. At 6'3" I somewhat shared (NOBODY has that!) Reggie's late-game ability, but eventually I put on weight and played more like a mini-Artest. That and constantly being part of the MASH unit were my downfalls. There aren't very many 6'3" injury-plagued Ron-Rons running around.
As for Reg and the Pacers, yeah, they had tough luck. The 1998 and 1999 seasons were probably the hardest to ####. That L.J. four-point play might have just cost the Pacers a 'ship. The 2003 season was tough too. Tayshaun's block probably cost us a championship as well.
Oh well, Reggie is too great to be defined only by whether or not he has a ring. I respect him more for remaining loyal and not "selling out" for a better championship opportunity.
Thanks for the kind words!
Last edited by absolutebest on May 26th at 5:06 AM.
Nice work Best. An athlete well known and respected and yet certainly wasn't an obvious choice to blog about. The "two-threes!" game is as defining moment as any nba player in history in my opinion, and just showed what Reggie was all about - cooless under fire, and possibly the best jump shooter of our time.
absolutebest, nice article on a great player. I will give another perspective. I am Knicks fan in Ky. You would think I would be a Pacers fan because of locale but they drafted Kenny Walker of UK in 1986 and I have been hooked ever since. But through all the playoff series through the 90's, I obviously had to hate Reggie as a Knick fan. As I had to hate Jordan and any Heat player during that era too. But the main reason I hated them was because at the end of the game, I was absolutely praying that somehow someway Miller or Jordan didn't get the ball. I didn't pray they missed the shot, because I knew if they got the ball it was 2 free throws or a made shot or likely a 25 ft three in Miller's case. I'm sure there were occasions that they missed in those situations, but man, I sure don't remember any. Although I hated them, I always respected them for being great players and clutch players.So, I was as happy as anyone when I saw him get a standing ovation at the Garden during his last year. I knew those people felt the same way I did, we hated you at the time Reggie, but man you sure were fun to watch and you always brought it. Good article.
this article had the professional appearence--what I mean is this; resume1paper to copy paper, I like the look of and feel of resume paper when I look to hire someone. Here the layout is well planned, and the choice.
I do not like the Pacers either especially after the basket "brawl". But I have always liked Reggie Miller, like my favorite Piston does, Richard Hamilton. And this article reaffirms my opinion of Miller.
During the brawl Miller was pulling fans and players from the clash. Keep up the great work. I look forward to reading more.
absolute, this was a strong, but safely executed effort. It was not spectacular, but this had more to do with your execution than your style and substance.
Your verve would benefit tremendously from a more truncated approach. One that gets to the meat of the matter on a more essential level.
Thus said, your profile had all the ingredients to be spectacular, despite some possessive's errors early on. Unfortunately, you didn't construct your piece in a format worthy of your enthusiasm, style, voice, and talent.
I certainly see you going through to the next round, but you must refine certain aspects of your game if you plan on remaining a contender.
Absolute: I like this one. You mentioned being able to identify with Miller...and it made me think of an NBA player that I identified in a similar way. So I can relate to a lot of that you spoke of.
absolutebest, great post, well done. It is a shame Miller ran into the Jordan wall, nevertheless there wasn't a single franchise that wouldn't want Miller and that speaks not only to talent but character as a 76ers fan I despised him for being so good. Good luck today.
Nice work on this post. I'm a fan of Reggie as well. That '95 game against the Knicks was one of a kind. Although I am and forever will be a Laker fan I can't help but root for Reggie, even as they were playing the Lakers in 2000. Reggie is definitely clutch. I like the fact that you chose to write about someone you related to. It made the article a little more personal.
Last edited by timmyjustin12 on May 26th at 10:04 AM.
WesleyPowell, 850 words was more of a recommendation. Not considering the table of "Miller Moments", I came in at barely over 1100. The judges also said we could do anywhere from 500-1200. 850 words is not going to do the story of Reggie Miller justice.
Tzallgudd, thanks for the kind words! I used to think that Knicks fans were ruthless, but after talking to some over the years I’ve found that they respect Miller. I think it’s just more difficult to win the respect of New Yorkers and New York Fans. I really enjoyed your Reggie Miller narrative. It really puts the New York-Reggie situation into perspective. I hope to hear more readers Reggie Miller story…
LGRW, thanks for the high praise. Look, here is another opposing fan’s story. I think that this has to be the exclamation point to my article. Even the Pacers fiercest rivals had admiration for Miller by the end. Both the Knicks fans and the Pistons coaches and players gave Miller a heartfelt standing ovation. Maybe it was just because they were so elated not to have to face him any more? No seriously, I will always remember those moments. Especially, the Pistons ovation. What Larry Brown and his players did was a class act and a great way to bring the “Motown Throwdown” full circle. Great response.
MeanDovine, thanks for the kind words and the response. My assessment of those comments is similar to what I responded to WesleyPowell with—how could I sum my tale of Reggie up with any less? That is why I broke the piece down into sections and used the Miller Moments as more of an addendum to the piece, placing the section inside a table. Believe it or not, I actually cut out 200 words, more if you count the “2 Miller Moments” I scrapped. Still, I respect your opinion to such a degree that I will definitely take your criticism and reexamine my piece. Hopefully I will move on, but against such a tough field nothing is guaran-‘Sheed (that one is for you, LGRW). Thanks again.
tomp729, although Reggie struggled in Game 1 of the 2000 NBA Finals he rebounded to hit quite a few big shots and averaged over 24 points while being guarded primarily by Kobe Bryant. I can live with that, as I am sure he can. Thanks for the props!
ShooterB, thanks! Now I must ask a question: who is the player? Or is that something for a later blog?
edhardiman, thanks for the kind words! Again, I think that what fans of rival teams are saying about Miller is the ultimate compliment and the exclamation point to this article. Good luck to you as well.
I'm glad to see Reggie Miller getting some love. Being a life-long Piston fan, I've never really rooted for the Pacers, but Miller, just like Bret Favre, is one of those guys that you love to see succeed. I will never forget that shot in '98 against the Bulls. (I'll also never forget Larry Bird's lifeless expression afterwards!)
ramzstyle, thanks for stopping by... again, the reception to this from opposing fans only adds to the article and the legend of Reggie Miller. Really, I am just shocked the Bird even had an expression on his face.
timmyjustin12, thanks! The respect that the fans of rival teams have for Miller is just staggering. Good luck with your Lakers. Both of our teams need a productive summer in order to bounce back into contention.
Good information. I like your style. It's very readable and anjoyable.
That said, I've read your other stuff and I don't think this was your strongest piece. After seeing your name as one of the judge's three fav's earlier, I was expecting a little more here.
And don't take this as me saying I didn't think it was good. I think this was one of the top 5 or 6 articles of the final 16. However, I think you have set a lofty bar for yourself to live up to and I don't think this piece did.
No worries, your still one of the favorites and will definitely move on. Good luck in the next round.
Great post Absolute. I too was a Reggie Miller fan and to be honest, I believe I saw Reggie make more clutch shots than anyone. Yes, even more than Bird or Jordan or Kareem or West. He was a tremendous competitor who was a joy to watch moving without the ball to get in position to take that last second 3-pointer which would rip the heart out of his opponets.
Canyondave, thanks for the kind words! I agree—Reggie had to of hit more clutch shots than anyone. This was both because: A.) His team’s were never as good as the teams of the other players you mentioned , so the Pacers often needed his clutch heroics; and B.) Win or lose, he was never afraid of taking the big shot. Thanks for stopping by…
You do live in the LA right? So 3:19am posting, and while I could surmise that you stayed up late to put this up, you supported it for over 2 hours with coherent responses so did you get a cat nap from 5:37am to 11:55am? I hope so. Well done man, this is what I call dedication. Please tell me you don't wake up at 3am.
A thorough job and I echo Mean that you didn't stretch yourself. However, you wrote what you know which last I checked is what most writers are instructed to do.
I'm glad to be a fan or reggie and absolute! love the style -- make sure the judges don't get tired of the mixing of entertainment and sports -- mix it up -- don't go away from your core strengths but show some versatility in the way you present your posts
by the way I've been noticing mean do, mitch and myself and some others have become these sort of outside judges of you guys' work, reading all the posts and putting in some objective input -- I think I speak for most all those guys in that we're wishing you all well and want you to write your absolute best --
ps wes -- yeah don't think the 750 words was an absolute -- absolute, you don't have to defend every silly thing you read on these comments -- you're gonna wear yourself out --
Norcal, since you are one of my favorites, I will give away all of my secrets...
You are exactly right--I was up that late. Going to film school and working in film/theatre, I became accustomed to both sleep deprivation and keeping abnormal hours. I also seem to do my finest writing at night, when there is much fewer distractions.
As far as my nutritional regimen, I take a generic version of GNC’s Mega Man, down water like crazy, intake plenty of greens, dairy, protein and carbs, and supplement this with enough coffee to probably caffeinate the other 15 finalists. If I ever feel dead or a cold coming on I take this stuff called Airborne. It works like a charm, man. I also had a few glasses of wine last night. The sugar tends to keep me up a little bit (maybe that’s an understatement).
But, yes, it is also because I am dedicated to putting forth my “absolute best” in this contest. If that means little or no sleep, than that is what it means.
For this first assignment I felt that stretching myself too much was unnecessary. I felt that it might be a risk that might ultimately prevent me from moving on. So, maybe this was a “safe” choice, but I also feel that it was a smart one. As always, thanks for the comments.
MavPilla, thanks for both the praise and criticism. Coming from another favorite poster of mine, they really mean something to me.
As for the quasi-judges thing, I like that. It prepares us for the actual judges.
As for Powell and others, as a finalist I want to respond to each and ever reader. My post-blog comments are a huge part of my blog. Good looking out, but like I told Norccal, I have energy to burn.
Best - You know I have your, well, best interest at heart. I agree that all the good ideas come out at night. Having your train of thought interrupted by a ringing phone, misguided door to door salesman or that irritating sunlight is no fun at all.
I do worry about you carrying the early lead (as one of their 3) because that was my spot too in the eyes of many and you see where that got me.
You've earned my respect for sticking to your goals. As I told Ty on the bottom of his first finalist post, you really don't need to win this competition in order to be considered a success. Hard to know how votes will go, but the judges have to favor this entry in the top 7 so that's all you need this week. Much luck to you and I appreciate the reply, awesome regimen.
Well, since I've been commenting on everyone else's pieces, I can't very well leave you out!
I'll admit, I almost cringed when I saw it was Reggie Miller. Being a Knicks fan (insert laughter here), it was so painful to watch any playoff series against Indiana. Like someone else mentioned above, it was because of fear because he was just THAT good. Seeing the man always brings back memories of those mid-90's playoff runs, and not always good ones for me.
Having said that, I think you did well with this piece. It was very well written, and I liked your addition of the Miller's moments box-very creative.
And now for some constructive criticism-I could have done without the picuture of Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump- I don't think there are many people out there, save for the younguns, who haven't seen or know the movie. For me, it was a little distracting.
I think some of this could have been shortened a bit, but the flow of your piece makes up for it.
I've read some of your other work, and you should definitely make it to the next round. However, I've also seen more conviction in your other pieces, and while the admiration you have for Reggie is there, I'm not sure the conviction is.
Norcal, Thanks again… I think the response that I am getting is that I was “safe” rather than “Adam” with this assignment. I don’t like hearing that maybe I am overconfident or writing against the competition. Those are not attributes that will get me very far against such a distinguished field. I also don’t like hearing that I was only in the “top 7”, but perhaps that is what I need to hear. I chose Miller because I am passionate about him and while he is famous, his entire story is foreign to most.
Nice work here, Absolute. I've read most of your stuff and I agree with others that this is not your "absolute best." Still, I think you're one of the favorites in this contest and know that you're just getting warmed up. As a Larry Bird fan, I would've loved to have seen a Bird/Reggie showdown similar to the legendary duels of Bird/MJ, Bird/Dominique, and Bird/Magic because we both know that Reggie is worthy of such distinction. Anyway, best of luck with the rest of the contest. I've enjoyed reading everything you've written so far. Keep pushing the envelope!
Hey AB I know nothing is guaran "Sheed". There were five articles that I just really liked from the first round and thanks for commenting to me in the comment to MeanDo that means alot to me that you would do that. I also noticed in commenting to Norcal you made refrence to stretching and used the term correctly, as EB played it safe you did to good calls on both your parts. Stretching will come later for you others in the other rounds.
But I do see you going far.
Legend33, thanks for the kind words and criticism. Hopefully, I am indeed just getting warmed up. This was difficult for me this time around, because I really didn’t know what the judges expected from me with such a vague assignment. I would have loved to have witnessed Bird and Reg going at it during their primes. Great stuff, Legend33, I will keep on pushing the envelope.
AB, I would love to see that as well, but I'm thinking it will be at least, oh, I don't know, at least 10 years before the Knicks even hit respectability. Until James Dolan no longer runs MSG, the Knicks are doomed.
Reggie Miller blows. He is not even the best basketball player in his own family. If he is so great and clutch, then where is all the hardware? Oh wait, Mr. Clutch aka Michael Jordan has it all.
Whathappnd, again, good luck with the Knicks. Dolan and Isiah are a lethal combination, and, no, not in a good way.
fletchbullitt, it’s hard for me to respect your opinion when you A.) say somebody “blows” without hard evidence (no pun intended); and B.) are obviously a Bulls fan that despises Miller and idolizes M.J. Miller should not be thought less of for not being Jordan. If Jordan is the bar, than ever player that ever played would be a complete failure, save maybe Bill Russell, who has even more “hardware” than Mike. Still, you are entitled to your opinion.
Last edited by absolutebest on May 26th at 2:52 PM.
I am not a Pacers fan, nor a Reggie Miller fan, but there are some players you have to respect. Before the "Artest Saga", the only Pacers player you heard by the water cooler was Reggie "Knicks Killer" Miller. Anytime those teams clashed, you knew it was gonna be a war till the end, and that Miller was going to do the impossible. How many times has he embarrassed the Knickrbockers? LOL, And what did he do to John Starks career? As for Fletchbullit's faith in Jordan, I give him props too, but any player who shoots at least 35 times a game is a classified ball hog. Kobe, Wade, Iverson, Pierce etc; all ball hogs, and though it hurts too say it, Miller was a class act. He was the last true Gun Slinger of the NBA. The players now only perform for endorsements, not the team needs...lol, except for my boy Tim "Big Fun" Duncan. That boy is a poet {coughs} except for the last foul in Game 7 against Dirk. But nobody is perfect.
Since after having a few days to reflect, I put the onus of failure on the judges who made some of their "interesting" selections. I can't blame the writers who's only crime was writing the best they can.
Point being. I will be an unbiased judge in my own mind and offer my reviews and thoughts on the finalists and their work...
Having said that, this is possibly the best first assignment I've seen of all the finalists.
Hi Absolute, nice job with the article. Reggie Miller had a long and great career, especially for a guy who may not have even been the best player in his family! I always thought his sister was better....
Tamar, Miller’s career high was 57 points and he never even once took 30 shots (his career high was 29). That’s nearly impossible. I sometimes wish that he had of been more selfish. Maybe it was Larry Brown's, Larry Bird's and Rick Carlisle’s conservative offenses that muzzled him. Can you imaging him playing with Steve Nash and the Suns? Duncan is a great player, but he can’t guard Dirk, and vice versa. Both are simply unguardable. Thanks for stopping by again, my man…
Pat, coming from a talented and popular writer like yourself, your compliments mean a lot. Thanks and keep up the good work, both as a “judge” and a writer.
HalfBaked, thanks! Cheryl was better, comparatively speaking. That is no insult either. In my opinion, she is the best women’s basketball player ever. Her and Swoopes. Still, Reggie is the brightest star of the family and should be. The world of sports will never know another Reggie Miller.
Last edited by absolutebest on May 26th at 4:48 PM.
Absolute - I have to echo Tamar on this one. Love him or hate him, you had to respect Reggie Miller. I really like this post - it got me thinking about a Miller moment that I was in the building for: Game 1 of the opening round of the 2001 Eastern Conference playoffs vs. the Sixers. Philly was blowing the Pacers out, and Miller was ice cold. The Pacers kept chipping away, and with 2.9 seconds left, Reggie knocked down a three and the Pacers won by a point.
My friends and I sat there in our Sixers gear stunned for the next 10 minutes - the usher actually had to come around and ask us to clear the building. That's what Reggie Miller could do to you.
Adam Best is a filmmaker and sportswriter who resides in Miami. He and his brother Zach have their own Kansas City Chiefs blogsite -- Arrowhead Addict.com. Best also covers the Miami Dolphins and NFL for Real Football 365.com. He was one of 16 finalists on Fox Sports.com's Next Great Sportswriter II contest.
