war2112 Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 As a lifelong Indy resident and rabid Pacers fan, I am saddened to hear of Reggie's impending retirement. I knew it was coming, but it's still hard to accept after so many years of great play. I know he's not in the upper echelon of players such as Magic, Bird, and Jordan; but he's still one of the league's all-time greats. I could go on and on with stats but here's just a few: 1. Played 18 seasons with the Indiana Pacers - second only to John Stockton of the Utah Jazz (19 yrs.) in terms of tenure spent with one team. Like Stockton, Reggie played his whole career in Indiana. That's impressive. 2. NBA career leader in 3-point field goals attempted and made. He's so far in front of the rest of the field that it will be some time before anyone breaks this mark. 3. Tied for third place all-time with Bird in free throw shooting percentage. 4. Sixth place in total career minutes played. WOW! 5. Reggie ranks 14th in points scored in NBA history. 6. Holds 13 Pacer records including assists (and he's a shooting guard), games played (obviously), minutes, high score in a game, play-off points and minutes, etc. 7. So many memorable play-off moments. Too, too many to count. Lest anyone forgets, he was the Knick killer. Big time. I will always be thankful that I got to watch him come into the league and make such an indelible impression. I've only cried thrice when it came to sports figures. One was when I heard Walter [sweetness] Payton died; two was when Lance kept overcoming all odds; and three when I realized that this is my last year of watching the incomparable Reginald Wayne Miller. As Jim Rome would advise his crones to say, I'm out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test4VitalSigns Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 A great playoff performer....at a time when it REALLY counts...Too bad he didn't get a championship....but I think is a shoo-in for Hall of Fame. A Knick killer indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anagramking Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 My favorite Reggie Miller story: Trash Talker In his first year as a pro, Reggie Miller faced Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics at Market Square one evening: "It came down to free throws and we fouled Bird. We were down by three. Bird went to the line to shoot two. "I was standing on the line and being a rookie dumbass, and not realizing this was one of the best free-throw shooters ever to play the game, I tried to throw off his timing. As he went to shoot, I kind of said out of the side of my mouth, 'Hey, hey!' "He stopped right before he shot, looked at me, and said, 'You got to be kidding me. Rook, you got to be kidding me.' "He shot one. Boom. We were down by four. "Bird got the ball again, and before he shot, he said, 'Rook, I'm the best shooter in the league right now. In the league. Understand? And you're up here trying to say something?' "Boom. We were down five. What I was thinking? What a dumbass I am. You're up here talking s--- to Larry Bird." [bird himself was widely considered king of the NBA's trash-talkers.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilPeartFan2112 Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 About time the old fart retired. He's been hogging the oxygen on the courts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presto45 Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 Hes great guy but i wish he got a championship before he left !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted February 13, 2005 Author Share Posted February 13, 2005 QUOTE (Test4VitalSigns @ Feb 12 2005, 09:49 AM) A great playoff performer....at a time when it REALLY counts...Too bad he didn't get a championship....but I think is a shoo-in for Hall of Fame. A Knick killer indeed! Yes! He has been a big-time clutch shooter for so many years. In Bird's latest biography, Larry talks about Reggie's shooting prowess at length. Reggie was understandably flattered by his coach's praise. Red Auerbach once said "Being tops among your peers; that's the height of achieving your personal ambitions". How true that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilPeartFan2112 Posted February 13, 2005 Share Posted February 13, 2005 QUOTE (Presto45 @ Feb 12 2005, 02:41 PM) Hes great guy but i wish he got a championship before he left !!! Yeah it's too bad. There are so many good players that retire without a championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Presto45 Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 Your so right NPF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closer To the End Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 so many good players have been leaving ... the NBA is really starting to get dull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anagramking Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 QUOTE (Closer To the End @ Feb 24 2005, 05:25 PM) so many good players have been leaving ... the NBA is really starting to get dull I agree with that sentiment, and have since Jordan left the Bulls. Phoenix is a fun team to watch. Steve Nash and Amari Stoudemire make that team very entertaining. Otherwise, the Lakers were not a fun team to watch when they were winning. I miss the NBA of my youth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted March 11, 2005 Author Share Posted March 11, 2005 I just had to update this thread. Reggie recently surpassed Patrick Ewing on the all-time scoring list. He's now in the 12th or 13th spot; I disremember which. He has an outside shot of chasing down Jerry West but that's not at all what he's aiming for. Tickets for the final regular season home game sold out within hours of his announced departure, so I'll be watching on the tube. It will be an emotional day for me. I heard from a friend of a friend who works for the Pacer organization that they will be lifting his jersey to the rafters at half-time of the second regular season game next year. There is also petitioning for a statue outside of Conseco Fieldhouse. I think it's only fitting of his stature here in the Hoosier state and what he has brought to the league and our community. Man, I am gonna miss this guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted March 11, 2005 Author Share Posted March 11, 2005 I just had to update this thread. Reggie recently surpassed Patrick Ewing on the all-time scoring list. He's now in the 12th or 13th spot; I disremember which. He has an outside shot of chasing down Jerry West but that's not at all what he's aiming for. Tickets for the final regular season home game sold out within hours of his announced departure, so I'll be watching on the tube. It will be an emotional day for me. I heard from a friend of a friend who works for the Pacer organization that they will be lifting his jersey to the rafters at half-time of the second regular season game next year. There is also petitioning for a statue outside of Conseco Fieldhouse. I think it's only fitting of his stature here in the Hoosier state and what he has brought to the league and our community. Man, I am gonna miss this guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anagramking Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Reggie was definitely part of why I enjoyed the NBA in the 90s. I loved watching him beat the Knicks, especially. Great competitor, and it's too bad he didn't get a ring. He's a winner in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted March 13, 2005 Author Share Posted March 13, 2005 QUOTE (anagramking @ Mar 11 2005, 12:58 PM) Reggie was definitely part of why I enjoyed the NBA in the 90s. I loved watching him beat the Knicks, especially. Great competitor, and it's too bad he didn't get a ring. He's a winner in my book. Well said, ak. I too wish he could have earned a ring, but crazy Ron Artest blew any chance of that. That's ok, he's a winner in my book as well. BTW, I stopped to get gas tonight and the clerk inside was talking about basketball. Naturally I asked if he was a Pacer fan but he said no, he was from LA. That makes perfect sense. He went on to say that he would become a Pacer fan once they "got rid" of Reggie Miller. I have heard this before and I understand that many people (ok, most) don't like him. That's ok, people are entitled to their opinions, and I can understand why most may be put off by him. But he is a great competitor and to me I guess that's all that matters. Not to mention all those glorious clutch shots, oh my. I think that's what grates people. Here's this hall-of fame flopper who still manages to stick the dagger in. No matter, I think he is going to go to the real Hall of Fame when he is eligible. Perhaps, perchance not first ballot, but I find it very difficult to fathom him not being there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/234753-1443-036.html NEW YORK -- He didn't treat the game as anything special, and he didn't turn in a special performance. Still, fans at Madison Square Garden chanted Reggie Miller's name as the clock wound down on the Indiana Pacers' 97-79 victory over New York on Tuesday. He had banked that honor years ago by providing some of the most special moments in NBA playoff history. "Reg-gie! Reg-gie! Reg-gie!" "There were a few 'sucks' in there, too," he said, smiling. "But I'm very appreciative." Miller's last game at the Garden was individually anticlimactic but otherwise joyful. The Pacers' victory gave them sole control of the sixth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and moved them within two games of the fourth and fifth spots. Never mind, then, that Miller scored just 13 points, hitting 3-of-15 shots and watched the final seven minutes of the blowout from the bench. He lost his first seven regular-season games at the Garden, starting with his rookie season in 1987-88, and 22 of his first 25. To walk out of the place a winner after all these years was reward enough. "The fact of the matter is, we won the game," teammate Dale Davis said matter-of-factly. While fans didn't see another episode of Miller Time, they did witness a sort of torch-passing ceremony. Stephen Jackson, who is expected to replace Miller as the starting shooting guard next season, scored 33 points -- 17 in the third quarter -- in one of his best performances of the season. "A lot of people expected Reggie to come out here and force a lot of shots and try to have a big game," Jackson said. "But Reggie's about winning. I tell people all the time, if I'm going to take one thing from Reggie it's how to be a professional and how to approach every game. He's the ultimate at that." Miller approached his last game at the Garden exactly like every other game. That is, he was quietly focused and deliberate. He arrived on the early bus with second-year swingman James Jones and free agent rookie John Edwards to go through his normal shooting and stretching routines. He later declined all pregame interviews while watching a replay of the Knicks' previous game. When reporters filled the tiny locker room, he escaped to the adjacent training room and thumbed through the media game notes. The significance of his farewell appearance after 18 seasons was obvious, but it was never a topic of conversation among the players. Nor did the coaching staff play a "Reggie card" in an attempt to motivate them. They didn't need any help dominating the woeful Knicks, who lost their seventh consecutive game and drew boos from the sellout crowd. Maybe that's why Miller was cheered. He was the best option. Miller was greeted with a mixed reaction when he was introduced before the game. A few fans held up signs in his honor and others wore his jersey, but there were boos, too. The lovefest didn't truly begin until the final few minutes of the game, when fans began chanting his name. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle resisted the pleas to return Miller to the game for a farewell shot. "If we weren't playing (tonight) possibly, but that wasn't really what tonight was about," Carlisle said. "It's an important game in a playoff drive in a playoff push." Miller walked across the court to hug three women wearing No. 31 hats, one of whom is his business manager, after the final buzzer. Then he walked to the other end of the court to hug filmmaker Spike Lee, his famed nemesis. By the time he reached the tunnel leading to the locker room, fans were standing and cheering. Miller later gave his game shoes to injured Knicks guard Allan Houston, with whom he had memorable playoff battles, and finally met the media in an interview room after showering. After so many seasons of heated, contentious moments, it was a serene farewell. "I think this is the last time I'll ever be in the Garden, for anything," he said. "It's sweet for me, because you want to leave as a winner. I didn't come in as a winner here, but I'll leave as a winner." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted April 16, 2005 Author Share Posted April 16, 2005 I will probably keep this thread alive single-handedly until Reggie plays his last game. In many ways, he is having one of his finest seasons ever. The steady and stoic leadership in difficult circumstances, the production on the court, and his never-say-quit attitude have been all the reason for the Pacers push into the playoffs. On a number of occasions since Jermaine O'Neal went down and stretching further back to the suspension of Ron Artest, he has scored more than 30 in a game and kept the Pacers play-off hopes alive. Hell, one night a few weeks back he scored his age. Not a big deal for a 25 yr. old, but pretty impressive for 39 yr. old Uncle Reg. Just two nights ago he scored 7 points in the final 22 seconds of the game to pull out a win. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? He just surpassed Jerry West for 12th place on the all-time scoring list. Now the play-offs are almost here and it will be Miller Time! The Pacers may not get far, but some team is going to feel the pain from the NBA's ultimate sniper. Interestingly enough, the Pacers swept the Heat during the season. The last game in Miami they blew them out without Jermaine O'Neal. Shaq had a good night (24 pts., 13 boards) and Wade poured in a bunch but still the Pacers beat them. If I were a Miami fan, I would be decidedly concerned about the prospect of facing off in the play-offs. In this age of steroids and wanton cry-baby athletes, Reggie typifies what's good about sports. His decisions over the years to take pay cuts to stay with one team, his adamant refusal to take the carrot the Lakers offered because of his loyalty to the Pacers organization, and his actual insistence that he take a lesser role in order to help the young guys grow. It all speaks volumes of a guy who understands that the game and the team's future is more important than any one person. Of course, we see he is still very capable of putting the hurt on an opponent on any given night and that makes his decision to put more energy into helping to groom the Pacers young players that much more impressive. Reggie's a class-act through and through and perhaps the last vanguard of the "professional athlete". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anagramking Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 Very well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted April 19, 2005 Author Share Posted April 19, 2005 Thanks, ak. I appreciate you saying so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anagramking Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 This thread reminds me of something. During the NBA lockout a number of years ago, the NBA aired a commercial showing Spike Lee watching an 8th grade girls' basketball game. He keeps yelling at one girl, "Regina Miller, you got no game!" Then the tag line of the commercial shows the NBA logo and says something like "Please Come Back Soon." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted April 21, 2005 Author Share Posted April 21, 2005 Well, tonight was the night of Reggie's last regular season home game. I'm still reeling in an ambiguous emotional state. The Pacers did pull out a win to hold onto the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. There was a very nice tribute to Uncle Reg following the game. I'd be lying if I said that I did not get choked up, because I did. In this case at least, this grown man is proud to admit it. I spent the few hours leading up to the game reading numerous newspaper articles relating to his last regular season game in Indy. I read many comments from current and former teammates, current and former opponents, current and former coaches, players, fans, etc. There was one word that kept leaping from the pages that was so prevalent that I became somewhat dizzied by it's frequent appearance. That word was "professionalism". I literally saw it dozens of times. During the tribute after the game, Larry Bird (Pacers president) said that Reggie "typifies" (and I quote) what's good about sports. My gosh, that's what I said in my last post. I love it. I admire Larry Bird for far more than his accomplishments in the arena of sports so I think it really means something. Bird is a fine upstanding citizen who has always done his family, his community, and his occupation proud. To hear him praise Reggie like this really means something, it really does. I was happy to see that there was a nearly full page devoted to Rggie on page 3 of the USA Today Sports section. I would have been very dissappointed had it not been there. This man, Reggie Miller, is truly one of the all-time greats, one of the all-time real class acts in all of sports. I've said it before and I'll say it again with emphasis - I'm going to MISS this guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilPeartFan2112 Posted April 21, 2005 Share Posted April 21, 2005 QUOTE (anagramking @ Apr 16 2005, 09:18 AM) Very well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 Reggie continues to build on his legend in this final post-season run, averaging 23 pts. per game so far in the first round series. Just remarkable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 Clearly, I can't say enough about Reggie Miller, so I'll just keep rambling on. I'm beginning to wonder if he shouldn't be in that list of the 50 greatest players. I don't have the list in front of me, but I recall that Charles Barkley is on that list. Hell, if Sir Charles is, then I think Reggie belongs as well. I respect Barkley and I think he was a hell of a small forward, but he didn't win a championship either. Of course these playoffs aren't over yet and I wouldn't put anything past Reggie on his ability to possibly carry the Pacers to the promised land. I realize it's extremely unlikely, but it does look like he's going to go out with one hell of a bang. Anyway, I think he certainly merits consideration in light of the innumerable clutch shots he has hit in his long and oh so illustrious career. The Sports Illustrated with Tiger's Master's win on the cover has a nice article on Reggie. He said this is his funnest season ever. That shows what a true professional he is. Here is his wacko teammate selfishly wrecking that dream and he never bitches, moans, or complains. He sees the silver lining of trying to compete under adverse circumstances. Imagine that, an athlete and player of his caliber just rolling along and playing hard for his team and his city. Stay tuned... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war2112 Posted May 20, 2005 Author Share Posted May 20, 2005 Each of us a cell of awareness imperfect and incomplete ...and now I feel incomplete. One of the true legends of the game is now gone. THANK YOU, REGGIE!! Thank you for declaring yourself an adopted Hoosier. Thank you for bringing life to a lifeless stage. Thank you for running behind the scenes to help the disadvantaged and the injured. Thank you for running behind the screens to nail BIG BIG shots. Thank you for putting Indiana on the map. Thank you for beating the Knicks. Thank you for never giving in or giving up. Thank you for your class and professionalism. Thank you for really being a great role model for one and all. Finally (man it hurts to say that), thank you for 18 seasons of incredible and indelible memories. You will be sorely missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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