Miller Time | The Story Behind Reggie Miller

Miller Time | The Story Behind Reggie Miller

[Music] the Indiana Paces select Reggie Miller of UCLA what you have to do I think it would be great is just have the kind of intensity that your sister has that your sister has that your sister has that your sister has what’s the part of the game for you winning as soon as the ball touched my hands game time Miller for three and he got it and a steal Miller repeats to the three-point line and H again oh came over it’s MJ is upset bang Miller gives the Pacers the lead he back it in he back it in he’s got some of the most iconic basketball shots in NBA history he L the big moments gets it in the middle for the [Applause] win he perfect and wielded one of the most iconic jump shots in basketball history here’s reie here’s the turn around here’s the [Applause] shot oh my long before the modern three-point Revolution he struck fear into the hearts of opponents who had to chase him around the perimeter he was a bad man on the court and he knew it [Music] from the Golden State to the hooer state this is the story behind Reggie [Applause] [Music] Miller Reginald Wayne Miller was born on August 24th 1965 to Air Force Sergeant Saul Miller and Carrie Miller in Riverside California one of five siblings in an outrageously athletic household older brother Daryl enjoyed a 5-year MLB career with the vanal California Angels while older sister Cheryl was one of the most accomplished women’s basketball players of her day winning an Olympic gold medal in 1984 to enter the same athletic Stratosphere as his older siblings Reggie had to defy the odds he was born with hip deformities that caused severely sped feet which required him to use leg braces until he was five there was no guarantee he’d ever be able to walk without assistance but walk unassisted he did and before long young Reggie was running around Cali Cali baseball fields and basketball courts proving himself an athletic force in his own right as a little Leaguer Miller showed promise both at the plate and on the mount but after enrolling at the same high school where Cheryl was already making a name for herself Reggie made the switch to basketball though he got a late start on the court years of being bullied by Cheryl in now famous one-on-one games had prepared him well with Reggie admitting his unorthodox shooting mechanics were forged by trying to get his jumper up over his big sister you never had to go out there and tell him he needed to practice Saul Miller told the Indianapolis Star in 2001 he automatically did it he was disciplined that Confluence of discipline talent and good old family genes led to a stellar High School career but it was hard to escape Cheryl’s Shadow he said I had I had 40 and I oh my gosh regie that’s awesome hey by the way how did you do tonight I said well I had had a big game he goes what 60 Sheryl kind of looks at my dad dad kind of looks at Cheryl she’s like uh she had 105 I was like huh Reggie may not have put up Wille numbers in high school but he did enough to land at UCLA as a bruin Miller ensured he would no longer be just Cheryl Miller’s little brother by his sophomore season Reggie was averaging over 15 points per game on 55% shooting for the NIT Champions he was also named MVP of the 1985 NIT Tournament as a junior Miller exploded becoming a 25o scorer and an All-American however it was when the NCAA adopted the three-point line in 1986 877 that Miller by then a senior showed off the skill set that would Propel him to NBA starter in his final Collegiate season Miller averaged 22.3 points 5.4 rebounds 2.2 assists and two steals while shooting nearly 60% inside the ark and 44% from Deep on 4.9 3point attempts per game though UCLA was upset by Wyoming in the second round of the NCAA tournament Miller had done more than enough to assure his NBA future finishing as the Bruins number two scorer all time behind only Kareem Abdul Jabar that didn’t mean much to folks in Indianapolis though with fans at the Pacers 1987 draft party booing the selection of Miller at number 11 their reasoning Pacers fans wanted the team to select Indiana product Steve Alfred who went 26th overall and would go on to average 4 4 points per game over a 4-year NBA career expectations weren’t exactly Skyhigh for Miller either as the lanky shooting guard was joining a 500 team that had yet to enjoy any measure of success since moving from the ABA to the NBA as part of the 1976 merger team success would remain slow to come by even after Miller’s arrival but the new kid in town provided a glimpse of better days to come coming off the bench as a rookie Miller averaged 10 points per game and broke Larry Birds rookie record for threes in a season as a sophomore starter he averaged 16 points and shot better than 40% from Deep for the first of 10 times in his career it was in his third season that Miller and the Pacers took off though after going 66 and 98 over Miller’s first two seasons Indiana won 42 games in 19899 posting the franchise’s first winning season in 9 years Miller’s St turn was a big reason why as the 24-year-old average 24.6 points on 5141 87 shooting that performance earned Miller his first of five Allstar selections and a runnerup finish in most improved player voting Midway through that 19899 campaign he outd Michael Jordan as part of a 44-point performance that served notice to the rest of the association Miller and his Pacers were for real he enced his career night of 38 with another career high of 43 and Counting [Music] it’s not bad been a while since anybody’s dropped that big a load on the Bulls 44 points for Reggie Miller suddenly this forgotten ABA franchise was on the NBA map Miller was Indiana’s first All-Star in 13 years his constant motion and off ball work as mesmerizing for Pacers fans as it was exhausting for opposing Defenders not even a first round sweep at the hands of the defending Champion Pistons could quell the excitement but as every NBA fan Knows by now now such early excitement is often met by years of postseason heartbreak and disappointment over the next three seasons Miller averaged nearly 22 points on 50 3889 shooting without missing a single game for Pacers teams that won a middling 40 to 41 games every year during the 9293 campaign Miller set Indiana’s single game scoring record which still stands more than 30 years later he’s the guy that’s seeking to be the goto guy for these horn Reggie Miller with another three-pointer Reggie finished up the official numbers have arrived 57 points on 16 of 29 from the floor four of 11 three-point land 21 of 23 free throws five rebounds eight assists and a [Music] steal though Miller was often Electric in the postseason averaging 27 and 31.5 points per game in the 1992 and 1993 three playoffs respectively Indiana compiled a 3 and 12 record over Reggie’s first four trips to the playoffs something had to give ahead of the 1993 94 season the Pacers hired Larry Brown as their new head coach then traded All-Star forward de LEF shrimp for the defensive-minded Derek mcke they also signed Haywood Workman to serve as the team’s new starting point guard the roster shakeup and high-profile coaching change proved just the jolt the Pacers needed Miller scoring dipped below 20 points per game for the first time in 5 years but his efficiency soared as the star guard became just the third player in history after bird and Mark Price to join the vaunted 50 4090 Club Miller was the only player to accomplish the feat during the ’90s the Pacers 47 wins marked the team’s best showing in 21 years in sweeping the fourth seated magic in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Miller helped the Pacers to the franchisees first NBA playoff series Victory it was during that 94 postseason Miller officially became became a superstar and a household name thanks in large part to an A-list movie director after upsetting the top seated Hawks in the second round the Pacers drew the battle tested Knicks in the Eastern Conference Final the team that had eliminated them a year earlier during an unforgettable game five performance which saw Miller scored 25 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter Indiana’s franchise player famously jawed at Spike Lee who was sitting in his customary courtside seats at Madison Square Garden open again his foot on the line that’s a two-pointer and Reggie Miller in an animated discussion with Spike Lee after ring his Pacers back from 12 down in the final frame Miller provided Lee and the Knicks with an enduring image that still lives in NBA infamy decades before Dame time entered the NBA lexicon that game five performance birthed the notion of Miller time it also sparked a bitter yearslong rivalry between Miller’s Pacers and Lee’s beloved Micks New York got the last laugh by winning games 6 and seven on route to the NBA finals but if Lee and Company thought they had taken Miller’s best punch in the spring of 94 they were sorely mistaken Miller returned to the All-Star Game and earned his first all-nba selection in 1994 95 leading the Pacers to their first 50- win season as an NBA club before sweeping Atlanta in the first round to get back to the east final Indiana would have to slay New York in the second round late in game one it wasn’t looking great as the Knicks held a six-point lead with less than 19 seconds remaining what ensued over those final 18.7 seconds has become part of playoff lore as Miller scored eight points in a 99sec flurry that propelled the Pacers to Victory game that se nearly 60 fouls called actually that is short of the record for both teams in a playoff game Miller for three and he got it Reggie Miller with a clutch tray and it’s 105 102 and a steel M retreats to Theo [Applause] l a m is okay for the Pacers misses bed around his shot no good aoul 7.5 seconds last year Miller hits two a couple weeks later the Pacers would survive a game seven at at MSG to finally beat the Knicks and punch their ticket back to the east final unfortunately after averaging 28 points over the first six games of a memorable Series against Shaq and Penny’s magic Miller was held to 12 points on five of 13 shooting in a blowout game seven loss it would take a while for a devastated Miller to get another crack at a title run though he did get to taste gold medal Glory with Team USA at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta a late season eye injury sideline Miller to start the 96 playoffs which saw the third seated Pacers fall to the sixth seated Hawks in the first round injuries to mcke Workman and starting center Rick Smiths then knocked the Pacers right out of the playoff picture in 1996 97 however the next great Pacers team of the Miller era took shape during that disappointing year as Indiana acquired guards Mark Jackson and Jaylen Rose while big man Antonio Davis continued to develop Larry Bird also replaced Brown in the off season it all coales the following year when the 9798 Pacers ripped off 58 wins Miller received down ballot MVP votes for the first time in his career then LED Indiana P Cleveland and New York in the playoffs advancing to the Conference finals for the third time in 5 years their opponent this time would be their toughest Yet Michael Jordan’s defending Champion Bol who are looking for a sixth championship in eight years to complete their last dance together though the Pacers ultimately came up short Miller Squad pushed Chicago to the ABS absolute limit in ways few teams ever could seemingly unwilling to go a single postseason without a career defining moment Miller added another one in that 98 epic against Jordan’s Bulls Harper’s on Miller M gets it in the middle for the win 41 of a second yeah you can dance Reggie one of the greatest clutch playoff performers of his generation has apparently done it [Applause] again still a blown fourth quarter lead in game seven had to be agonizing for a star who had just about everything except a championship ring by that point unfortunately close but no cigar would come to Define Miller’s postseason career there was another East final loss in the lockout shorten 1999 season where the second seated Pacers fell to the arch rival Knicks despite an eight- seated New York Squad losing Patrick Ying in the series in the Knick’s game six Clincher Lee and the garden faithful had a field day with Miller who scored a measly eight points on three of 18 shooting still year in year out Miller and the Pacers kept plugging away and their efforts were finally rewarded with a trip to the finals in 2000 though his regular season numbers had started to slip in what would prove to be his last year as an Allstar a 34-year-old Miller averaged 24 points per game during a 2,000 playoff run that saw top seated Indiana Outlast Ray Allen’s bucks Allen Iverson’s 76ers and yes the Knicks again I think he can probably do it tonight if he wants as Reggie Miller’s point total continues he started with five points in the first got four in the second eight in the third and then it was Miller time 17 in the fourth quarter 34 in the game congratulations to the the Indiana Pacers well deserved the best team all year they proved it during the regular season and during the playoffs in the Eastern Conference though they fell in six games to Shack and Kobe’s Lakers in the finals it’s worth noting how the Pacers pushed Los Angeles just as they had done to Jordan’s Mighty Bulls one of the Lakers victories in that series went to overtime and in the Lakers 12 playoff series during their early odds 3ep Indiana was one of only three teams and the only finals opponent to win two games against La along with Sacramento and Portland the 2000 finals run was the end of another era in Miller’s Pacers tenure following through on a promise he made to coach no more than three seasons bird stepped down and was replaced by fellow Hall of Famer Isaiah Thomas smithz retired Jackson left for Toronto and Dale Davis was traded to Portland in the deal that landed Indiana Germaine O’Neal that move would help fuel the next great team of the Miller era but there were growing pains to get through the new look Pacers faded in the 20201 season finishing as a 41- win8 seed before a quick first-round playoff exit at the hands of Iverson Sixers Indiana actually opened that series with a stunning upset though thanks to what had by then become an annual right of spring in the NBA a memorable Reggie Miller playoff moment they’ve watched their Sixers blow an 18 point second half lead don’t Rose don’t waste time here jayen Rose out in front Reggie for three Miller ARA bang Miller gives the Pacers the lead with 2 point9 remaining with O’Neal breaking out and Rose taking on more of the offensive responsibilities Miller was relegated to third leading scorer for a 42 in Pacers team that once again finished eth in 20012 2002 yet once again the playoffs were Miller time after averaging 16.5 points during the regular season a 36-year-old Miller averaged a team High 23.6 points on 63% true shooting during a first round Series against the top seated Nets pushing the eventual Eastern Conference champions to a Do or Die game five he then single-handedly pushed that deciding game to double overtime Kevin Alli brings it up throws it across Miller for three oh he backed it in he backed it in and the game is tied we’re going to overtime no foul to give Miller gets past Kos Miller inside with the slam Reggie Miller ties it with 3.1 remaining he drove to the rim and he got the dunk it’s exactly what with the defensive-minded and volatile Ron arest replacing Rose and Rick Carlile replacing Thomas on the sidelines the Pacers took on a new identity as a hard no Squad by the time Indiana exploded for a franchise record 61 wins in 2003 2004 Miller was a 10 points for per game player with the lowest usage of his career still he started 80 games for the League’s top seed as a 38-year-old and the Pacers pushed the eventual Champion Pistons to six games in the East final Indiana then entered the final season of Miller’s career with the team’s best chance to win a championship but the 2004 2005 Pacers were derailed by the events of the infamous malice at the palace the brawl in Detroit which spilled into the stands resulted in lengthy suspensions for Indiana’s top players with artest’s season long ban all but ending the team’s title hopes Miller played some inspiring ball for his underman Club averaging nearly 20 points per game during one stretch in December and 21 points during another 10-game run in March a month after he had announced through his sister that he would be retiring at the conclusion of the season one of the most touching moments of that season saw even Madison Square Garden led by old Nemesis Spike Lee embraced the legendary Nicks killer the sixth seated Pacers eventually fell to the Rival pistons in the second round of the 2005 playoffs Miller by then 39 years old with 1533 games under his belt posted 27 points on 11 of 16 shooting in the final game of his career when he checked out for the last time he was met by a standing ovation not only from the Indiana faithful but by the Pistons too Larry takes a 20 just to let let the prep you know how that is so cool yes it is Larry Brown who posts Reggie Larry is so human he understands if you let player resume you know the crowded back into it the game lines up and Larry calls a timeout so he can bring his team to the other side of the court and join in [Applause] this the emotion in the crowd that night might have seemed over the top to those outside the hoer state but Miller had endeared himself to Pacers fans in ways few athletes have ever connected to a fan base though he never led the Pacers to the promised land Miller was the Pacers for the better part of two decades only five players have ever played more games for one team and only seven players in NBA history have appeared in more playoff games without a championship ring to show for it plenty of Champions and fellow Hall of Famers have retired without even a fraction of Miller’s postseason memories or heroics though to give you an idea of how beloved Miller was in Indianapolis O’Neal once checked himself out of a 2005 game while only three points shy of the Pacers single game scoring record so that the honor would still belong to Reggie a couple years after his retirement it appeared possible Miller might finally Dawn in other team’s colors but he decided against an invitation from the 20072 2008 Celtics who went on to win the title even without that ring there was simply nothing left for Miller to prove as he embarked on a broadcasting career with TNT that has lasted even longer than his playing career did a broadcasting career that began by the way with Reggie in the shadow of TNT sideline reporter Cheryl Miller how fitting can you believe that I didn’t know Cheryl Miller’s little brother play basketball the five-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist scored more than 28,000 NBA points between the regular season and playoffs his 2,279 regular season points are nearly double that of Smiths who ranks second in Pacers history a Workhorse till the end Miller played every single game in a season six times played 80 plus games 11 times and missed 10 plus games in a season only twice in 18 years his 13-year reign as the NBA’s all-time three-point leader which came to an end when Ray Allen Leap frogged him in 2011 is the longest such rank of the top 32 three-point Shooters in league history as of 2024 Miller a 1987 drafty is the only one who debuted before 1994 as a shooter and off ball Savant he was ahead of his time as a clutch performer he has few equals across the entire Sports World a c kid who wasn’t even supposed to walk properly who wasn’t even the best Baller in his own family became the symbol of Indiana’s proud basketball history the world’s most famous Arena’s biggest villain and one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history what are you guys talking about you’re on the list you’re on the list brother list [Music] man whoa I’m uh I’m a little shaken right now cuz I wasn’t expecting to be on that list well truthfully many took umbrage with Miller’s presence on that 75th Anniversary team but not a soul in Indiana did ask any Pacers fan and they’ll tell you anytime is Miller time after the lifetime of memories Reggie provided them who could blame them for feeling that way thanks for watching if you like this video and want to see more content like this be sure to hit that subscribe button [Music]

He perfected and wielded one of most iconic jump-shots in basketball history. Long before the modern 3-point revolution, he struck fear into the hearts of opponents who had to chase him around the perimeter. He was a bad man on the court, and he knew it.

Written & Narrated by: Joseph Casciaro (@JosephCasciaro | X)
Produced & Edited by: Stephen Addante (@stephenaddante | Instagram)
Thumbnail Design by: Justin Shipley (@shipleysportstudio | Instagram)

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