say goodnight, reggie

Miller takes his final bow in Garden

Pacers star goes low-key for last game in New York, scoring 13 points, but he leaves building a winner.

By Mark Montieth
IndyStar.com

April 6, 2005

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."

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