Hours earlier than Recreation 1 of the Jap Convention Finals, Reggie Miller re-shared a sequence of fan posts on Instagram.
One depicted the Statue of Liberty with Miller’s Indiana Pacers jersey edited onto it.
One other confirmed Miller driving previous the Knicks’ Patrick Ewing with the caption, “Rivalry Renewed.”
A 3rd featured a picture of Knicks superfan Spike Lee holding a jersey signed by Miller, who wrote, “Thanks 4 all the help throughout the years.”
It’s been 20 years since Miller retired from the NBA and a quarter-century since he final confronted the Knicks within the postseason.
However his presence as soon as once more hangs over the newest iteration of Knicks vs. Pacers nonetheless.
Miller is a part of TNT’s broadcast workforce for the Jap Convention Finals, serving as an analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan, analyst Stan Van Gundy and reporter Allie LaForce.
It marks the newest return to Madison Sq. Backyard for Miller, who emerged as the last word New York sports activities villain throughout his Pacers’ six playoff sequence in opposition to the Knicks from 1993-2000.
“I live rent-free in a lot of New Yorkers’ heads,” Miller, 59, stated final month on a social-media reside stream throughout a visit to New York Metropolis. “So yes, they’re still mad.”
The sharp-shooting, trash-talking Miller averaged 23.1 factors per recreation over 35 postseason conferences with the Knicks.
His incessant needling led John Starks to headbutt him in Recreation 3 of their first-round sequence in 1993.
Miller taunted Lee along with his notorious “choke” signal throughout Recreation 2 of the 1994 Jap Convention Finals as he fueled a livid second-half comeback on the Backyard.
And Miller scored eight factors in 8.9 seconds late in Recreation 1 of the 1995 Jap Convention Semifinals, once more capping one other unbelievable come-from-behind victory.
The Knicks and Pacers cut up these six sequence, 3-3, with the Knicks successful two of the three conferences within the convention finals.
“We’re two grown men,” the Oscar-winning filmmaker stated. “That’s dead and buried. We’re good.”
“People are like, ‘Aren’t you worried about going back to New York City and calling a game?’ No,” Miller stated that evening throughout a pregame hit on TNT. “I’ve owned this city. I’ve owned this building, so why would I be worried?”
The Knicks received that recreation, 130-121, and with lower than a minute remaining within the fourth quarter, many inside a sellout Backyard crowd started chanting, “F–k you, Reggie!”
Amid the jeers, Josh Hart leaned over to Miller on the broadcast desk and stated, “I don’t know if you heard, I think they said, ‘F–k you.’”
Miller mirrored on that second throughout an look on “The Mark Jackson Show” final June, saying he was stunned it took Knicks followers that lengthy to unleash that chant.
“This is why I cannot stand the Knicks. To me, they’re frontrunners. They think that they’re God’s gift to basketball,” Miller stated.
“Where gasoline was poured on it was when Josh came over to me. … I don’t think there was anything malicious. I think he was trying to be funny. … He shouldn’t have come over and said that in the first place, but it is what it is.”
That very same anti-Miller chant might be heard Friday evening as followers took over seventh Ave. to rejoice the Knicks’ Recreation 6 win over the Boston Celtics — a 119-81 victory that booked this rematch with the Pacers.
With TNT’s TV take care of the NBA set to run out, the Jap Convention Finals would be the final sequence broadcast by the community.
“I have a love-hate relationship with New York,” Miller stated throughout final month’s reside stream, “because they keep it real and they’re true.”
