NBA Q&A: Reggie Miller
Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 with No comments
Courtesy of Mike Wells
Question: What are your thoughts on the Pacers fan not selling his tickets to your good buddy Spike Lee?
Answer: Stewart Reed (co-owner of Fuzzy Zoeller’s vodka, a primary sponsor on Ed Carpenter’s No. 20 car in the Indy 500) is my new best friend. If I was on Facebook, I would like him. He is my new hero here in Indiana. I absolutely love it.
I guarantee you, a lot of the story has been embellished. I know how cheap Spike is and there’s no way he was going to pay $40,000 for tickets. Let’s say it was probably $10,000. I still love it because that was one of my biggest concerns. When I started in the ’80s, it was all Boston, all Chicago. When Michael (Jordan) and Larry Bird came to play, there was more green and more red in Market Square Arena and it used to drive me crazy. But once we started to win and we won the trust of the fans, that place became so loud. Now the fans are getting back to that. Who cares about Spike Lee? This is all about the Pacers.
Q: What is the key for the Pacers to win the series against the Knicks?
A: Look at their two wins and where they’ve been successful. In the two wins, they kept (the Knicks) from making 3s, they kept them off the free throw line and they’ve killed them on the boards, especially the offensive glass.
That’s where (the Pacers) have to be successful, especially when (the Knicks) go to the smaller lineup with Carmelo (Anthony) at (power forward). I know they’ve got Amare (Stoudemire) back, but he’s limited to 12 minutes or so. If you want to beat New York, you have to beat them up, you have to beat them on the glass and you have to take away their strengths.
The Pacers have kept them off the 3-point line and they’ve funneled everyone to the Great Wall of (Roy) Hibbert, and that’s been their recipe for two wins.
Q: How big is winning Game 4 for the Pacers?
A: It’ll be the hardest game the Pacers have played all season because of the way they beat New York in Game 3 physically. Listening to Tyson Chandler’s comments about sharing the basketball and playing together and somewhat singling out J.R. Smith and Carmelo, and him being outplayed by Hibbert.
It’ll be the hardest game the young Indiana Pacers have played because this is all uncharted waters for them. Remember, they were up 2-1 last year against Miami, had a double-digit lead, then LeBron James became LeBron James. They will be playing a wounded, desperate team that everyone expected to win the series.
Q: What are your concerns when you look at the Pacers?
A: My biggest thing would be, if the game is close, you have to have someone you can throw the basketball to and have them take you home. LeBron does that. At times Dwyane Wade, Carmelo, even though he’s shooting bad, can do that. You look at all the teams left in the playoffs. (Oklahoma City’s) Kevin Durant. Steph Curry is emerging as that player for Golden State. Tony Parker for San Antonio.
Who on the Pacers in the last five minutes can you throw the ball to and say, ‘Take us home?’ They won by committee (this year), which is great. That will get you to this point. But at some point in time, someone will have to emerge from the group. Paul George, who I would probably nominate. Roy Hibbert, who had a fantastic Game 3. David West, possibly his leadership. Or George Hill.
That would be my only thing possibly as a downfall. Do they have legitimate closer?
Q: How does it feel that the city is embracing the team again?
A: First and foremost, Indiana will always be a basketball state. I loved what Peyton (Manning) did for the Colts, but when you think of Indiana, you think of basketball.
You play hard and you compete, they will come out and support you. And you look at what has happened over the last two years. During the regular season they still don’t have great home attendance, but these guys compete on a nightly basis and they’ve got a good group of young core guys that the city can wrap around. Paul George, Roy, George Hill, they’re really, really good guys. That means a lot.
Q: Are there any similarities between the current Pacers team and the teams you played on in the late 1990s?
A: For the Pacers, the big-bad bully on the block will always be New York because of the historic rivalry, and the new Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls are called the Miami Heat.
If the (Pacers) want to be successful, at some point in time they’re going to have to beat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat because they’re the top dogs. This is a great opportunity for Indiana because they have all the components to advance to the conference finals and give Miami problems. Miami’s weakness is Indiana’s strength, and that’s rebounding and toughness. Even though Paul George is only 23, he is slowly becoming one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA.
Q: You have the life of luxury. You work one day a week during the regular season. But how much do you think about running a team in the front office?
A: All the time. It would have to be the right situation (and), for me, the only situation I know is Indiana. Those competitive juices always flow. During the regular season, not so much because it’s only one day a week. It really picks up come the end of March and April when the playoffs are about to start and we have a lot of games. That’s when my blood starts to boil and I start to sweat a little bit more. I’m in the action because every possession means something.
That’s when I think I could possibly do that. Again, it’ll have to be the right situation. We’ll see. I’m not going to broadcast forever. I’ll probably want to do something else in basketball, which will probably be running a team or at least helping run a team.
Answer: Stewart Reed (co-owner of Fuzzy Zoeller’s vodka, a primary sponsor on Ed Carpenter’s No. 20 car in the Indy 500) is my new best friend. If I was on Facebook, I would like him. He is my new hero here in Indiana. I absolutely love it.
I guarantee you, a lot of the story has been embellished. I know how cheap Spike is and there’s no way he was going to pay $40,000 for tickets. Let’s say it was probably $10,000. I still love it because that was one of my biggest concerns. When I started in the ’80s, it was all Boston, all Chicago. When Michael (Jordan) and Larry Bird came to play, there was more green and more red in Market Square Arena and it used to drive me crazy. But once we started to win and we won the trust of the fans, that place became so loud. Now the fans are getting back to that. Who cares about Spike Lee? This is all about the Pacers.
Q: What is the key for the Pacers to win the series against the Knicks?
A: Look at their two wins and where they’ve been successful. In the two wins, they kept (the Knicks) from making 3s, they kept them off the free throw line and they’ve killed them on the boards, especially the offensive glass.
That’s where (the Pacers) have to be successful, especially when (the Knicks) go to the smaller lineup with Carmelo (Anthony) at (power forward). I know they’ve got Amare (Stoudemire) back, but he’s limited to 12 minutes or so. If you want to beat New York, you have to beat them up, you have to beat them on the glass and you have to take away their strengths.
The Pacers have kept them off the 3-point line and they’ve funneled everyone to the Great Wall of (Roy) Hibbert, and that’s been their recipe for two wins.
Q: How big is winning Game 4 for the Pacers?
A: It’ll be the hardest game the Pacers have played all season because of the way they beat New York in Game 3 physically. Listening to Tyson Chandler’s comments about sharing the basketball and playing together and somewhat singling out J.R. Smith and Carmelo, and him being outplayed by Hibbert.
It’ll be the hardest game the young Indiana Pacers have played because this is all uncharted waters for them. Remember, they were up 2-1 last year against Miami, had a double-digit lead, then LeBron James became LeBron James. They will be playing a wounded, desperate team that everyone expected to win the series.
Q: What are your concerns when you look at the Pacers?
A: My biggest thing would be, if the game is close, you have to have someone you can throw the basketball to and have them take you home. LeBron does that. At times Dwyane Wade, Carmelo, even though he’s shooting bad, can do that. You look at all the teams left in the playoffs. (Oklahoma City’s) Kevin Durant. Steph Curry is emerging as that player for Golden State. Tony Parker for San Antonio.
Who on the Pacers in the last five minutes can you throw the ball to and say, ‘Take us home?’ They won by committee (this year), which is great. That will get you to this point. But at some point in time, someone will have to emerge from the group. Paul George, who I would probably nominate. Roy Hibbert, who had a fantastic Game 3. David West, possibly his leadership. Or George Hill.
That would be my only thing possibly as a downfall. Do they have legitimate closer?
Q: How does it feel that the city is embracing the team again?
A: First and foremost, Indiana will always be a basketball state. I loved what Peyton (Manning) did for the Colts, but when you think of Indiana, you think of basketball.
You play hard and you compete, they will come out and support you. And you look at what has happened over the last two years. During the regular season they still don’t have great home attendance, but these guys compete on a nightly basis and they’ve got a good group of young core guys that the city can wrap around. Paul George, Roy, George Hill, they’re really, really good guys. That means a lot.
Q: Are there any similarities between the current Pacers team and the teams you played on in the late 1990s?
A: For the Pacers, the big-bad bully on the block will always be New York because of the historic rivalry, and the new Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls are called the Miami Heat.
If the (Pacers) want to be successful, at some point in time they’re going to have to beat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat because they’re the top dogs. This is a great opportunity for Indiana because they have all the components to advance to the conference finals and give Miami problems. Miami’s weakness is Indiana’s strength, and that’s rebounding and toughness. Even though Paul George is only 23, he is slowly becoming one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA.
Q: You have the life of luxury. You work one day a week during the regular season. But how much do you think about running a team in the front office?
A: All the time. It would have to be the right situation (and), for me, the only situation I know is Indiana. Those competitive juices always flow. During the regular season, not so much because it’s only one day a week. It really picks up come the end of March and April when the playoffs are about to start and we have a lot of games. That’s when my blood starts to boil and I start to sweat a little bit more. I’m in the action because every possession means something.
That’s when I think I could possibly do that. Again, it’ll have to be the right situation. We’ll see. I’m not going to broadcast forever. I’ll probably want to do something else in basketball, which will probably be running a team or at least helping run a team.
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