Eight Points, Nine Seconds » Reggie Miller

Chinese Pacer Fans (Poorly) Reenact Classic Reggie Miller Moments

Jared Wade — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:25:40 +0000

Not to be a jerk, but this is some pretty shoddy reenactment work, fellas. Like, Lifetime movie courtroom dramatization bad. The 8 points in 9 seconds recreation, something I would like to think I, the founder of this blog, know something about, is particularly garbage.

The first three is OK. The inbounds angle is way off here and, in real life, Reggie caught the pass standing on the line and had to step back to make sure it was a trey. That’s nitpicking though. But after the guy imitating Reggie hits the shot, he just hangs for a second before immediately beginning to defend the guy playing Greg Anthony. In reality, Reggie initially sticks Starks way out beyond the arc. But after John cuts towards inbounder Anthony Mason, Reggie leaves the future-2-for-18-in-an-NBA-Finals-Game-7 performer in order to prevent the pass to Greg Anthony. He is able to double Greg (along with Byron Scott) due to the most underrated aspect of this play: Sam Mitchell leaves the inbounder and jumps in front of Starks to prevent Mase from throwing that pass. While Mason is realizing this is going on, Greg Anthony is busy tripping on his own foot. And by the time Mason realizes he should have just passed it to Greg before he fell down, it’s too late because he is already throwing the ball in. To nobody. Or, more accurately, to Reggie.

But, OK. All this is also nitpicking. These elements would be definitely be integral if I were directing this recreation, but it’s an excusable choice to leave out such details. There are a lot of moving parts to coordinate and I’m guessing the producers of this video don’t have a huge budget to spend time choreographing off-the-ball action.

The next part is inexcusable to omit, however.

In this rendition, when Reggie steals the inbounds, he is already behind the arc. He merely needs to stick the shot. But that’s not how it went down. As we all know — and what makes this arguably the most heads-up play in NBA history — Reggie grabs the errant pass, pivots, takes a spin dribble in retreat to the three-point line, squares up and buries his second three in as many seconds. Having the guy playing Reggie just catch and grab the ball behind the line and stick a jumper is just sloppy work, guys.

The Jordan shove play isn’t reenacted much better. MJ didn’t fall down in the real play. He was merely thrown off balance and nearly recovered to challenge the shot even. Instead, these poor-attention-to-detail filmmakers have Mike hitting the deck and Reggie struggling to catch the inbounds pass. The kid playing Miller dribbles twice before popping the jumper. In real life, Reggie just catches, squares up and knocks it down.

And I’m not going to even comment on this impersonator’s horrible attempt to mimic Reggie’s “sprint down the court and twirl around like a ballerina” celebration. Not that such a public display is really something I would want to recreate personally, but if you’re going to do it, at least make an attempt to get it right.

The re-enactment of Miller’s bank heave against the Nets is done well here. I’ll give them that. (Although I can’t actually tell if this banks in, honestly.) But it is the least memorable of these three plays. And they fail to follow it up with the even more improbable drive-the-lane-and-two-hand-dunk-in-traffic play that Reggie did to send that same game into double overtime. (A double OT during which the Pacers were outscored 13-2 … *sigh*).

In conclusion, nice thought, fellas from ChinaPacers.com. I respect the effort.

But I don’t respect the final product.

Let’s try a little harder next time.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Reggie Miller Probably Isn’t the Best GM Option

Jared Wade — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:51:11 +0000

Some Indiana fans may not know that Wednesday was Reggie Miller’s 46th birthday. (It was. Hope you had a good one, Mr. Miller.) What most all fans should know by now, however, is that team owner Herb Simon reportedly may try to recruit Uncle Reg to run his franchise once Larry Bird steps down, something likely to occur in the not-so-distant future.

This is probably not a good idea.

For starters, there just is not a great track record for once-elite NBA players succeeding in the front office. Larry Bird has arguably done a pretty decent job since Donnie Walsh left and the Legend started flying solo. He hasn’t done a lot, but was patient enough to wait out the cap hell the team was in, and he has left the team well-positioned for future improvement.

Joe Dumars has been both praised and killed for his decision-making. With Dumars, there have been some infamous moments: Darko-over-Wade/Melo/Bosh decision, the wretched 2009 Summer (he overpaid for non-fits Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva) and the debacle that was the 2010-11 team. But he won a title and made a bunch of savvy moves also: Ben Wallace and Rip trades, Sheed pick-up, Tayshaun.

So all in all we can say he has been successful, at least for a time. This is true of even the best GMs, really, and would likely be true of Reggie even if he beat the odds to ultimately prove OK at his job.

On the flip side, of course, Jerry West is one of the best GMs of all time. He helped make the 1980s Lakers a dynasty and revived the Grizzlies franchise by putting them in the Playoffs for several straight seasons despite having no players outsiders considered stars. He is almost universally praised as one of the best to ever do it.

The rest of the list of great players turned GMs isn’t that pretty, however. Elgin Baylor led the Clippers nowhere. Michael Jordan’s tenure, when it comes to player personnel decisions, has been laughable to the point that we don’t even need to get into the details. Chris Mullin has signed some players to horrible contracts. Remember Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy, Jr? (More on this later.) That was his handiwork. Isiah Thomas as a GM? That’s the whole joke. Kevin McHale in Minnesota. Ask KG or Joe Smith how that went. And Wes Unseld’s tenure in Washington is rarely remembered fondly.

I may be forgetting some guys on either side of the good/bad ledger. But if Larry Bird is probably the third best GM — and Dumars’ controversial stint is second — among the eight Hall of Fame players listed here, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for hiring a Hall of Fame player. (I know they haven’t let Reggie in yet. Don’t care. He’s a Hall of Famer.)

Of course, basing a hiring decision on what other people have done is silly. That’s not the real reason I don’t think Reggie should be brought in even if Donnie Walsh could be brought in as a mentor.

See, Simon has shown a great interest in handing the keys over to state legends. First Larry Bird. Then Isiah Thomas. One was an excellent coach. One was a terrible coach. And, as noted, Bird has been an OK GM that a lot of fans — and sportswriters — would tell you has been awful.

Still, when he was brought into the front office, some fans felt as though he was hired more for his ability to sell tickets than make player personnel decisions. “Boomer for Adults” he was called by some. (Boomer being the Pacers mascot who dunks basketballs off of trampolines much to the delight of children.) Everyone who really paid attention knew that Walsh was the one running the show. Bird was just there to hang out and smile for the camera, fans thought.

That was not true, of course, as we now know. Bird was indeed actually groomed for the role he now has. But the initial perception, and the uncertainty of the “two-headed monster” making decisions in the later years, were not particularly helpful for the franchise in hindsight. It was a distraction for fans. And it certainly didn’t lead to a great product on the floor. The franchise is just now getting out from under all the decisions made by Bird and Walsh.

And now Simon wants to go through all that again?

On top of that, being an Indiana legend could be as problematic as it is helpful. Reggie would get a pass on some blunders because of who he is. But as the blunders added up (and they would … even great GMs have a sizable list of misfires), he would likely feel a lot more pressure to fix them than a guy like, Daryl Morey, or even Chris Mullin, would.

Conseco is colloquially referred to as “The House Reggie Built.” How do you deal with that? That puts a ton of pressure on a man to make things right. And perhaps the worst thing to do after you make a mistake as a GM is try to instantly fix it.

That’s what Isiah did constantly in New York, just doing deal after deal after deal that only deepened the downward spiral of debacleness. (Not a word. But was on a D kick.) In fact, I would argue that the greatest thing that Bird the GM has done was not try to fix his mistakes.

He, and Donnie, made the difficult decision to unload Stephen Jackson (and include Al Harrington) in exchange for the terrible, horrible, awful contracts of Lil Dun and Troy Murphy. That was an understandable, but bad, decision. Combined with the Tinsley banishment, another understandable, but bad decision, this put a millstone around the franchise’s neck for years. But Bird didn’t panic and start trading future picks and Danny Granger for whatever the 2009 version of Steve Franchise was. He just waited out his mistakes.

Does Reggie have the personality to do that? Or, running a team in a building that may as well be named after him, and facing daily headlines and ESPN chatter about his underperforming team, would he start trying to fix things immediately? Having become increasingly familiar with his personality while watching him on TV the past few years, I think the latter is more likely.

All that, combined with the fact that most all GMs just do not do well in their positions in the long-term, it seems likely to me that Reggie would not become a great GM. And that would forever sully the way an entire state feels about it’s biggest professional basketball hero.

And mostly, I just don’t want that to happen.

So perhaps it’s selfish, and perhaps I’m thinking like a 12-year-old when I say this, but I would prefer that Reggie simply stays where he is: in the rafters.

Reggie Choke Photo (Remix)

Jared Wade — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:01:06 +0000

Check out this great illustration of a classic Reggie Miller photo done by Sam Hoh. Follow the link as there is a lot more excellent artwork on his portfolio site, including this Ron Artest piece. (via Taco Trey)

Pacers Get a Lot of Love During NCAA Tournament

Alex Yovanovich — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:26:58 +0000

Since the current collection of Indiana Pacers have reassumed their Mr. Hyde pose after delivering what appeared to be a knockout blow against Charlotte, let’s talk about something positive: The Pacers have been getting a lot of love during the NCAA Tournament.

Most everyone knows that former Pacer Clark Kellogg replaced the long-in-the-tooth Billy Packer a few years back as the number one college basketball color analyst at CBS. Kellogg will be alongside Jim Nantz at next weekend’s Final Four in Houston.

What came as a special delight was the pairing of ex-Pacers Reggie Miller and Len Elmore as dual color analysts for the Southeast Regional. Spurred on by the infectious excitement of play-by-play man Gus Johnson, Miller was almost overcome by the moment in Butler’s overtime win over Florida. When Butler guard Shelvin Mack hit a three-pointer near the end of overtime, the former Knick killer yelled, “This is an old-fashioned shootout for a chance to go to the Final Four!”

It’s nice to see the ex-Pacers get their shots on a national stage. It seemed especially appropriate as Butler, the small private school from Indianapolis, moved onto the Final Four for the second year in a row.

This guy knows how to get excited.

Indiana-Memphis-New Orleans Love Triangle Brings New Questions For Pacers

Pacers Ran the 1998 All-Star Game

Jared Wade — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 16:50:47 +0000

Compared to the six seven combined players that the Celtics and Heat sent to LA this year, only having two guys might not seem like many. But they also had Bird, Carlisle and that guy who the photographer didn’t even notice behind Shawn Kemp. (via So What?)

Dear Hall of Fame Voters: Here’s What You Can Do With Your First Ballot Exclusion

Tim Donahue — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:29:49 +0000

Reggie Miller won’t make the Hall of Fame this year. Apparently, he wasn’t even deemed good enough to be on a list of finalists that included Maurice Cheeks and Reggie’s long-time teammate and friend, Mark Jackson. Now, I love both of those players, but anybody who thinks they belong in the Hall ahead or instead of Reg is – quite simply – drunk.

But that’s not the point here. The point is the arbitrary, artificial, and monumentally silly mystique constructed around the idea of “first ballot” induction. Reggie wasn’t measured against the others up for induction this year. Bizarrely, Reggie – and every other player in their first year of eligibility – is measured against Wilt and Russell, Bird and Magic, Michael and Scottie.

And this is patently ridiculous.

There is no restriction on annual inductees. There is no special section of the Hall devoted to those who made it on the first ballot. You can’t go to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame website and find out who they are. Neither they nor Basketball-Reference list any information at all saying on what ballot the members were inducted.

Either someone is in the Hall of Fame, or they aren’t. Either someone belongs in the Hall of Fame, or they don’t. Guys like Reggie – or Dominique Wilkins or Dennis Rodman or Dennis Johnson – shouldn’t be forced to spend time in purgatory for this nonsense.

It’s as if people fear that Reggie Miller making the Hall on the first ballot somehow cheapens it for everyone. That somebody, somewhere will use that fact to draw equivalence between Reggie and Michael Jordan.

C’mon, man.

Look, if you’re talking to someone who would do that, or would argue that Reggie was as good as Michael – and they aren’t his mom – run away! You’re talking to an idiot.

It’s true that there are arguments to be made against Miller’s inclusion in the Hall. He never won a title. He never won an MVP or was a serious candidate. His mantle is not full of All NBA or other awards. However, he has enough accomplishments (25,000+ career points, recently broken 3-point record, 5 All Star appearances) to go along with his reputation as a playoff performer and his iconic presence in Pacer lore to get a relatively broad consensus to agree he belongs.

But – again – beside the point.

I would be less angered (or just disappointed) today if I thought the voters felt he didn’t belong. However, I have the unshakable conviction that there were voters who felt Reggie Miller (and others before him) belonged in the Hall of Fame, but not on the first ballot.

And that’s just bullshit.

I’ve said pretty much all I have to say, so I’ll have to leave it up to the pantheon-level badass, Robbie Benson, to say what people can do with their first ballot exclusion.

The Time Reggie Fought Kobe

Jared Wade — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 23:30:38 +0000

Pacers vs. Lakers is by no means a rivalry. Honestly, I think the only cross-conference rivalry the NBA has is Celtics vs. Lakers. But Pacers vs. Lakers is steadily increasing on the overall interest side of things as more and more subplot threads unravel.

Most immediately, Indy beat LA earlier this year so … tonight … the Lakers … are … back … WITH A VENGEANCE. Plus, we know that Pacers great Chuck Person is now coaching in the City of Angels. And we had that whole NBA Finals match-up thing.

Best of all … remember this fight between Reggie and Mamba? I bet Kobe does. He never forgets. He is like a hiphopopotamus that way. Or is that an elephant? Who can remember?

The video comes to us from Complex’s blog, which included both Mr. Bryant and Mr. Knick Killer in its 50 Dirtiest Players in Sports History list. (They rank number45 and number 41, respectively. Your boy Ron Artest came in at number 22.)

Reggie’s Hall of Fame Status Closer to Official

Jared Wade — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:49:42 +0000

The Hall of Fame has unveiled its list of nominees for 2011 and Reggie Miller leads the candidates. Apparently, there are a few silly people who think he might not make it but … yeah … this is probably academic.

If you look at his career stats and his total of All-NBA/All Star accolades I could understand why there is a case to be made that he will not make it. At least not on the first try. I mean, Dominuque Wilkins for some unholy, who-know’s-why? reason even got snubbed in year one, so it is certainly a possibility.

But Reggie had so many moments — big, playoff moments that have their own names and are known by people who barely follow the sport. 8 points in 9 seconds. The 25-point fourth. The bank to send the Nets game into OT.

Thus, it seems inevitable that he will be enshrined very, very soon.

Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk offers a less-biased perspective:

There may never have been a better pure shooter to play the game than Reggie Miller. That’s the kind of player that should end up in the Hall of Fame.

And he might, Miller appears the most likely NBA player for induction on the ballot for the Naismith Hall of Fame, with the players nominated listed at NBA.com.

Miller has taken and made more three pointers than anyone in NBA history. He played 18 years for the Indiana Pacers, was a five-time All-Star, was the bane of the Knicks and Spike Lee’s existence for a few years, plus won Olympic gold in 1996. More than just the stats, he is as good a shooter as the game has seen, the kind of player that should be recognized by the Hall (which focuses on all aspects of the game, not just the NBA).

He’s a lock.

–

Get Direct Sat TV to follow all the Pacers action.

Pacers Player Word Cloud

Jared Wade — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:30:48 +0000

Over at Hoopism, they have created word clouds for the guys who have played the most minutes for every NBA franchise.

Here’s the Pacers list.

Reggie obviously dominates, but after that there are a lot of guys who stuck around for quite a while, including “Rogera Brown.” He was good, I hear.

Memory Lane

Jared Wade — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 23:53:56 +0000

Memory Lane will be a new feature this year (Season Dos) here on 8p9s. Basically, we’re just going to run some old moments of triumph, comedy and heartbreak from years ago.

For those of us who have been on the Pacers ship for some time like me (going back to Chuck Person) and Tim (going back to when mastadons and sabertooth tigers roamed the Midwest), this will hopefully provide some nice nostalgia. For others who may be younger or have joined Pacer Nation more recently, this will hopefully provide some nice edu-ma-cation. We learn ya good here at 8 Points, 9 Seconds, I always say.

Today, you get a double feature.

First comes a depressing moment in which MJ at his absolute apex — both literally in terms of his career arc and figuratively in terms of he jumps really high — blocks a Reggie Miller layup in most dramatic fashion, single-handedly swatting it away, then somehow saving it from going out of bounds and in the process sealing a Bulls win. This was merely a regular season game in 1992 so it’s not exactly a Tayshaun-blocking-Reggie-level kick to the groin, but it is still ouchy even 19 years later. I had so much resentment for how good that Jordan guy was. Still do when I think about 1998 in particular. (I mean, how did that Game 7 lead slip away? Get a rebound guys.)

(hat tip to Trey Kerby of the somehow-improved-this-year Basketball Jones)

The second item for this inaugural Memory Lane is much better. I mean, just look at the back of Rik’s hair.

Classic Smits. (via Fat Shawn Kemp)

Best part? The Chief totally photo-bombing Rik’s layup.

Rewatching…The Push Off