Hook Gets Attention of Miller
Jeffrey Denberg - Staff
Monday, May 29, 2000
New York --- The story of Reggie Miller and the missing 33 seconds refused to go away Sunday. Miller chafed under questioning. Indiana Pacers coach Larry Bird leaned back and fanned the flames.
If history tells you anything about Reggie Miller, he will be primed today when
the Pacers play Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
Bird reiterated his unhappiness with Miller and the rest of the Pacers after
they were beaten 98-95 Saturday by the New York Knicks, who played
without Patrick Ewing and lost Marcus Camby in the second quarter.
"The pressure's squarely on us," Bird said. "We didn't play well in Game 2,
so they should be up 2-1. But we had a chance to come in here and close
out the series. That's what I wanted to do, but I know the mentality of our
team. They're thinking, come in here and get one. That's how they are. They
talk that way."
There are no more than 11 games left in Bird's three-year coaching career,
and the mentality of his players so frustrates him he wants out in a hurry.
"I'm goin' fishing," he said. "Hopefully, we'll play for the championship and win
it, and then as soon as I can I'm going fishing."
But before he throws his hook in the water Bird is setting out bait for Miller,
hoping he can stoke his ego and reel in one of those Superman games.
Explaining his decision to keep Miller on the bench coming out of a timeout
with 33.7 seconds to go in a six-point game, Bird said, "He was frustrated
and all he wanted to do was talk to the officials, and I didn't want him out
there. . . .The other thing is we were scoring very well without him. But if they
had called a foul with 4.8 seconds to go, he would have been back in the
game."
The Miller controversy was fueled by an exchange between Miller and Boston
Globe columnist Bob Ryan after Miller responded to probing questions by
snapping, "Like I said, it is a coach's call. I am not going to check myself in."
Ryan: "Larry did it when he played."
Miller: "I'd like to see that when he did that. That is just a story. OK. You
were there, but you don't know what happened in the huddle. OK?"
Sunday, the question was put to Bird.
"Well, there was a tight game against the Pistons one time and the coach
said 'Jerry' and I thought he said Larry and I went in," Bird said. "I heard about
it from (coach) Bill Fitch later. Then, back in '81, we were up 12, 13 against
Houston and they scored eight in a row and I was getting edgy. (Teammate)
Rick Roby said, 'Go in the game.' I said, 'I can't do that,' and Rick said, 'Oh,
yes you can.' But I didn't."
Asked if he had ever done it under the easy rein of K.C. Jones, Bird said,
"No, I had too much respect for K.C. to do that."
Actually, he might have told Jones he was going in before he did it. |
