pooh
12-10-2004, 04:02 PM
Link (http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/reggie_041209.html)
Renewed Reggie Ready to Carry Load
By Conrad Brunner - Dec. 9, 2004
It is important to remember, when the subject is Reggie Miller, that things like probability, reality and logic are often confounded to the point of irrelevance.
There really is no practical explanation for how and why a 39-year-old in his 18th season, coming off a month-long absence due to a broken bone in his left hand, can rack up 55 points in his first two games.
That is, however, just what Miller accomplished. After scoring 23 against Golden State in his first game back on Saturday, he torched Milwaukee for 32 – with 19 coming in his personal domain otherwise known as the fourth quarter – Tuesday night. The latter represented his highest scoring output since Feb. 18, 2001, when he scored 33 against the Lakers in what was then a rematch of reigning NBA Finals teams in Conseco Fieldhouse.
He not only looked like a guy who hadn't missed any time, he looked like a guy who managed to turn it back.
But ask Miller about his remarkable performances, and all you'll get is a shrug because the Pacers lost both games and, in fact, carry a five-game losing streak into Milwaukee on Friday night.
"I'm just playing basketball, that's all," he said. "We've got to find a way to win ballgames. It's not an individual (goal), what I'm doing."
Certainly not, but his personal productivity and the team's needs have intersected; which direction the Pacers take at this particular crossroads could well be determined by Miller's ability to continue to drive them. With Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest taken out of the equation by NBA suspensions, Miller is the lone pedigreed scorer on the roster. He spent the last two seasons largely deferring to rising young stars O'Neal and Artest. Now, he suddenly is in position to carry as much of the offense as he can.
The question is, how long can he possibly keep this up?
"There's no telling what he's capable of," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "I've said this before: never underestimate greatness at any age, especially when you're talking about Reggie Miller, because there have been a lot of people that have bet against him in the last 18 or 20 years and he's always proven people wrong.
"On the other hand, no one guy can carry this team right now. We need it to be a collective effort. Do we need Reggie to play at a high level? Yes. Do we need a lot of other guys to do it, as well? Absolutely."
Almost as impressive as his scoring has been Miller's ability to assume a heavy load of minutes immediately. He played 32 against the Warriors and followed up with 39 against the Bucks.
"These guys played for the most part without me for the first month and gave everything, so I'm going to give everything I've got until the cavalry gets back," Miller said. "I don't care if I have to play 45 minutes a night. I've got to pull my share like those guys did the first month when I wasn't playing. It doesn't matter. You can run me into the ground."
That isn't likely, regardless of the load he's asked to carry until O'Neal returns on Jan. 15 and Jackson comes back Jan. 26. In the 16 games until then, however, Miller could well be the fulcrum upon which the team's delicate balance rests. Thus far, he's been more than up to the task.
"He really looks good and he is fresh because he sat out and hasn't had the pounding of the first 16 or 17 games," said Carlisle. "At his age, right now, that looks like a positive. After 17-plus years, if his conditioning is there, a lot of this is like riding a bike: he's done it so often and so well and at such a high level. And he has worked meticulously to keep himself as ready as possible leading up to this."
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Miller's eruption is that it hardly came as a surprise to any of his teammates. Those who have been around for a few years have seen him defy the odds too many times to be shocked by anything he accomplishes.
"Even at age 39," said Austin Croshere, "we take him for granted."
Renewed Reggie Ready to Carry Load
By Conrad Brunner - Dec. 9, 2004
It is important to remember, when the subject is Reggie Miller, that things like probability, reality and logic are often confounded to the point of irrelevance.
There really is no practical explanation for how and why a 39-year-old in his 18th season, coming off a month-long absence due to a broken bone in his left hand, can rack up 55 points in his first two games.
That is, however, just what Miller accomplished. After scoring 23 against Golden State in his first game back on Saturday, he torched Milwaukee for 32 – with 19 coming in his personal domain otherwise known as the fourth quarter – Tuesday night. The latter represented his highest scoring output since Feb. 18, 2001, when he scored 33 against the Lakers in what was then a rematch of reigning NBA Finals teams in Conseco Fieldhouse.
He not only looked like a guy who hadn't missed any time, he looked like a guy who managed to turn it back.
But ask Miller about his remarkable performances, and all you'll get is a shrug because the Pacers lost both games and, in fact, carry a five-game losing streak into Milwaukee on Friday night.
"I'm just playing basketball, that's all," he said. "We've got to find a way to win ballgames. It's not an individual (goal), what I'm doing."
Certainly not, but his personal productivity and the team's needs have intersected; which direction the Pacers take at this particular crossroads could well be determined by Miller's ability to continue to drive them. With Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest taken out of the equation by NBA suspensions, Miller is the lone pedigreed scorer on the roster. He spent the last two seasons largely deferring to rising young stars O'Neal and Artest. Now, he suddenly is in position to carry as much of the offense as he can.
The question is, how long can he possibly keep this up?
"There's no telling what he's capable of," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "I've said this before: never underestimate greatness at any age, especially when you're talking about Reggie Miller, because there have been a lot of people that have bet against him in the last 18 or 20 years and he's always proven people wrong.
"On the other hand, no one guy can carry this team right now. We need it to be a collective effort. Do we need Reggie to play at a high level? Yes. Do we need a lot of other guys to do it, as well? Absolutely."
Almost as impressive as his scoring has been Miller's ability to assume a heavy load of minutes immediately. He played 32 against the Warriors and followed up with 39 against the Bucks.
"These guys played for the most part without me for the first month and gave everything, so I'm going to give everything I've got until the cavalry gets back," Miller said. "I don't care if I have to play 45 minutes a night. I've got to pull my share like those guys did the first month when I wasn't playing. It doesn't matter. You can run me into the ground."
That isn't likely, regardless of the load he's asked to carry until O'Neal returns on Jan. 15 and Jackson comes back Jan. 26. In the 16 games until then, however, Miller could well be the fulcrum upon which the team's delicate balance rests. Thus far, he's been more than up to the task.
"He really looks good and he is fresh because he sat out and hasn't had the pounding of the first 16 or 17 games," said Carlisle. "At his age, right now, that looks like a positive. After 17-plus years, if his conditioning is there, a lot of this is like riding a bike: he's done it so often and so well and at such a high level. And he has worked meticulously to keep himself as ready as possible leading up to this."
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Miller's eruption is that it hardly came as a surprise to any of his teammates. Those who have been around for a few years have seen him defy the odds too many times to be shocked by anything he accomplishes.
"Even at age 39," said Austin Croshere, "we take him for granted."