Reggie Miller always enjoyed playing against the Knicks, but one specific instance really shocked the world.
Reggie Miller has always had an antagonistic relationship with the New York Knicks. He and the Indiana Pacers faced off against the Knicks on numerous occasions.
While the relationship hasn’t gotten better in the years since neutral fans remember Miller’s antics against the Knicks quite fondly.
And perhaps no date haunts Knicks fans more than May 7th, 1995 – a day when Reggie Miller immortalized himself as the villain of Madison Square Garden.
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On May 7th, 1995, the Indiana Pacers took on the New York Knicks in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Knicks came into the series as favorites, having reached the NBA Finals the previous year.
The Pacers were the third seed in the East that season. Coming into Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, the Pacers were facing an uphill battle.
But the Knicks did well to hold off the Pacers. With a little under 20 seconds left in the game, the Knicks were up 105-99. The Knicks were ready to take a Game 1 victory into the series.
However, Reggie Miller had other ideas.
With 18.7 seconds left on the clock, Miller made a clutch three to cut the lead back down to just three points.
Miller then shrewdly forced the Knicks to turn the ball over from an in-bound pass to make yet another clutch three, thus tying the game.
His coach Larry Brown later said, via TNT Sports: “What shocked me was that Reggie had the presence of mind to not take a quick two-point shot and instead took one dribble and got back behind the three-point line to shoot a three.
“That takes an amazing athlete to do that, a guy who literally has ice in his veins, a guy who loves the pressure and is willing to face the consequences if he doesn’t make the shot. I’ve never seen anything like it, even today.”
The Pacers then fouled John Starks, giving the Knicks the chance to take the lead. But surprisingly, the underconfident Starks missed both free throws. Patrick Ewing would miss a put-back chance as well.
Miller would reach the free-throw line after being fouled, and make two more free throws to give the Pacers a two-point lead.
And the Knicks would miss their subsequent game-tying efforts, allowing the Pacers to steal Game 1. The Pacers would go on to win the series and reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
Miller would end up scoring eight points in just nine seconds. It was a truly unreal performance, one that cemented him as an All-Time great.
Speaking about the feat, Miller told the Pacers media earlier in 2024: “Now that I’ve had time to reflect on the moment — when you’re in the middle, you’re trying to win the game, you obviously don’t think about it and the significance doesn’t dawn on you. Years later, I can appreciate it.
“It was a perfect storm for us… not for them, though.”
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