Reggie Miller will be back at Madison Square Garden almost 29 years to the day after his legendary performance in the same building, and he has a light-hearted warning for New York Knicks fans.
“Just know, the Boogeyman is coming back to town to call the game,” Miller said half-jokingly during an interview on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Monday. “I'm coming.”
Miller, the former Pacers star who famously tormented the Knicks during his playing days, will work as an analyst for the TNT team calling Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between Indiana and New York at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
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Although Miller promised he wouldn't show any favoritism toward the Pacers, the Hall of Famer isn't expecting a warm reception at MSG.
“I'm sure I'll hear the chants, I'm sure I'll hear all those naughty words,” he said. “I'm good with that, but I'm there to do a job, to dictate a game. I’m sure it will be a great series.”
Indiana and New York competed in the postseason six times over an eight-year period from 1992 to 2000, with Miller often playing the role of villain at Madison Square Garden, where he regularly feuded with Knicks players and fans.
Miller's most memorable MSG moment occurred on May 7, 1995, when he scored 8 points in the final 9 seconds to lead the Pacers to a 107-105 victory in Game 1 of the conference semifinals. In Game 5 of the 1994 Conference Finals, he achieved another record-breaking performance when he scored 25 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter while exchanging blows with Knicks superfan Spike Lee.
Reggie Miller and the Pacers faced the Knicks in the postseason six times over an eight-year period from 1993 to 2000. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Miller confirmed Monday that he had mended his relationship with Lee, saying they had “put a lot of our baggage under the bridge” despite being “connected forever.” But the five-time All-Star expects the renewed Pacers-Knicks rivalry to make him the target of fans' ire.
“I'll be surprised during the game if I don't hear, 'Reggie sucks,'” Miller said. “Actually, it would hurt me a little if I didn't hear, 'Reggie sucks.' I kind of want that.”
Miller, 58, played his entire 18-year career with the Pacers and is the franchise's all-time leader in multiple categories, including points, assists, 3-pointers, steals and games played. The Pacers and Knicks played to an even 3-3 split in the six postseason series in which Miller played.
The Pacers could have used some of Miller's late heroics Monday in Game 1, when they blew a nine-point fourth-quarter lead in a 121-117 loss that resulted in several controversial calls in the final minute.
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