Fourth quarter not Miller time Associated Press
| | Miller ended up with 25 points, but it would be a tough ending for Indiana's Superman. | LOS ANGELES -- The script was laid out for Reggie Miller.
Yet for the fourth time in the NBA Finals, he inexplicably seemed
to forget his lines at the most dramatic moment.
Miller was held to one field goal in the final quarter as Los
Angeles beat the Indiana Pacers 116-111 in Game 6 Monday night,
giving the Lakers the NBA championship.
"We were measuring it like a heavyweight fight," Miller said.
"We wanted to win each quarter, and count those as rounds. We won
the first three rounds but lost the most important one, and that
was the fourth round."
Miller made himself famous during his career by seizing control
in the fourth quarter, but he couldn't produce during the final
period of four critical games in his first trip to the NBA Finals.
On Monday night, he finished with 25 points but only four came
in the fourth quarter. And with that, Indiana's chances of forcing
a decisive seventh game evaporated.
Still, his teammates refused to single him out.
"Reggie has been our go-to guy all year," forward Austin
Croshere said. "Win or lose, we're all going to go with him."
Only a long jumper with 2:41 on the clock that pulled the Pacers
within 110-105 ended Miller's drought. He also heaved a desperation
3-pointer that missed at the buzzer, making him 8-of-19 from the
field for the game and 1-of-4 in the fourth quarter.
"Reggie played hard," coach Larry Bird said. "He played
great."
Miller shared a few congratulatory hugs with some of the Lakers,
then walked wistfully off the court and to the Pacers' locker room.
In the first three games of the series, Miller failed to produce
a fourth-quarter field goal. Two of those games were at the Staples
Center, and that must have made it a difficult performance for
Miller to digest.
He grew up in Riverside, a one-hour drive from downtown Los
Angeles, and he was a college star at UCLA. And he was playing in
his first NBA Finals in front of several family members and close
friends.
"Anytime you get a chance to play in your hometown, you really
want to show up and play well," forward Jalen Rose said. "We're
all disappointed for Reggie, but we're also disappointed that we
didn't find a way to win."
Credit Ron Harper's defense for blanketing Miller, who shot a
dismal 1-of-16 in Game 1. Still, his teammates weren't about to
complain about Miller's effort in the series.
The Pacers had a good game plan and executed it well for 3-plus
quarters. And it wasn't just Miller.
"The Lakers really stepped up their defense," Croshere said.
"They got some loose balls and some offensive rebounds."
After winning Game 5 back home in Indiana by 33 points, the
Pacers knew they needed to carry the momentum back to Los Angeles.
They also knew they had to shoot well at the cavernous Staples
Center to keep the game close early.
"What we wanted to do was get into the game quickly, which we
did," Miller said.
When Mark Jackson swished an over-the-shoulder shot from near
halfcourt at the first-quarter horn, the Pacers had the early lead
they needed and it seemed it could be a magical night for Indiana.
Miller, for his part, scored 11 points by halftime and padded it
with 10 in the third quarter as Indiana took an 84-79 lead in the
fourth.
But the Lakers patiently chipped at the deficit, taking their
first lead since the first quarter at 91-90 with 9:02 remaining.
After that, Miller and the Pacers were on their heels.
Nonetheless, Miller called it a great season and said he leaves
feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"I've always watched the Finals in years past," he said. "The
teams that win it, they make the plays and make things happen. We
were a couple bounces away here and there from making those
plays."
|