“Winning Time” Showcases Reggie Miller-Spike Lee Rivalry
Sports are filled with storied rivalries featuring teams, players and fans who absolutely despise each other. [Think of your school’s archrival.] One famous rivalry was between Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks superfan Spike Lee. Between 1993 and 2000, Miller rose to the challenge of leading an NBA mid-market team against a big city all-star lineup—and one of the most vocal courtside fans in NBA history. ESPN replays it all in their 30 for 30 documentary, “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks,” directed by Dan Klores.
Hard fouls, trash talking and stare downs were a part of every playoff game between the Pacers and Knicks. “For three years…it was one of the hottest tickets in Indiana as well as New York,” says Miller. “You couldn’t buy tickets to see these games, because people understood the passion between both teams.”
The rivalry was intensified in Game Five of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals in Madison Square Garden when Miller responded to Lee’s taunts by scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter, catapulting the Pacers to a 93-86 victory. The New York Daily News ran a headline saying, “Thanks A Lot Spike,” and Miller earned the nickname “Knick Killer,” making him a hated enemy of New York fans for years to come.
Miller’s back and forth trash talk with Lee was an entertaining sideshow to the Pacers-Knicks main event. Perhaps Miller’s most famous jab was flashing the choke sign at Lee. “Spike was yapping over on the sidelines,” says Miller. “He was saying, ‘You guys stink. You guys are still hicks,’” which generated the “Knicks vs. Hicks” taunt.
Commenting on Lee’s constant provocations of Miller, sportscaster Ahmad Rashad says, “If you go to playgrounds across the country, there’s always one little guy who can’t play very well. But he stands over there and talks all crap. He’s the instigator. And so, when great players come in, not only do they want to beat you, but they want to shut him up, too.” Miller certainly shut Lee up during the 1995 NBA Playoffs when he scored eight points in the final 8.9 seconds to steal Game One by two points.
Responding to fans’ questions whether the rivalry was just theater, Miller says, “Absolutely 100 percent, it was not an act. I could not stand Spike and the Knicks, and certainly they could not stand me.”
Instead of crumbling under the pressure of a hostile environment in Madison Square Garden, Miller rose to the occasion. He used Lee’s trash talk and the jeering crowd as motivation to win games and gain the respect of his opponents. Young athletes should respond in kind when facing hostility. Don’t contribute to the trash talking. Shut it up with your game, like Reggie Miller.
P.S. Miller and Lee have since made amends.
“Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks” is now available on iTunes.
Source: 30for30.espn.com
Photo: nysportsjournalism.com
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“Winning Time” Showcases Reggie Miller-Spike Lee Rivalry
Sports are filled with storied rivalries featuring teams, players and fans who absolutely despise each other. [Think of your school’s archrival.] One famous rivalry was between Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks superfan Spike Lee. Between 1993 and 2000, Miller rose to the challenge of leading an NBA mid-market team against a big city all-star lineup—and one of the most vocal courtside fans in NBA history. ESPN replays it all in their 30 for 30 documentary, “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks,” directed by Dan Klores.
Hard fouls, trash talking and stare downs were a part of every playoff game between the Pacers and Knicks. “For three years…it was one of the hottest tickets in Indiana as well as New York,” says Miller. “You couldn’t buy tickets to see these games, because people understood the passion between both teams.”
The rivalry was intensified in Game Five of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals in Madison Square Garden when Miller responded to Lee’s taunts by scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter, catapulting the Pacers to a 93-86 victory. The New York Daily News ran a headline saying, “Thanks A Lot Spike,” and Miller earned the nickname “Knick Killer,” making him a hated enemy of New York fans for years to come.
Miller’s back and forth trash talk with Lee was an entertaining sideshow to the Pacers-Knicks main event. Perhaps Miller’s most famous jab was flashing the choke sign at Lee. “Spike was yapping over on the sidelines,” says Miller. “He was saying, ‘You guys stink. You guys are still hicks,’” which generated the “Knicks vs. Hicks” taunt.
Commenting on Lee’s constant provocations of Miller, sportscaster Ahmad Rashad says, “If you go to playgrounds across the country, there’s always one little guy who can’t play very well. But he stands over there and talks all crap. He’s the instigator. And so, when great players come in, not only do they want to beat you, but they want to shut him up, too.” Miller certainly shut Lee up during the 1995 NBA Playoffs when he scored eight points in the final 8.9 seconds to steal Game One by two points.
Responding to fans’ questions whether the rivalry was just theater, Miller says, “Absolutely 100 percent, it was not an act. I could not stand Spike and the Knicks, and certainly they could not stand me.”
Instead of crumbling under the pressure of a hostile environment in Madison Square Garden, Miller rose to the occasion. He used Lee’s trash talk and the jeering crowd as motivation to win games and gain the respect of his opponents. Young athletes should respond in kind when facing hostility. Don’t contribute to the trash talking. Shut it up with your game, like Reggie Miller.
P.S. Miller and Lee have since made amends.
“Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks” is now available on iTunes.
Source: 30for30.espn.com
Photo: nysportsjournalism.com