Basketball is a game that is known for its clutch shot making. Sure there are walk-off homers, and last second FGs, or the final TD throws and catches to win games, maybe even the rare goal in stoppage time, but those situations are a lot rarer and you have to be lucky enough to even have a chance to come through in the clutch. To which Adam Vinatieri is very lucky to be in all the situations he was in, but he was still clutch enough to come through. However, looking at basketball we see last second shots that decide the game every night, regular season or postseason. They are a lot more common. Kids across America are always doing the countdown. 3, they pick up their dribble. 2, give a pump fake. 1, jump up and release. Buzzer. The jubilation comes as they pretend they won the championship. Every kid dreaming of playing in the NBA has dreamt of making that shot.
Every generation has one of those players that you trust more than ever with the game on the line. The ice in his veins. Not going to blink or second guess him. To me, that player is Reggie Miller.
Reggie Miller:
Hard to believe that any NBA player could be overshadowed in athletic achievement by their sister growing up, but Reggie Miller was. Scoring 39 points in a high school game, he came home to find out his sister(Cheryl Miller) scored 105 that same night.
Reggie Miller is a real life Forrest Gump story. He had braces on his legs until he was 4 and doctors said he would never be very athletic. Once the braces came off and his legs got stronger he started playing his older sister all the time. She was always bigger and taller than him growing up and he couldn't drive to the hole without being rejected. So Reggie developed a high arcing shot to get it over her tall frame. This would be a blessing as he practice this shot over and over which helped him become one of the greatest three point shooters of all-time.
Reggie Miller played all of his 18 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, something that I greatly admire. Unfortunately, he was never able to win a NBA championship, but that didn't stop him from putting on some great shows and performances. He had a lot of classic matchups with the New York Knicks in the 1990's. No greater moment though when he scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds, making two 3's in about three seconds. After stealing the inbounds pass(from his first 3) down three, he turned and ran to the three point line and turned back to throw it up and tie the game. That was an incredible moment that is hard to duplicate, but Reggie made big three after big three in his career. If you're down one and need to drive to the hoop, Reggie is not your guy. But if you're down two and want the win or down three and need to tie, Reggie is your man!
If I need a three at the end of the game, there is no one I want more than Reggie Miller!
It's Miller Time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSWE_Wbu80o
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