Reggie wasn’t quite the center of attention during the 1987 NBA draft. 10 players were selected before Indiana Pacers chose to draft Miller with the 11th pick. He was surprised because he didn’t know much about this franchise and Pacer fans weren’t quite happy with this choice because Indiana didn’t draft the local star Steve Alford.
It didn’t take long for Miller to gain some respect from the fans as Reggie progressed fast and by his 3rd season he already averaged 24.6 ppg and that still remains the highest scoring average of his career. He also proved that he is a great 3-point shooter by hitting 150 out of 362 threes. He was selected to play in the All-Star game for the first time in his career. Reggie was a beast during his early years in the league.
Reggie hit more and more threes every year and in 1992-93 season he set a new franchise record with 167 three-point field goals. The great 3 point shooter Miller also scored his career high 57 points against the Hornets that season. He averaged more than 20 ppg in each season from 1990 to 1993 but Indiana never won a playoff series. However it all changed next season…
Reggie’s points per game average had slipped a bit but he did hit his long-distance shots very accurately (his 3p% was 0.421). The most important thing was that his team was playing very good and Pacers finished with franchise-high 47 wins. Indiana beat Orlando and top-seeded Atlanta as they advanced to the conference finals where they played the Knicks. These series took Reggie’s popularity to a whole another level mainly because of his epic game 5 performance. This was probably the best game of his career as he was practically unstoppable. Reggie scored 39 points and 25 of them came in the 4th quarter. Although Knicks won the series Indiana and Reggie showed that they are for real. Miller was the leading scorer of the USA Basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championship.
1994-1995 was another great season for Reggie as he averaged 19.6 points. Indiana’s roster saw improvement – they signed point guard Mark Jackson and he teamed with Reggie to help the Pacers win 52 games. Reggie was a starter at the All-star game for the first time in his career. Indiana easily dispatched Atlanta in the first round of the 1995 playoffs and they were going to face a familiar foe in the second round. Reggie was ready!
Miller proved once again that he’s a clutch 3 point shooter and single-handedly turned around game 1 by scoring 8 points in 9 seconds. He averaged 22.6 ppg in these series and Indiana beat the Knicks in 7 games. Unfortunately Pacers great playoff run was stopped by Orlando Magic and for the second season in a row they lost in the conference finals.
During the next 2 seasons Reggie remained as one of the top scorers and probably the best 3-point shooter in the league but his team wasn’t quite successful until 1997-98 season. However in the 1996-97 season Miller hit career-high 229 pointers and his 3P% was also spectacular -.427.
Larry Bird started to coach the Pacers in 1997 and next season turned out to be very successful. Miller was great and for the third time in his career he was selected to the All-NBA third team. Pacers won 58 games and had a deep playoff run and in the conference finals they met with a team which could draft Miller in 1987 but instead took Horace Grant – the 5 time NBA champions Chicago Bulls. In game 4 Reggie was the hero as he won the game with this clutch shot. Indiana had a legit chance to advance to the Finals as they were leading in the 4th quarter of game 7 but eventually they lost.
Next season Indiana Pacers again advanced to the Conference Finals where they again got beat this time by the Knicks. In 1999-2000 Reggie’s ppg slipped to 18.1 but he still earned his 5th All-star appearance which turned out to be his last. Pacers remained an eastern powerhouse and with Micheal Jordan gone their chances to finally advance to the finals were good and they used them. Indiana beat New York in the Conference Finals and earned their first NBA Finals appearance. Reggie finally had a shot to win his first ring at age 34 but LA Lakers turned out to be stronger and the series were over after 6 games.
During the next season Reggie became the first player to make 2000 3-point shots over the course of his career. During the first few years of the 21st century Indiana didn’t go far in the playoffs but Reggie was putting up very solid stats for a veteran player which he had become. However he still remained a great 3-point shooter and provided some amazing clutch plays in the playoffs. Definitely one of his craziest clutch shots ever in this Reggie video.
2003-04 season was successful for the Indiana Pacers as they advanced to the eastern conference finals where they lost to the eventual champions Detroit in 6 games but Reggie wasn’t the leader of the team anymore. Pacers were strong and it seemed possible that Reggie could finally win his first championship ring but the pistons pacers brawl which occurred in the November of 2004 ruined his chances. Several Indiana players were suspended and the core of the team was severely damaged. So Reggie finally retired after the season.