Instead, he turned to run back to the 3-point line, took one dribble and jumped. "I easily could have gone in for the lay-in," Miller said. Greg Anthony was wide open for the inbound pass, but as Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy put it, "Reggie absolutely shoved Anthony." Anthony fell to the ground and Miller got the pass. He came out of a timeout with 18.7 seconds left, down 105-99, and launched from behind the 3-point line to cut the Knicks' lead to three. "I felt we were a much better team than the Knicks at that particular time. "I was so upset, first of all, that we were down," Miller told The Indianapolis Star. Miller felt no different from Walsh, trailing by six near the end of that game. And what he missed may have been the greatest one-man comeback in the history of the NBA. Rushing next door to a security office, Walsh watched the final seconds of the game on a tiny TV as Miller drained two free throws to seal the win.īut Walsh missed most of the magic that happened 25 years ago on May 7, 1995. "I said, 'What in the hell are you talking about?' " Walsh said. "Donnie," he said again. "You're not going to believe this. It was time to smoke.Īt the door of the dressing room, Daniels ignored Walsh's rejection. But with 18.7 seconds to play, they had squandered the lead. The Pacers were down 105-99. The Pacers had led the first game of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks by nine points near the end of the third quarter. I don't need it, Mel," Walsh answered.ĬORONAVIRUS & SPORTS: Get the latest news and information right in your inbox. He hears Pacers director of player personnel Mel Daniels through the door: "Donnie, you're not going to believe this." Walsh inhales, exhales and still feels enraged. Someone knocks on the door. Walsh doesn't answer. "I'm in the dressing room smoking a cigarette, pissed off." They didn't play well today," Walsh, then the Indiana Pacers president, remembers saying to himself. His eyebrows furrowed, and with his cigarettes calling him, he stormed out of Madison Square Garden and slid into a side locker room. Watch Video: Will NBA players be ready physically when games resume?ĭonnie Walsh was fuming he wanted to throw a punch or something.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |