In the final 15.7 seconds of a night that turned from a playoff basketball game into an emotional tribute, time stopped for Reggie Miller.
As he walked off the court at Conseco Fieldhouse for his honorary substitution, the Indiana fans roared in a standing ovation, their cheers holding him from retirement. When Miller had hugged his teammates and coaches, Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown called a timeout so that Miller, the 39-year-old guard from California, could savor this moment -- his last of 18 seasons.
The Pistons were seconds away from closing out the Eastern Conference semifinals with an 88-79 victory when Miller put one final exclamation mark to his remarkable career: In retiring, he united the two teams in a gesture that tried to heal an NBA season that was marred by a brawl in November on the Pistons' home court that involved players from both teams and fans.
PHOTO: AP
His protege from the Pistons, Richard Hamilton, and the rest of the Detroit team hugged Miller, six months to the date of the fight.
Miller stepped to the bench just then, waving one final time to history. He had missed two 3-point attempts in the final 30.9 seconds and, despite his vintage 27-point performance, Indiana's season and his career were both over.
The victory allowed the defending champion Pistons to clinch this Eastern Conference semifinal series, four games to two, and move on to play Miami in the conference final beginning Monday. Miller moves on to retirement with no regrets.
"I've had better seasons and a little bit more joy, but personally, this was the most rewarding for me," Miller said, long after he had gone to each of his teammates and thanked them, one-on-one, in the locker room. "After what happened, no one really expected us to be here.
"It was an unbelievable ride," Miller said of the wave of fan support. "We celebrated together, and tonight we cried together."
Miller will retire without having won a championship, a point he made somberly, but with no lasting regrets. He found his shooting rhythm, going 11 for 16 Thursday night after shooting 38 percent in the series and struggling to score in double figures the last two games. As he hit four 3-pointers, curled off screens and knocked down jumpers, Miller almost carried his team to a Game 7.
"I was completely convinced he was going to find a way to extend his career," Brown said. "He played great; he played like he was 22 years old."
He was the best player on the floor for Indiana, and asked to explain to those who wondered why he would not play another year, he said, "I will tell them to look at Games 4 and 5."
Would he even consider a return?
"No, absolutely, positively 100 percent, this is it," he said.
Even his opponents were swept away with the power of his final performance and their own mixed emotions. "It was killing me inside that he was making shots," said Hamilton, who led all scorers with 28 points.
In the on-court embrace, Hamilton said he told Miller: "I told him, thanks, thanks for everything he had done. Everybody in the NBA should be thanking him because he plays the game the way it's supposed to be played.
"One thing he told me, yo, carry the torch. It's kind of crazy at his age, he was still was able to put up a performance like he did tonight; that just tells you how good he is."
Chanucey Billups, the Pistons' point guard, was overwhelmed with his own emotions. "Reggie was unbelievable; he didn't want it to end," he said. "If it wasn't for me playing the game, I didn't want his career to end either."
But in the end, the Pistons had more weapons than Miller's team. Although Jermaine O'Neal also awoke in Game 6, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, it was too late.
The Pistons overcame a six-point deficit early in the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run and never let up.
Rasheed Wallace hit a 3-pointer with 1:42 to play to give the Pistons a six-point lead, but Miller answered immediately with his own 3-pointer 11 seconds later, as the Pacers pulled within three points, 82-79. That was all Miller would do.
Hamilton hit a jumper off a screen with 53.1 seconds left to give the Pistons an 84-79 lead that would hold in the end.
But it was watching Miller play his last game that gave the players a chance to put the lasting impression on their rivalry.
"How about that? We played three games since the fight, six games in the playoffs, and guys were hugging each other," Brown said. "That was the thing that, to me, this whole series. I just thought it showed that through all the junk that happened, kids could just play basketball."
Miller, more than anyone, did that.
When the Pacers' best three players were suspended for their roles in the brawl, Miller took on a greater leadership role.
"That's what this season has been all about, finding a way to win," Miller said. "I didn't get the ultimate prize, but I tried."
Spurs 98, SuperSonics 96
Our guest today is Spalding.
He's an official NBA basketball. The one that sailed out of bounds just before halftime of last night's Sonics-Spurs playoff game.
Tell us about that, will you, Spalding?
"Well, it was kind of cool, actually. I landed a few feet a way from where Ichiro was sitting."
That's nice. But what happened on the play?
"Well, I was supposed to go to Luke Ridnour way out on the wing. Time was running down and the Sonics were angling for the final play of the half. They were trying to cut the San Antonio lead to three points, maybe two. Ray Allen was doubled, and he saw Luke was open. Luke sensed Ray's intention, moved a little left to take the pass, but Ray threw it to where Luke had been standing. Just a little miscommunication, I guess."
There seemed to be a lot of that going on last night.
"Yeah, I suppose. Ray misfired on passes four times in the first half alone. I told him to settle down, that he shouldn't try to do too much. I was spending way too much time in the stands."
Wait a minute. You talk to the players?
"Not all of them. I never said a word to Tim Duncan."
Why's that?
"He was all over me. He's like a clueless guy on a first date. All hands."
Does he hurt you?
"Not really. But he keeps flinging me around in the low post, losing the handle so the refs will call a foul. When he does that, I feel so used."
Duncan seemed to be having a hard time last night even when he had open shots under the basket. What's up with that?
"Sometimes the ball rolls in mysterious ways."
Are you saying you favored the Sonics?
"Let's just say I felt Seattle needed some beneficial bounces. The officials certainly weren't giving them any breaks. Did you see that tacky call on Nick Collison?"
Which one? Never mind. How did the rest of the game look from your perspective?
"It was a privilege to take part. That fourth quarter, I felt like cousins in the pingpong industry. Sorry, table tennis. Back and forth. Back and forth. I was exhausted. Sensational game."
Any special moments?
"I love it when Ray Allen is hitting his 3s. He had three in the second half; two of them were textbook. So smooth, beautiful arc, soft landing. It's like an amusement-park ride for basketballs. Sometimes I even lose track of where I am."
You said one of Allen's treys wasn't perfect.
"Well, it just hit the net kind of heavy. Gave me a little whiplash."
How about that fall-away jumper Ridnour hit to tie the game at 84?
"Sweet. He was a little off-balance. But he put me on a beautiful path. I knew I was good when I left his hand."
When Duncan missed a free throw that would have put the Spurs up by three, did you, uh, give the roll a little extra English?
"Nope. He blew that one on his own."
But in the last two minutes, when the Sonics could have used some help, Robert Horry hit a huge 3-pointer, and then Duncan fumbled his way through the lane and scored an excuse-me basket. Couldn't you have, well, bounced the Sonics' way?
"Horry's shot was perfect. Nothing I could do. Once we're in the air, we can't steer. On Duncan's play, I thought he walked. I was waiting for the whistle and wasn't really paying attention. When the basket was called good I was the most surprised object in the arena."
How about when Manu Ginobili missed the first of two free throws with just under a minute to go. What did you think?
"Ouch. He really clanged that one. Actually surprised me a bit. Ginobili usually has a nice touch."
And then Antonio Daniels did likewise at the other end.
"Yeah. Another clanger. I'm going to be black and blue tomorrow."
Your assessment of the game?
"It could be on ESPN Classic next week. I mean, 96-96 with 14 seconds left, the season on the line for the Sonics. You couldn't ask for anything more exhilarating. I was so excited at the end I might have been guilty of illegal circumference."
What happened on San Antonio's last basket?
"I knew I'd be going to Duncan down low. He made a great catch of a nice pass and kissed me off the glass ever so softly. I hardly felt it. You've got to hand it to him. He came up big when it counted."
With a half-second left, did you know what Daniels was going to do with you on the in-bounds pass?
"I figured I was going to Allen unless he had a heart attack or was eaten by Squatch."
Describe the shot.
"I felt OK as I left his hand. Not great. But pretty good. I thought I had a chance because on those corner shots it's hard to get a fix on the basket because there's no backboard to use as a reference point. But at the apex I could see the trajectory wasn't true. I knew I was going to hit iron, so I closed my eyes and prayed."
About 17,000 other people did, too.
"I felt kinda bad. The Sonics played well. They could have won it if only, if only "
If only they had gotten a few more bounces?
"Yeah. Guess it's my fault, huh?"
Don't worry about it. It's easier to blame the refs.
David Stern and Billy Hunter were here Thursday to discuss the NBA's steroid policy with the House Committee on Government Reform. But after nearly two hours of testimony, the talk outside Room 2154 of the Rayburn Building turned to the league's stalled labor negotiations.
"I have downgraded from optimistic to hopeful," Stern, the NBA commissioner, told reporters. "And now, frankly, to perplexed and, ultimately, despairing."
The league announced Wednesday that no further talks were scheduled.
Stern said Thursday that he felt the sides had been close to a deal last month. In return for union concessions on issues of contract length, raises and the luxury tax, the NBA had agreed to pay players 51 percent of the league's gross revenues, up from 48 percent in the existing deal.
"We've agreed to pay the entire membership of the union a very healthy sum," Stern said. "Our owners are looking to distribute that sum somewhat differently so the players that deserve it, get it.
"We're going to pay that money. To whom it gets paid is of particular interest to the agents, and that's why they're against the shortening of contracts."
According to Russ Granik, NBA deputy commissioner, who was in Indianapolis on Thursday for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the union has "backed off on a half-dozen issues" that had previously been agreed upon.
The union, Granik said, backed off having five-year contracts, the size of raises in those contracts and the issue of a luxury tax placed on teams that exceed the salary cap.
"The age limit, they backed off in part, too," Granik said, indicating that he thought the two sides had agreed on a 19-year age limit, up from 18, but not 20, as the league had wanted.
Hunter, executive director of the players' union, had met in mid-April with agents for some elite players.
He defended the role of the agents, whom he referred to as "an appendage of the union," but said he felt the league had questioned his authority.
Hunter said one NBA owner, whom he did not identify, had contacted an agent to inquire about what the union wanted out of the next deal. And Stern, Hunter said, had joked in a private conversation that the owners did not know whether to negotiate with Hunter or with the agents.
"Seven years ago, there was all this rhetoric about who was running the show," Hunter said. "It's a tactic the commissioner and the league use, and when they pushed the button this time, it was appropriate to respond."
In comments to ESPN.com on Tuesday night, Hunter suggested that his being an African-American hurt his credibility in the eyes of the NBA Stern said race had never been an issue in his dealing with Hunter.
"Those kind of statements are below him," Stern said. "He's a great leader, someone I know, and honestly I have no idea what he's talking about."
Neither Stern nor Hunter would say when they would return to the negotiating table, but Hunter said he would be willing to restart talks immediately.
"I don't want to create any ultimatums," Granik said. "They know how to reach us. In the last 48 hours, I've had more than one conversation with people on behalf of the union. We just have to get ourselves back to where there is a sense of we both know how far we can go."
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two