Fresh off a disheartening 123-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2, it looked like the Indiana Pacers were in trouble. It seemed as though OKC has them figured out. But the Pacers have been punching above their weight class all playoffs long, and in Game 3, they were the better team, especially in the clutch, as they took a 116-107 victory over the Thunder on Wednesday night to regain control of the series.
There were a few Indiana sporting icons in attendance. One of them was Caitlin Clark, who continued to be a good-luck charm for the Pacers as they remained unbeaten in this year’s playoffs with her in attendance. But in attendance along with Clark was Pacers GOAT Reggie Miller, who sat courtside wearing a Flo-Jo Mark Jackson Pacers jersey. Miller can root for the Pacers without holding back this time, now that he’s no longer a part of the commentary crew calling the game.
After the Pacers’ win, Miller expressed his joy after seeing Indiana take care of business, and he revealed the biggest factor that fueled their crucial Game 3 victory.
“I think it was big for the Pacers [that] they never got down like in Games 1 and 2 by double digits. You gotta keep it close versus [the Thunder] cause we know how good they are when they stretch that lead,” Miller told player correspondent Dyson Daniels, via the official NBA account on X.
Much like others did, Miller shouted out the Pacers bench for their invaluable contributions; in particular, Bennedict Mathurin and TJ McConnell came in and kept Indiana in the game — setting the stage for the likes of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam to seal the deal late in the fourth.
“Their bench, their depth. We’ve seen that throughout the playoffs. Tonight, the Pacers [bench] got the best of them. TJ was unbelievable, I thought his hustle, his steals [were great] and Mathurin provided the points for them,” Miller added.
Player Correspondent Dyson Daniels interviews Reggie Miller after Indy’s Game 3 win!
G4: Friday, 8:30pm/et, ABC pic.twitter.com/b4P68tbXZh
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Pacers look to finish the job 25 years after Reggie Miller’s NBA Finals heartbreak
In 2000, the Pacers finally broke through the Eastern Conference and made it to the NBA Finals for the first time with Miller leading the way. Alas, they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers and ended up losing in six games.
25 years later, the Pacers are in need of just two more wins to avenge that heartbreak, and Miller will certainly have their back every step of the way.
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