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This Day In Sports…June 1, 1994:
Film director and avid New York Knicks fan Spike Lee harasses Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller mercilessly from his courtside seat in Madison Square Garden. It was Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on NBC, and the Knicks were leading by 12 points after three quarters with Miller having scored a quiet 14 points. But Miller had had enough and put up 25 fourth quarter points, including five three-pointers, yelling at Lee as he ran by after every bucket. Finally, Miller infamously gave Lee the “choke” sign as the Pacers were about to win, 93-86.
It was the Knicks’ third straight loss after building a two games-to-none series, but they would go on to win it the 1994 series seven games. That was not the case in the playoffs a year later, as Indiana would top New York in seven games. And the fireworks began in Game 1, as Miller and Lee were in each other’s faces again. With just 18.7 seconds remaining, the Pacers were trailing by six when Miller incredibly scored eight points in just 8.9 seconds (on two three-pointers and two free throws) to secure a 107-105 Indiana win. Miller taunted Lee again during the flurry and added another “choke” gesture—one that became infamous in NBA lore.
Miller thus earned the nickname “the Knicks Killer.” He was a Pacers mainstay for all six of the team’s playoff matchups against New York from 1993-2000, so there were plenty of sequels in this battle with Lee perched in his sideline seat. The oncourt-courtside rivalry between Lee and Miller continued into the early 2000s before Miller retired after the 2004-05 season.
The relationship between Miller and Lee gradually thawed, and the two have since become good friends. Miller even had Lee write the foreword to his autobiography. Two years ago, during a TNT playoffs broadcast that included Miller, Lee came over to the table and gave Miller framed 1990s clippings from New York papers that had criticized Lee for his courtside shenanigans. Miller signed the articles, and the duo man-hugged, publicly putting their iconic trash-talking rivalry to rest.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
