8 Points, 9 Seconds , 18 Years: Top 10 Reggie Miller Moments

As the 2012 Pacers execute a "total team" mentality and the franchise is looking at one of its first winning seasons in quite a while, most Pacer fans have or will reminisce about the days of old. 

Once, there was a time where one man defined the franchise. Coming to Indiana meant you had to play against Reggie, and who knows how that would turn out for you. 

Playing the Pacers meant you had to play a complete game from start to finish. Even with a 10 point lead with a minute to go, you knew Reggie wasn't conceding— he was just about to go to work for the night.

As fan, we loved him. We loved his hard work, determination and his attitude.

And then he was gone.

Today, there is no one "face of the franchise" in the way Reggie had been. While certain players like Danny Granger have established themselves in the hearts of the fans more so than some of the other players, we don't have the same relationship with Danny that we did with Reggie. 

We went through more with Reggie. We counted on Reggie more, and he pulled through more. Let's take a look at some of the moments that made us love and admire Reggie Miller. Here are his top 10 moments. 

57 Points vs Hornets (1992)

On 11/28/92 Reggie put up 57 points against the then Charlotte Hornets, which would end up being his career high. 

Reggie vs. Spike Lee (1995)

While Reggie most famously battled the Knicks at Madison Square Garden many times over the course of his career, and that will be well documented in this slideshow, it all started on one night. 

The first time Reggie went off on Spike Lee and the Knicks was a night that saw him put up 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Pacers to victory. The rest is history.

8 Points, 9 Seconds (1995)

Arguably, one of the greatest playoff moments in history, Reggie Miller famously took the Pacers from an expected loss at the hands of the Knicks, to victory, in nine seconds. This feat would continue the trend of Reggie dominating the Knicks and winning his showdowns at the Garden with Spike Lee.

Game Winnning Shot Against the Bulls (1998)

In an unbelievable playoff moment in 1998, Reggie Miller took down the mighty Bulls with one shot. With 2.9 seconds remaining, Derrick McKey inbounded to Reggie who got off the game winning three at the buzzer. As you can see from the presentation in the video, this is one of the top 60 NBA Playoff moments and easily one of Reggie's Top 10.

38 Points, 48 Minutes Against the Knicks (1998)

1998 saw Reggie back at the Garden...again and he was doing great things...again.

On this night Reggie would tie the game with a three pointer with five seconds remaining which enabled the Pacers to eventually win the game. He scored 38 on the night, and his legend continued to grow in Madison Square Garden. 

Reggie Eliminates Knicks with 17 Point 4th Quarter (2000)

The year Reggie finally made it to the NBA Finals, he did so in Reggie Miller fashion: By beating the Knicks at Madison Square Garden by putting on a dazzling fourth quarter performance.

This night would see Reggie score 34 total points and 17 in the fourth quarter to ensure the victory. 

41 Points in Playoff Victory Over Bucks (2000)

While this game doesn't have the pizazz or folklore that some of his other moments do, this performance contributed to the team's NBA Finals run in 2000.

Reggie scored his all-time playoff high of 41 points in the contest and was clutch all night. He scored 18 points down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

33 Points in the Finals vs. Lakers (2000)

2000 turned out to be one of his best seasons, yet one of his most disappointing.

Reggie gave it everything he had to win an NBA Championship in his career and it just never happened for him. In his one shot at a title in 2000 against the Lakers, this game was his best performance.

In Game 3 of this series he scored 33 points on the night and made the clutch shots when the Pacers needed him to. As usual.

The 40-Foot Field Goal vs. the Nets (2002)

In 2002, Reggie hit one from way downtown to tie the game and force overtime. Not only was the shot incredible from where he shot it from, and that he amazingly tied the game, but later on he also dunked in overtime to force a second overtime.

Reggie's Last Game (2005)

Proving what he meant to Pacer nation is easy when you watch the reaction to his last NBA game. As the seconds ticked away and the Pistons defeated the Pacers in the playoffs, the fans let Reggie know how appreciative they were of him by chanting his name. It was a sad day for the Pacers, and for Reggie, but it had to come sooner or later.