Reggie’s Immediate Future
Pacers’ Primary Concern
Indianapolis, April 15, 2004
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Considering they haven’t even begun their first-round series yet, much road remains to be traveled before Miller’s future will be on the table for discussion.
“As much as everyone has talked about winning in the first round being important, our ultimate goal is to win a championship,” said Coach Rick Carlisle. “We’ve never made any secret of that fact. But we can’t put the cart before the horse. We’ve got to take care of things first. Everyone would love to win a championship and have Reggie ride off into the sunset but there’s so much work to be done before it makes any sense at all to talk about that. I’m shocked that it’s a topic of discussion right now.”
Of more consequence is Miller’s immediate future, and the role he will play in the Pacers’ postseason run, which begins against Boston Saturday in Conseco Fieldhouse in Game 1 of a first-round series. Historically a player who has ratcheted up his productivity in the postseason, Miller is coming off his lowest-scoring season since 1987-88 (his rookie year). He did not enjoy a strong playoff series against Boston a year ago, averaging 9.2 points on 28.3 percent shooting.
Carlisle said the team wouldn’t alter its offensive philosophy to carve a bigger role for Miller, but that room within the system already is built-in, should he opt to become more aggressive.
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“The priorities will be the same,” Carlisle said. “It’s just that perhaps he will become a little bit more of a priority in his own mind out on the court. I’ve seen him get more aggressive over the last week to 10 days. I think he’ll have the right sense for what’s needed out on the court. I haven’t talked to him that much about it because I think he really has the best handle on it of anyone. …
“We’re going to have to have a certain balance, offensively. Getting Reggie involved certainly will be part of the equation. But it really will be no different than the regular season. We’ve tried to strike a certain balance the whole way through. I don’t have great concerns about what’s going to be going on with Reggie. He’ll have the right feel and we’ll know when to try to get him shots.”
HARRINGTON HOPES TO END PLAYOFF DROUGHT
Thus far in his career, the playoffs have been like a bad dream for Al Harrington. His career postseason statistics: nine games, 23 points, nine of 46 shooting (.196). Against the Celtics last year, he averaged 3.0 points and was 7 of 33 from the field.
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“Physically, I was very tired by the time the playoffs came (last year),” Harrington said, “because I was trying to get in shape the whole season after my knee injury. It was a rough one for everybody.”
Carlisle said he wasn’t worried about Harrington’s ability to produce in the playoffs.
“What’s happened with the past with this team is not a great concern of mine,” he said. “What’s important is what we’re doing right now and what we’re doing to get better. Offensively, he’s letting the game come to him and defensively, he’s playing the game with force and he’s rebounding hard. Those are the three keys for him and all our guys. You can be aggressive on offense to a certain degree but you can’t force things that aren’t there. “
Harrington’s importance to the team is indisputable. A leading candidate for the NBA Sixth Man Award, he was third on the team in minutes (30.9), scoring (13.3) and rebounding (6.4).
“I just want to try to do the same things I’ve been doing all season, stay consistent and do whatever the team needs me to do to win,” Harrington said. “If it calls for me to score, score. If it calls for me to be out there bringing energy and defending and lifting guys up, I can do that, also. I’m just coming into it with an open mind.”
BENDER COULD BE X-FACTOR
Because he missed most of the regular season with a variety of injuries, Jonathan Bender will be something of an unknown quantity for Pacers’ playoff opponents. The explosive, versatile 7-footer appears to be healthy heading into the postseason, coming off a strong 11-point, 6-rebound outing against Chicago in the regular-season finale.
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“The last three games have been important to get his feet wet again since the shoulder injury, to try to get him back into a rhythm,” Carlisle said. “It’s been very helpful for him to get back out there and he’s done some very good things in the last two games in particular. He’s worked through some cobwebs. Another couple of days and I think he’ll be ready, as all the guys will be.”
Could Bender become an X-factor for the Pacers?
“Really, anybody on our roster could be an X-factor type guy,” he said. “You look at what (Austin) Croshere has been able to do on short notice off the bench. He’s had a lot of impact games, as Bender has. (Scot) Pollard has been solid for us and played really well (against Chicago). Kenny Anderson is sitting over there and has a lot of playoff experience. Our depth is going to be important to us. There will be a lot of times where we do different things depending on matchups and situation.”
BULLET POINTS …
