The rivalry between Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller is among the great storylines of the 1990s. The Pacers were among the best teams not to win a title.
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With the Bulls and Pacers being in the same division, Jordan faced Miller regularly over the course of 10 shared seasons. Miller was a lightweight, weighing only 185-190 pounds. Miller differentiated himself from other shooting guards with constant off-ball movement to manufacture space.
Reggie is among the most clutch players in NBA history. Everybody remembers how he quieted Spike Lee at Madison Square Garden with 8 points in 9 seconds. As stone-cold killers come, Miller absolutely belongs to the top echelon. He had nerves of steel and had utmost faith in his practice.
Reggie Miller and the Pacers were ultimately one of only two teams to stretch MJ’s Bulls to the limit. They took the Bulls to 7 games in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals.
Michael Jordan says playing Reggie Miller is ‘like chicken-fighting with a woman’
During a 1998 interview, His Airness specifically highlighted the Pacers’ guard as someone he couldn’t stand playing against:
“I don’t really dislike anybody in the league, but playing Reggie Miller drives me nuts. It’s like chicken-fighting with a woman. His game is all this flopping-type thing. He weighs only 185 pounds, so you have to be careful, don’t touch him, or it’s a foul.”
“On offense, I use all my 215 pounds and just move him out. But he has his hands on you all the time, like a woman holding your waist. I just want to beat his hands off because it’s illegal. It irritates me.”
Beating Jordan may have been a Herculean task in the 90s, but Reggie at least earned himself the distinction of being one of the best to try. The above interview suggests that he definitely got under MJ’s skin on occasion, even though the Bulls legend emerged with the W.
