Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller finally made his much-anticipated appearance in “The Last Dance” on Sunday, and he did not disappoint.
One of the best quotes coming out of the latest episodes of “The Last Dance” came from Miller, who quipped that he once convinced himself that it was his ultimate destiny to retire Michael Jordan:
“We all looked at the Bulls as the standard model of success,” Miller said, via Brad Botkin of CBS Sports. “They were considered the best at that time. But we felt, and I feel to this day, we were the better team. The whole thing is, there was whispers that this was going to be Mike's last year. So I think a perfect storm was brewing. In my mind, I was thinking … ‘this is it. You're going to retire Michael Jordan.'”
Miller was referring to the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals matchup between his Pacers and the Chicago Bulls. It was an epic series and arguably one of the toughest in Jordan's illustrious career. As Miller expressed in “The Last Dance,” he was adamant that they were the favorite to advance to the NBA Finals (Mark Jackson has said the same) and that he was about to give Jordan one final blow before he retired.
As we'll see next week in “The Last Dance” the Pacers pushed Chicago all the way to an amazing Game 7 matchup at the United Center. Ultimately, however, it was Jordan and his Bulls that emerged victorious in a tight Game 7, leaving Miller and the Pacers disappointed yet again.
Miller's statement came in the final moments of Episode 8, and it was a great teaser of what's to come for next week's episodes of “The Last Dance.” There will surely be a deep dive into that epic series, showing just how close the Pacers came to ruining that final Bulls run, only to fall just short.
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