The aftermath of the Eastern Conference Semifinals series between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers is still being felt.
In recent days, both Dan Le Batard and Pat McAfee among many others have criticized and openly mocked ESPN/ABC’s coverage of Game 7 between the Knicks and Pacers. There appeared to be a lot of catering towards New York and no such favor curried to Indiana. It didn’t help matters that, later in the week, Tim Legler revealed some dispiriting conversations that had occurred about the Pacers and the network.
Meanwhile, there’s TNT’s Reggie Miller. Miller joined The Dan Patrick Show this week to discuss the series and the Eastern Conference Finals. A former Pacers legend, Miller worked as an analyst in Game 2 of the series between the Knicks and Pacers. Naturally, he was the source of vitriol from Knick fans who attended that game. Miller responded to the situation on the show and also had much to say. Then, on Thursday, more comments from Miller surfaced.
Ben Golliver, a Washington Post writer, quoted Miller saying, “I hope people understand I call the game down the middle. I wasn’t like their Game 7 on ABC, which was like an MSG production. I call the game down the middle. That’s my job. I wasn’t coming there to call the game for Indiana.”
It’s true that Miller clearly played around with Knicks fans before Game 2. He alluded to ‘The Boogeyman’ returning to Madison Square Garden, the site of Miller’s most memorable moment as a New York villain.
Still, while there’s parsing through there, there’s not much parsing with that line on ABC’s Game 7 coverage. Whether ESPN cares or not about this criticism is yet to be seen. However, it must be said that it’s gotten enough attention that it’s now, undoubtedly, a thing.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022