On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Indiana Pacers shooting guard legend Reggie Miller turned down Boston Celtics President Danny Ainge’s offer to join the 2007-08 Celtics as he sought to assemble a contender that summer. Miller, a luminary known for his lethal outside shot, had been retired for two seasons after 18 campaigns with the Pacers. However, he gave the offer real consideration when he received the call from Ainge.
“I’m always flattered when my name is mentioned as someone who
“(I have) contacted Reggie and he is contemplating a comeback
with us,” shared Ainge on the prospect of adding Miller to the juggernaut he assembled.
Ringless despite nearly two decades in the NBA, the offer was appealing to Miller even after the long break as a player and his relatively advanced age.
In the end, the prospect of life on the road was too much for the former Pacer to endure, or so he said at the time.
“I can still shoot with the best of them,” offered the then-reigning all-time 3-point shooter (Ray Allen was still some time away from passing him in total 3-pointers made) via Adande.
“Mentally, I don’t know if I can do eight months,” he explained. “February, March, I would have been dead.”
“I want people to know, I wasn’t coming back because I was bored,” Miller added. “I wasn’t. Michael Jordan was bored when he came back. I didn’t miss the games, I didn’t miss the locker room, I didn’t miss the bus, I didn’t miss the planes. I wanted to come back to play with Kevin (Garnett) and possibly win a championship.”
“That was the reason I took it seriously and went two-a-days for two weeks straight,” he added.
And that was the end of the possibility of Reggie Miller as a Celtic.
Later, Miller admitted it just wasn’t enough time to get into game shape according to the Boston Globe’s Shira Springer. Ainge revealed that had he known that was the obstacle, he’d have given the legend more time, creating one of the more intriguing ‘what ifs’ of Celtics history.
Finally, it is also the date the Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 110-106, to win Game 4 of the 2020 NBA playoffs’ first-round matchup against their Atlantic Division rival.
Held in the so-called Orlando bubble at this late date due to the pandemic, Boston completed the four-game series sweep.
Thirty-two points from veteran guard Kemba Walker and 28 points plus a career-high 15 rebounds for budding star forward Jayson Tatum secured the win, which enabled the first sweep of the Sixers in the postseason history of the two teams.
“This is the reason I came to Boston,” Walker said at the time via the AP. “That’s why I’m here for. To play high-level basketball each and every night. That’s what we’ve been doing.”
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