The New York Knicks took a 2-0 series lead on the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night in another gutty effort in front of a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd.
Things looked bleak for the home team as halftime arrived with the Pacers leading by 10 and Jalen Brunson’s status unknown having left for the locker room with a foot injury. However, Brunson would return in the third quarter to lead a big run to push New York to an 8-point edge entering the fourth. In that fourth, Indiana cut the deficit to one possession on a few occasions, but could never reel in the Knicks who always had an answer in the form of a timely bucket — even with OG Anunoby leaving in the third quarter with a hamstring injury.
As the Knicks finally took control of the game for good in the final minute, the New York crowd decided to serenade Reggie Miller one more time, as TNT flew Miller in for Game 2 while the Nuggets and Timberwolves series he was calling had an extended break until Friday’s Game 3. Miller and the broadcast crew were fairly oblivious to the loud “F**k You Reggie” chant cascading down from the crowd (or at least did a good job ignoring it) until Josh Hart came over to their broadcast table to make sure Miller knew exactly what the New York faithful were saying.
Brian Anderson’s nervous laugh as Hart’s f-bomb hit Miller’s hot mic really makes this — at that point the audience had heard that word very clearly a number of times by way of the chant. Hart, who has become the avatar for this Knicks team’s spirit, couldn’t help but help pass the Knicks fans message along to the Hall of Famer who was public enemy number one for so many years in the Garden — and still is, apparently.