Rick Carlisle continues to marvel at the misfortune his team has had this season – both what the Pacers have brought upon themselves and some they haven’t.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” the head coach said before the Pacers played the Nets last night at the Meadowlands. “For us to stay keep fighting and stay in the playoff race is really a testament to these players.”
The Pacers have been hurt by the prolonged absences of Ron Artest – who NBA Commissioner David Stern said will definitely be out for the rest of the season because of the December brawl in Detroit that also cost Jermaine O’Neal and Stephen Jackson games.
O’Neal has also been lost again, on the injured list with a sprained Right shoulder, while Jamaal Tinsley has been out with a bruised left foot.
Still, the Pacers entered last night’s game in seventh place in the East. One of the few stabilizing forces for the Pacers has been the guy who has been there the longest.
“What Reggie Miller has done for us can’t really be described,” Carlisle said. “To think of what he’s doing at 39 years of age is remarkable.”
Miller has said that he will retire at the end of this season, but has rarely looked better than he did last Friday, when he scored 39 points against the Lakers.
“What he’s doing this season I don’t think has ever been done before,” Carlisle said. “To score 39 points at 39 at his position is unprecedented.”
Carlisle pointed to Michael Jordan as a player who couldn’t match Miller’s productivity at a similar age.
“When Michael came back, it was as a small forward,” Carlisle said.
Miller insists he will hold true to his retirement announcement, but many more performances like the one on Friday night may help him change his mind.
“He says it’s his last year,” Carlisle said. “But we’re going to do everything we can to talk him into coming back.”