"I thought we were still down by one" - When Pacers forward Sam Mitchell almost ruined Reggie Miller's 8 points in 9 seconds against the Knicks

Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller‘s eight points in nine seconds in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks wouldn’t have made history if they hadn’t won the game.

People seem to have forgotten that Miller’s second 3-pointer, the result of an errant pass from Anthony Mason, wasn’t a game-winner but knotted the game at 105. The Pacers still needed a stop, hopefully a turnover, to win the game.

Almost messed up the moment

Miller’s game-tying long-range bomb was one of the best moments in Indiana sports history. But the moment after that was probably the lowest. Pacers forward Sam Mitchell fouled John Starks, sending him to the free-throw line for an opportunity to ice the game. Things happened so fast that Mitchell was not fully aware of the scoreboard.

“I reached out and I grabbed John Starks because I thought we were still down by one,” Mitchell said in 2020. “Everything happened so fast, I lost track of the score. As soon as I fouled, I looked up and saw that the score was tied and man, I could have just shot myself right there. I felt I had blown the game.”

Instead of acting frantically at Mitchell’s mishap, the Pacers remained calm. They immediately moved on from Mitchell’s error and focused on the next possession. There was ample time left to make up for that mistake and win the game.

“Like a baseball team, we’re going to cover it, we’ll pick you up,” Pacers point guard Mark Jackson added. “That was the mindset. Sam made the mistake, an honest mistake. It wasn’t the first mistake made in that game or that season. So we did what we’d become accustomed to doing, picking each other up.”

The real choker

Miller, realizing that Starks was going to shoot the free throws, suddenly felt a whiff of confidence. He knew John wasn’t ready for game time.

“Reggie Miller said basically, ‘Mitch, don’t worry about it. That you-know-what is gonna choke.’ He said that loud so that John Starks could hear it. And as soon as he said it, John Starks turned around and started yelling at Reggie,” Mitchell said.

Miller’s words were prophetic. Starks’ first free throw attempt was long. And as expected, his second free throw attempt was short. Miller and the Pacers knew just by Starks’ body language and facial expression that he wasn’t built for the moment.

“You can look in John’s eyes and he just wasn’t as comfortable as he normally would be…And Reggie, being Reggie, got under his skin. I don’t know if it played a factor, but I know it made for good TV,” Jackson said.

In the fight for the rebound, Miller was fouled by Anthony Mason. The sharpshooting guard aptly drained the two free throws to put the Pacers up two points. With no timeouts left, the Knicks looked confused and ran a horrendous play.

They say it ain’t over, ’til it’s over. The adage proved true in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Pacers and the Knicks. Sandwiched between the choking acts of Mitchell and Starks were two consecutive 3-pointers by Uncle Reg that stamped his name as a legend of the sport and one of the clutchest performers ever.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“I thought we were still down by one” – When Pacers forward Sam Mitchell almost ruined Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds against the Knicks

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