Basketball Jones

Last Thursday night I spent the evening with my Father in-law watching a little basketball game in a small gym in the center of town. It was Game 6 Pacers v. Detroit at Conseco Field House. Detroit was up 3 games to 2 and the Pacers had been finding it really hard to get baskets lately. We were handed thunder sticks when we walked in and we made our way to the Suite behind the North basket early for once.

Tom blew up his thunder sticks and grinned like a three year old every time he banged them together. Indiana started out hot and lead for most of the game. With about 6 minutes left they ran into their series long shooting woes and Detroit took control of the game. Reggie Miller gave his best effort to try and pull off another miracle but it wasn't going to be. With 15 seconds Reggie was pulled out of the game for the last time in his career. After 18 years for one team, the NBA all-time 3 point leader, one of the 50 greatest players of all-time was calling it a career and we were there to watch.

We stood and clapped, Tom banging his thunder sticks like Bonds before drug testing, with 20,000 other people and it all of a sudden got real dusty in the arena. I am not much of a Pacer fan, not much of a Miller fan, but I am a huge basketball fan and I got to see one of the greatest players ever play his last game. I was caught up in the moment and leaking from the eyes with the rest of the appreciative fans that stayed to the bitter end to thank Uncle Reggie for the memmories!