Liking Reggie Miller

I used to hate Reggie Miller. I never trusted his beady eyes and Q Bert looks. He was like an alien from outer space. But now, in his final year, he has come alive. It's as if he's simply been content to lounge about and shooting the occasional three; but now that key players are hurt and/or suspended from the league for the season, he has burst forth to take over games and put amazing numbers on the board, while shooting a huge percentage. He's not out there hacking away because he's Reggie Miller and there's nobody else. He's still really good is what it comes down to. And this is his last year. He's not coming back. He's been in the league a long time, and, in a lot of ways, he looks the same as he did when he came in. And that's why I'm liking him right now. When aging stars get a chance to shine they usually force the issue or play dirty to get their points. Reggie's still playing his game. Which impresses me, because it's not like he hasn't always been good; it's just that he subsumed his game for the benefit of the new younger egos on the team, like Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest. All the while that they have been putting big numbers on the board, Reggie's been sitting on the bench, knowing he could take the game over if he wanted to. Only he never did. Until now. When they need him. When there's nobody else who can do it. It's a brilliant end game for a weird looking basketball player who didn't have the charisma of the other guys, and looked somewhat like an alien. Bravo!