“I Can’t Stand the Knicks”: Reggie Miller Blames Josh Hart for Fueling Fans’ Anger Over Decades-Old Rivalry

Reggie Miller is arguably the biggest villain in the New York Knicks’ history. So much so that during the Knicks vs Indiana Pacers Game 2 in the Conference Semi-Finals, fans at the MSG chanted “F**k you Reggie.” Miller was there as an analyst for TNT, yet the New York faithful didn’t seem to have gotten over Miller’s heated battles with their team. Appearing on his friend, Mark Jackson’s podcast, Miller spoke about the chant and his interaction with Josh Hart, who made sure the Pacers legend heard the noise.

“This is why I can’t stand the Knicks. Because, to be the frontrunners, they think they are God’s gift to basketball. Fine, you can think that all you want. But don’t frontrun when you guys are up, and then you guys want to talk stuff because the whole game was great,” he said on The Mark Jackson Show.

“Where gasoline was poured on it, is when Josh came over to me. I don’t think there was anything malicious, I think he was trying to be funny, but it was an open mic. So when he came over, I didn’t know what he was gonna say. But for him to pour gasoline on this saying, because all you heard on the mic was him saying, ‘F you,’ so people thought that he just came over to me and said, ‘F you,’ which wasn’t the case,” Reggie added.

When the Knicks finally got the win in Game 2 in the bag last month, the team’s fans expressed their distaste for the man who knocked them out on multiple occasions. Fans chanted, “F*** you Reggie” toward the end of the game, which prompted Josh Hart to walk up to the NBA icon as well.

The Knicks guard pointed out to Miller, “I don’t know if you heard but I think they’re saying, ‘f— you,” Hart then explained during a postgame interview, that he wanted to make sure Reggie Miller heard it clearly. This didn’t go down too well with the Pacers legend, as stated above. Reggie also mentioned that he received messages from his friends and close ones about their disgust for Hart’s alleged comment that was portrayed wrongly. But how did it all come to this?

Why do Knicks fans hate Reggie Miller?

The mutual hatred between Knicks fans and Reggie started during the 1993 NBA Playoffs. The Pacers lost the series 3-1 but it was Game 3 that started a bitter rivalry. The trash talk between John Starks and Reggie Miller went to a certain extent that the former ended up headbutting the Pacers player. Officials ejected Starks in the third quarter, as the Knicks handed the win to the Pacers on a platter.

From 1990 to 2000, the two teams faced each other on six occasions. Each franchise took the series win three times, as their gruesome rivalry came to an end. One of the best moments of their rivalry would be when Reggie helped the Pacers rise from the ashes in 1995.

In Game 1 of the ECF semifinals, the Knicks were winning 105-99 with less than 20 seconds on the clock. Reggie, known as one of the best sharpshooters in the NBA, scored 8 points in the last 9 seconds to give the Pacers the win. Indiana went on to win the series 4-3 that year.

Reggie embraces Knicks fans’ anger toward him, as he believes he played his role well as a Pacer. Knicks fans would likely continue to express their disgust toward Miller, considering how he held back their franchise from tasting some success in the NBA.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.