Reggie Miller had a colorful way to dispute a potential flagrant foul in Thursday’s Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.
In his role as a color commentator on TNT, the Hall of Famer scoffed at the suggestion that a foul by Miles McBride on Pascal Siakam could potentially be ruled a flagrant foul.
“I’ve been kissed harder than that,” Miller said.
You can see the play here.
Fellow broadcast Stan Van Gundy had some fun with Miller’s comment.
“Wow, you have, huh? You want to tell us more about that?” Van Gundy asked.
The foul in question involved McBride dragging Siakam’s arm to prevent the Pacers big man from getting an easy lay-up. The action didn’t seem egregious, but Siakam did take a relatively big spill, sliding into the base of the basket.
This wasn’t an example of Miller pulling for his former team, either. The former Pacers shooter was arguing that Indy should not get the call in their favor.
Instead, Miller didn’t like the idea that refs could crack down on physicality in the playoffs. He argued that, if the officials called a Flagrant 1 foul on the play, it would have a negative effect on the NBA playoffs.
“No way. This will set playoff basketball back if they deem this a Flagrant 1,” Miller said.
Ultimately, Miller did get his way. The officials ruled that there was nothing egregious and confirmed the call of a common foul.
The Knicks pulled away to secure a 111-94 win and force a Game 6. No word on Van Gundy hearing more about how Miller has been kissed harder than that foul, though.