Even the finishing touch was a bit off. With Indiana down 64-60 to open the fourth quarter, Miller pulled up for a seven-footer, then hit two free throws to tie the score at 64 as the excited fans expected another one of Miller's patented fourth quarter scoring flurries.
In the closing seconds, Miller had a chance to seal the win with a 3-pointer from the right corner. When it rimmed out, he sat on the Bulls' bench in frustration.
Still, it was a game most will not forget.
Tickets went for much more than face value, No. 31 jerseys were scattered throughout the arena and some Pacers fans even drove to Wednesday night's game on the temporarily renamed "Reggie Miller Highway."
When the sold-out crowd finally were seated inside Conseco Fieldhouse, it was obvious this was not just another game; this was a chance for fans to say goodbye to their favorite player.
"Your remarkable 18-year career is like a one man Hall of Fame," Clinton said. "If I could have shot 3-pointers like you, I'd be in a different line of work."
Celebrities weren't the only ones who came to appreciate what Miller did for Indiana basketball.
The West Coast native who was booed when the Pacers chose him with the No. 11 pick in the 1987 draft is now revered by those same fans who chanted "Reg-gie" throughout the game.
"I think he is Indiana basketball," said Jarrett Hamood a 25-year-old from Elkhart. "If you had to pick someone to represent our state, I'd pick him."
Scoring more than 25,000 points, setting an NBA record for 3-pointers and becoming only the second player in league history to top 47,000 minutes with one team has a way of changing opinions. What Miller did for the Pacers, though, was even more remarkable.
He led a franchise from the brink of oblivion, one that once used public donations from a telethon to save the team, to the brink of an NBA title.
With Miller leading the way, the Pacers became a perennial playoff team and eventually an NBA title contender.
So after hearing about a half-dozen speakers laud his achievements, even the unflappable Miller couldn't hold back the tears.
"As much as you think I've given to you for 18 years, I'm truly blessed to be a Pacers and a Hoosier," he said, his voice cracking. "Thank you."
Piker 
