There are just some players you don't dare rile up, no matter the circumstances. Of course, the most prominent one was Michael Jordan, who could take any slight—perceived or otherwise— and use it as fuel to dominate the court.
However, there have been others throughout NBA history, and one of them was Reggie Miller . The legendary sharpshooting guard of the Indiana Pacers was known for his trash talk and mental warfare tactics, often getting under opponents' skin with his relentless trash-talking. Defensive specialist Tony Allen , a rookie then playing for the Boston Celtics, learned how bad an idea it was to poke Reggie in their first-round series in 2005.
Misguided exuberance
Exuberance can be a good thing for a rookie in the NBA. Allen, the Celtics' 25th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, was trying to make a name for himself in his first postseason appearance. A 6-foot-4 guard with abundant energy and grit, Tony got the home crowd into a frenzy with a putback slam in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers.
Whether it was the sudden rush of adrenaline or the energy from the crowd, TA got a little too carried away and decided to taunt Miller after the dunk. He approached Reggie and shoved the ball into his stomach, thinking it would intimidate the veteran guard. However, the Pacers legend calmly took the ball and said some ominous words to the Oklahoma State product.
"I remember getting a tip dunk and getting the rebound. Reggie Miller was trying to hurry up and take the ball out of bounds. I grabbed it and pushed it to his stomach. He told me, 'Young fella, you just woke me up,'" the 2008 NBA champ shared in a conversation with former teammate Paul Pierce.
Although Reggie was already in the twilight of his career, the 39-year-old was still a stone-cold killer who didn't need a reason to turn up the heat on his opponents. Unfortunately for the Celtics, the intrepid rookie gave the iconic wingman one.
"He went on the next game and had 34, and they beat us in that series," Allen stated, eliciting boisterous laughter from "The Truth."
Related: Michael Jordan opens up about his older brother Larry not making the NBA: "He has always been a good player, but he just didn't grow enough"
Too much barking
Granted, the Celtics opened that series up in dominant fashion, winning Game 1 102-82. It was a promising start, but the series was a race to four, and Boston only had one win. However, that fact did not stop some C's from puffing their chests and talking trash.
"Dog, I remember that. Was that the one where Ricky (Davis) was like, 'We gonna sweep them! Get out the brooms?'" Pierce surmised, highlighting the overconfidence that may have contributed to the Celtics' downfall.
The Pacers eventually eliminated the third-seeded Celtics in seven games, winning Game 7 on the road, 97-70. Miller was a huge reason for that series win as he averaged 15.6 points, which was not bad for a 39-year-old playing in the final postseason of his illustrious career.
Related: "I was lifting weights all that week" - When Tony Allen got disappointed after LeBron James didn't go at him during a regular-season matchup
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