On a scale of 1-10 for worst earliest celebrations in league history, Reggie Miller's gaffe in 1994 has got to be an 11. After all, he egregiously took a bow in front of the Chicago Bulls' crowd after hitting a jumper with 0.8 of a second left that shoved his Indiana Pacers ahead, 95-93. However, the Pacers' victory dreams were crushed with a buzzer-beater by Bulls' forward Toni Kukoc.
The sensational rookie from Croatia
Playing in his first season in the Association after getting lustily pursued by then-Bulls general manager, the late Jerry Krause, Kukoc was seen as one of the first international players to usher in a new wave of international stars. Even though he was 6-foot-11, Kukoc's size and skill combination as a forward were unparalleled for his day. He had the court vision, ball-handling abilities, and defensive awareness of a guard in a much taller frame.
He also had an incredible shooting range, which Miller and the Pacers found out in that game. Finding a crease in the Pacers' defense, Kukoc caught the inbound pass from Scottie Pippen and banked in a three-pointer before the final buzzer sounded to give the Bulls the thrilling win.
Play wasn't for Kukoc
Kukoc later admitted that the play wasn't designed for him. However, with all other options covered by the Pacers' defense, Kukoc was the only one left who could attempt a shot in those precious remaining seconds.
"I was like the fourth option," said Kukoc. "The play was not designed for me. Nothing special, really. We won the game, and that's the most important thing. It's not just the last shot."
"Scottie made a great pass. I practiced this, really. You can ask Bill Cartwright and coach John Bach. But I had no idea it was going in," he added.
As for Miller, he tipped his hat off to Kukoc's miraculous shot which spoiled what he thought was already the game-winning basket.
"As you can see, you never really have it until the buzzer goes off," said Miller. "But give Kukoc credit. He hit a big-time shot. I thought we had all the shooters covered, but he got a good look."
More must-reads: