PACER REPORT

After a horrible shooting performance in Game 1, Indiana guard Reggie Miller blamed himself for not being mentally ready.

“I don’t have any bad feelings about L.A., but you know, you need that extra motivation, you need that extra. . . . something to get you ticked off,” Miller said.

“I think I created that myself by going one for 16 [shooting in Game 1] of my first ever NBA finals. So, I’m more upset with myself now. Now I’ve got to contend with myself which is kind of scary, if you can believe that.”

Miller’s looking forward to the series moving to Indianapolis’ Conseco Fieldhouse, where the Pacers have been dominant.

“If you look at it, [the Lakers] were 36 and 5 here at Staples, and we were 36 and 5 [at Conseco]. We filled the house. We both have the same best home record. It’s tough to win in here.”

Miller really must be looking forward to returning to Indiana after another poor shooting performance on Friday. Miller was seven for 16 and scored only two points in the fourth quarter.

Miller said he doesn’t feel pressure playing the Lakers in Los Angeles because he doesn’t stay in the area as much as he used to.

“It’s not as much pressure as people think. Yes, I do have a home here, but I don’t spend a lot of time in Los Angeles,” Miller said. “I think the last six or seven years, I’ve stayed in Indiana. But my mother and father are in Riverside. [His sisters] Tammy and Cheryl live here. Most of my close friends are in Indiana and I just have acquaintances here in the Los Angeles area. . . . It’s not like after every season I come back here and I’m here the whole summer. It’s not a true homecoming, but I am from here.”

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As a player, Indiana Coach Larry Bird did not shy away from speaking his mind and he was known as someone who would motivate his teammates with sharp comments.

As a coach, Bird picks his spots more carefully. After the Pacers’ lopsided loss in Game 1 to the Lakers, Bird did not challenge his players too much.

“We played so bad the last game, you know, we talked about it,” Bird said before Friday’s game. “But, we just went over a bunch of stuff, watched a lot of film. We just weren’t there. A lot of it had to do, I believe, with the fact it was the first game these guys have ever been this far and we didn’t put anything together.”

Bird said he uses a different style when he wants to get a message to a player.

“Individually, when I talk to them. . . . face-to-face, I do [challenge them],” Bird said. “But not on the court. You know, everybody was down [after Game 1’s loss]. It’s not good for me to go out there in a group and really get after someone. These guys are very sensitive. Everything you say to them, they take it to heart.”

IN QUOTES

“We had a golden opportunity tonight that slipped through our fingers.”

REGGIE MILLER

on Game 2 loss

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“What can I say? A guy goes back-to-back 40s, you’ve got to give him credit.”

REGGIE MILLER

on Shaquille O’Neal