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Reggie Miller Will Remain Retired From NBA

In THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR, Bob Kravitz reports “Reggie Miller is not coming back after all. After two weeks of pushing his body to see how it might react to the punishment of an NBA season, Miller told The Star late Thursday he has decided he will not make a comeback with the Boston Celtics or anybody else. ‘That's it,'’ he said by telephone from his home in Malibu, Calif. ‘Physically, I know I could have done it. But mentally, when you do something like this, you've either got to be all in or all out. And I've decided I'm all out.”

Миллер не будет играть ни за Бостон, ни за какую-либо еще команду...он уходит на пенсию...

Интервью Шака и Алонзо

ALONZO:

By Maurice Brooks

Brooks: What’s up, Alonzo? The East is going to be completely different this season with the Celtics acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Talk a little bit about what Boston’s offseason deals do to the conference.

Mourning: I think it is going to be great. This makes things more interesting and gives the East a totally different look. Everybody is always quick to label the East as a jayvee league, but we won the championship two years ago and the Pistons won it a couple of years before that.

I think Garnett will balance the league. Bringing over a great player from the West will help make things more competitive and I’m excited about the challenge. This is my last year and I expect my team to go out with a bang. I think this is great.

Brooks: You guys just got a little deeper by picking up Anfernee Hardaway. Do you think he still has anything left?

Mourning: I think Penny coming back is good for us. He’s healthy, he’s hungry and he wants to prove to the world that he can play this game at a high level. He’s talented and versatile and he can play the one, two and three, which gives us another dimension off the bench. People aren’t going to recognize him. He’s in great physical condition. He is going to shock the world when people see how well he can play the game right now. He has fresh legs and he is hungry. He’s going to get back in there and showcase his talents.

Brooks: He is not the only former star traveling the comeback trail. Allan Houston and Reggie Miller, two of the best shooters in NBA history, are also talking about lacing up the sneakers again.

Mourning: All you got to do is get Allan open and he can knock it down. I don’t know how well he is going to play defensively. You never know. He’s been out the game a little while, but if he gets into a rhythm he can be a very good player. He won’t be the player he was a couple of years ago, but he will be a very good addition to a team.

Brooks: What about the Knick killer (watch this)?

Mourning: Reggie is a Hall of Fame-type of player who can provide leadership off the bench. He is a veteran who will give a team a lift. He is a guy who is not trying to prove anything. He simply wants to help out and be a part of the process.

Brooks: A year after winning the title, you guys got swept by the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. What happened?

Mourning: We had health problems last year. We were out of sync. We had some guys who came into the preseason very complacent. We had a lot of different health issues that affected our rhythm.

SHAQ:

By Maurice Brooks

Brooks: What’s the deal, big fella? What are your thoughts on the Celtics getting Kevin Garnett? Does it remind you of 2004 when you were on the Lakers with Kobe, Karl Malone and Gary Payton?

O’Neal: Yeah, I played on the most stacked-deck team in the history of the game and we didn’t win the championship. Obviously having KG come over is going to make the Celtics better, but now they have a lot of pressure on them. They’ll be the most watched team in the league. They have a lot of heat on that team. A lot of heat. Ray (Allen) was the go-to guy. KG was the go-to guy. Paul (Pierce) was the go-to guy. One or two of those guys is going to have to make some sacrifices.

Brooks: Does this make Boston one of the top three teams in the East?

O’Neal: I never really thought about it like that. Cleveland is going to do what they do. New Jersey is going to do what they do. We’re going to do what we do. It’s going to be competitive. Boston is top five I guess.

Brooks: I talked to Alonzo earlier today and he was going on and on about how Penny is in tremendous shape.

O’Neal: Yeah, Zo said Penny looks fabulous. He says he looks good, but I haven’t seen him play yet. You can tell he wants to play because he signed a non-guaranteed contract. He wants to come out and prove himself. Hopefully he comes in and plays well.

Brooks: I read that you said you were going to get Yao 24-inch car rims as a wedding gift. Did you keep your word and what made you think of that as a gift?

O’Neal: They asked me what I was going to get him and that was all I could come up with. I haven’t got them for him yet, but I live in Houston, too. I may just go by his house one day and take his car.

Brooks: I’ve been checking out your golf swing. Do you play much?

O’Neal: I don’t play at all. Zo asked me to team up with him two years ago for his charity and I’m here for a good cause. I’m having a good time.

Brooks: Let's talk hoops for a second. The postseason didn’t end well for you guys. What went wrong?

O’Neal: Last season wasn’t our time. We had a lot of injuries and stuff like that. It just happens. This is the first time in my career that I’m going to have over four months to rest in the offseason, so this year there are no excuses.

Вкратце переведу их своими словами.

Морнинг:

О переходе Гарнета: Алонзо считает ,что переход Кевина сбалансирует лигу и усилится конкуренция, также он добавил ,что это его последний сезон и он со своей командой готовы к борьбе.

О приходе Пенни Хардавея в команду: “ Я думаю, Тим усилит нашу команду. Вы его не узнаете…! Он в отличной форме...готов вернуться и шокировать публику своей сегодняшней игрой.

О’Нилл:

О Гарнете и Селтикс: : “Приход Гарнета несомненно усилит команду, но на нее усилится давление. Бостон будет самой обсуждаемой командой лиги…Команда очень “горячая”. Рэй – лидер, Гарнет – лидер и Пирс – тоже лидер. Одному или двоим из них придется принести себя в жертву…

Бостон – 3-я команда Востока??? : “По-любому, нет. Кливленд и Джерси будет делать то, что они умеют делать и МЫ тоже) Бостон, думаю, войдет в 5-ку команд востока.

О Пенни: “Да, Зо сказал, что он в отличной форме, но я не видел еще его игру. Хардевей подписывал контракт без каких-либо гарантий. Он хочет выйти на паркет и доказать всем,ч то он еще может играть и в том числе себе. Надеюсь, так и будет.”

О прошедшем сезоне: “Последний сезон был явно не наш. У нас было много травмированных.Такое часто случается. Это первый раз, когда на отдых в межсезонье у меня есть 4 месяца, поэтому в этом сезоне не будет никаких оправданий.”

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