Hoosiers love shooters. I'm a Hoosier. Naptown born and raised. We love basketball and we love shooters. Reggie Miller was meant to be an Indiana Pacer from the moment he unspooled his first 22-footer.

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Reggie Miller became my No. 1 sports hero, replacing Lawrence McCutcheon, Jeff George and Magic Johnson, the day Miller pimp-slapped Patrick Ewing, Spike Lee and the whole city of New York by dropping 25 points on the Knicks in the fourth quarter of a playoff game.

I cried like a baby. Tears are welling in my eyes as I write this.

Reggie Miller is the best pure shooter basketball has ever seen. Better than Larry Bird. And Miller is clutch. One shot to win the game? Give me Reggie over Michael Jordan or Bird.

As a lifelong Pacers fan, I can't imagine what life would be like had Donnie Walsh not bypassed drafting homestate favorite Steve Alford, another good shooter, and plucked Reggie Miller out of UCLA. Boom, baby!

Jason Whitlock is a regular columnist for the Kansas City Star (kcstar.com), the host of a morning-drive talk show, "Jason Whitlock's Neighborhood" on Sports Radio 810 WHB (810whb.com) and a regular contributor on ESPN The Magazine's Sunday morning edition of The Sports Reporters. He can be reached at ballstate0@aol.com.