And in one of the biggest games of his life, no less.

"I tell you what," Miller said oh-so-defiantly after Game 1 of the NBA Finals, "if they continue to give me those looks, they're going to be in trouble ... so if they're going to play me like that, it's only a matter of time."

Recall the Monty Python character who gets his legs cut off, then flails his arms at his attacker and says watch out. The arms get chopped off, and he says now you're really going to get it.

Miller had better get it by Friday, otherwise the Los Angeles Lakers, who thumped the Pacers 104-87 in Game 1, will head to Indianapolis with a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-7 series.

Wednesday night, Miller made only one of his 16 shots, and that was a layup after beating Ron Harper through the right side of the lane. For a man who grew up 50 miles away in Riverside, Calif., and played college ball at UCLA, it was a flop of a homecoming.

It took Miller 13 years to finally play in a Finals, and for this?

The Lakers even violated Rule 1 of playground hoops, the one that says never, ever give up the baseline to your foe. Harper, and others who kept tabs on Miller, actually shaded him toward the baseline.

Of course, any team with MVP Shaquille O'Neal waiting down below to swat any shot that comes near him, opponents take that baseline at their own risk. Shaq sent one of those shots back to Miller's parents' house in Riverside.

Miller also launched a 16-footer early in the fourth quarter that hit nothing but the floor. Air ball. Out of bounds. Lakers ball.

"I continued to attack the basket," Miller said of the 95th playoff game, and easily the worst, of his career. "That's what you have to do in playoff basketball in the Finals, you have to get to the line as much as possible. You can't settle for the jump shots. Like I said, if they're going to give me the baseline, I'm going to take it every time."

And he'll take his lumps, too. Miller did drain all five of his free-throw attempts Wednesday, pumping his scoring output out of the deplorable range. But he might want to rethink his strategy of driving along the baseline with Shaq lurking back there.

Perhaps Miller will flame out in even more dramatic fashion Friday, however. Late Wednesday night, he said the embarrassing thing was that he took only 16 shots. A shooter must keep shooting, Miller said, and he wishes he had jacked it 25 times.

"I felt I didn't get enough looks," he said. He was wrong. He got plenty of looks from thousands of gold-clad, and smiling, fans. Ball boys and courtside fans, in perfect position to catch Shaq's rejections, best be ready come Friday.

"It's a tough building to shoot in, but not for us," said Lakers guard Rick Fox, who did note that it took him and his teammates two or three months to warm up to the atmosphere inside Staples Center.

"It's a hockey arena. On top of that, it's got a dome feeling, because of the backdrop. It's strange, if you're used to a more confined building. It's just good to see Miller go 1-for-16, instead of 16-for-16."

Reggie Miller scores a playoff career-low seven points in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. (AP)

L.A. guard Derek Fisher shook his head as he tied the knot of his red silk tie and slipped on the dark, pin-striped vest of his three-piece suit. He pondered the question, of ever seeing Miller shoot so poorly, and seemed to be flipping through the Rolodex file of games in his mind.

"No, not really," Fisher said. "I've seen him have some tough shooting nights, but not for a whole game. Reggie can shoot, and we certainly didn't expect to see him have a night like that."

In fact, it was one of the all-time dud performances of the NBA Finals.

Mark Jackson, who entered the league (1987-88) the same season as Miller and has been Miller's teammate for most of the past six years, said he's never seen Miller shoot so poorly.

"No, I haven't," Jackson said. "But it's what it's all about, you know?"

Pacers coach Larry Bird, more than anyone, knows that. He led the Boston Celtics to three championships, averaging almost 24 points in 164 career playoff games. In two playoffs, he made more than 40 percent of his 3-point shots.

He was worried about his team's ability to rebound on Wednesday, but he knew the seeds of a victory would be sewn by its ability to make some shots. He wasn't at all dismayed by Miller's performance.

Miller had averaged 23.8 points in these playoffs, until Wednesday.

"Reggie has carried us a long way," Bird said. "In the playoffs, he's been awesome. He has one bad shooting night, but there's no one giving up on him. We want him to continue to shoot, if he has a shot."

The Pacers will only have a shot at upending the Lakers if Miller begins draining his.