Miller eager for another shot

Coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals, Mike Miller would liked to have spent this week preparing for another run at a title.

The NBA lockout, in place since July, is keeping the Miami Heat forward from that task. In the interim, events such as Tuesday’s Hoops for Troops exhibition at Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor provide an outlet for the NBA veteran.

"Obviously we’d love to be playing and we can’t wait to get back on the court," Miller said before the game. "This is a good thing for us to be able to come out here and do some stuff like this while we’re not playing."

Miller is among eight NBA players participating in the weeklong event presented by the USO, which included a youth clinic and Tuesday’s exhibition with military members stationed on Oahu.

In another year, the players would be in the final stages of the preseason with the regular season originally scheduled to begin Nov. 1.

But the labor issues already wiped out the preseason and the first two weeks of the regular season, with another two weeks possibly soon to be cancelled, according to reports.

The lockout has thrown in to doubt when, or even if, Miller and the rest of the players in town this week will have a chance to return to work.

"In the meantime we’re going to have fun doing stuff like this and meet great people and see their sacrifices," Miller said.

Miller’s last competitive shot came on June 7 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, missing his lone 3-point attempt in the 105-95 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Injuries limited the 11-year veteran to 41 games in his first season with the Heat, whose Finals loss to the Mavericks closed an intensely scrutinized season.

Miller said he’s kept in regular contact with teammates such as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade since falling two wins shy of the ultimate goal.

"We talk often," he said. "I think everyone’s anxious to play, everyone’s trying to stay in shape and be ready to play when we get called.

"Obviously it gets you a little more motivated," Miller said of reaching the Finals. "We had an opportunity to see what was there and fell a bit short, but it happens sometimes and we’ll see how we bounce back from it."

Even with the lockout, Miller has reason to be grateful. While he came off the bench on a team featuring some of the league’s most prominent stars, he found himself in the spotlight during the playoffs when news of his newborn daughter’s illness broke.

"She’s doing a lot better," Miller said of young Jaelyn, who spent her first weeks in a pediatric intensive care unit in Miami. "Every day is a blessing and we make the most of it."