Documentary Analysis (TOW 30)

Nothing in sports beats a good rivalry. When athletes face off with competitors from their division or battle with players they dislike, the level of play skyrockets, sometimes to a point where suspensions and fines are the only way to prevent violent confrontation. In this documentary directed by Dan Klores, ESPN delves into one of the most notable and memorable playoff battles in the history of professional basketball. The New York Knicks were forced to deal with the Indiana Pacers and more specifically Reggie Miller, a guard out of UCLA who was known for using his trash-talking skills to rile up the opponents. In the 1994 and 1995 seasons, the Pacers and Knicks would have heated confrontations during both the regular season and the playoffs. Whether it was headbutting, chanting, or arguments with die-hard Knicks fan Spike Lee, the two teams always found a way to launch war on the other.

Klores does a phenomenal job of keeping the interest of the audience in the organization of the film. Instead of lazily throwing the information in chronological order, Klores sets aside his supporting information for the right opportunity in the video. Right when the audience begins to ask questions about Reggie or the Knicks, Klores carefully inserts a small portion on a topic that answers those questions. For example, after presenting various instances where Reggie shows extreme grit and determination, Klores places the information relating Reggie's drive to his sister's own basketball achievement and the consequent competition. 

Another important piece of the documentary was choice in music. When the film began to detail the hate that existed between the Pacers and the Knicks and explained how Reggie got in the minds of his opponents, the music is not serious; actually, the music is similar to what would be played at a circus! Why? The music helped to emphasize the idea that Reggie was playing with his competition, stirring their anger to make his success much easier. Without this music choice, the documentary ultimately loses the interpretation it works toward creating the environment where Reggie Miller was most successful in enraging his New York opponents. This, added with a clip of Michael Jordan, arguably the best player in NBA history, losing his cool and attacking Reggie, was effective in keeping the audience's attention throughout the whole documentary.

Bibliography:

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs the New York Knicks. Dir. Dan Klores. ESPN Films, 2010. DVD.