Reggie Miller made only 3-of-10 shots in possibly the last home game of his career. Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Fans dressed in Superman shirts, chanted "Reg-gie" and held signs that begged the Indiana Pacers to send Reggie Miller into retirement with an NBA title.

All they can do now is hope Miller comes home for an encore.

The Pacers missed a chance Thursday to reach the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Celtics 92-89 in overtime of Game 6 to send the series back to Boston tied 3-3.

Thursday's game may go down as Miller's last in Indianapolis. Saturday's winner faces Detroit in the second round Monday; the loser goes home. For Miller, that would mean for good.

But Miller never let that possibility seep into his thoughts.

"I've got to focus in on Saturday," he said. "Obviously, that's the big question everyone's asking, but I've got work to do Saturday."

If this is the end for Miller, it certainly wasn't the way he anticipated going out.

After scoring more than 25,000 points in 18 seasons, hitting more 3-pointers than anybody in league history, delivering the late-game playoff magic that became his trademark and logging more than 47,000 minutes with one team, Miller looked rather ordinary.

He connected on just 3-of-10 shots, shot an airball on a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the end of regulation and finished with a modest 12 points.

"We want to win it for him, he deserves it," said Dale Davis, a longtime teammate. "He's had a huge career. We want to do well for him."

It was a vastly different performance from the man who has routinely defied the odds during the last two months.

He essentially ceded the Pacers' scoring and leadership duties to the team's next big star, Jermaine O'Neal, but quickly reclaimed that role when O'Neal injured his right shoulder in March. With Miller taking over the reins, the Pacers surged into the playoffs.

Then, facing a 1-0 deficit in the Boston series, the Celtics fans riled Miller with their taunts. He responded by scoring 61 points in Games 2 and 3 to give the Pacers a 2-1 lead.

So the Celtics tried a different tactic.

They let Gary Payton, one of the league's top defenders, swarm Miller. Payton has made the 39-year-old look more like an aging star than a rejuvenated one ever since, especially Thursday.

Miller managed to hit the game-tying free throw with 12.9 seconds left in regulation when Boston's Paul Pierce was ejected for drawing his second technical foul. That tied the score at 84 and set off a sellout crowd that was not ready to say farewell.

One person walked the aisles dressed as Reggie Miller in a Superman outfit. Another held a sign that read "18 Great Years, 13 More Wins, 31 gets a ring."

But, for once, Miller couldn't finish the job.

"They set the tempo, they got the loose balls and they hit the shots," Miller said.

Instead of breaking free at the end of overtime to pull off another of his memorable playoff moments, the Pacers inbounded to Anthony Johnson, who caught the ball with 0.7 seconds left and missed a 3-pointer from the corner.

Now Indiana fans may never get another chance to watch Miller, the Pacers' first NBA star, play at home.

If Miller's teammates have anything to say about it, Saturday will not be the end.

"We love Reggie, there's no doubt about it," Johnson said. "In no way did I even think about this being Reggie's last game because you focus on winning each game and moving on. I figured we would win this game and move on to the Detroit series. In a way you want to win it for Reggie, but at the same time, each guy in this locker room wants to win it for their own individual self."

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