Michael Jordan vs. Reggie Miller | An in-depth statistical dive into two competitors

Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller had many epic battles against each other. The Hall of Famers were both fierce competitors who were ready to do everything it took to win.

They played 49 games against each other in the regular season, and seven in the playoffs. Despite Miller putting up an amazing fight, Jordan was victorious in 32 of their regular-season matchups and also won the only playoff series.

This Jordan vs. Miller comparison will include their stats in head-to-head games.

Offensive comparison

Both Jordan and Miller were incredible scorers. While Jordan scored most of his points with slashing and midrange jumpers, Miller was one of the league's first elite 3-point shooters.

In their head-to-head games, the Chicago Bulls superstar averaged 29.5 points per game to Miller's 19.1. Their shooting percentage was similar, although the Indiana Pacers legend shot 35.8% from 3-point range, which was better than Jordan's average of 32.2%.

Michael Jordan vs. Reggie Miller - Offense comparison (Image via Sportskeeda)

Jordan was also more successful in keeping his teammates involved in the game as he averaged almost two times more assists than his rival.

Both had multiple 40-point games against each other, but Jordan's game from 1989 was the most impressive. In the matchup, the six-time NBA champion had a triple-double with 47 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists.

Defensive comparison

Jordan is considered one of the best perimeter defenders in NBA history, while Miller was mostly a one-dimensional player who was an exceptional scorer.

Therefore, it's not surprising that Jordan's defensive stats are much better than those of Miller.

Michael Jordan vs. Reggie Miller - Defense comparison (Image via Sportskeeda)

"His Airness" had three different games with six steals, and he also had a five-block performance against Miller as well.

Playoff matchups

The two amazing competitors played one playoff series against each other. They met in the 1998 Eastern Conference finals in what turned out to be an intense series.

What's interesting about this series is that neither team won on the road. Game 7 was played in Chicago, and this is where the Bulls and Jordan eliminated Miller and his Pacers.

	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%	FT%
Michael Jordan	31.7	5.7	4.1	1.7	0.4	46.7	40.0	81.1
Reggie Miller	17.4	1.6	2.0	1.0	0.0	41.6	43.6	91.2

Once again, Jordan stepped up his game when it mattered the most and helped his team advance to the NBA Finals. The Bulls then beat the Utah Jazz in six games to win another championship.

Even though 3-point shooting was one of Jordan's rare weaknesses, he converted 40.0% of his long-range shots against Miller in the playoffs, which is impressive. On the other hand, the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter was incredible from both the 3-point and free-throw lines.

Miller and his Pacers had a chance to win it all two years later as they faced the LA Lakers in the 2000 NBA Finals. But they lost and Miller ended his career without a championship ring.