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On April 5, 2005 the Indiana Pacers visited the New York Knicks. It was the last Knicks home game of the season against the Pacers, and with the Knicks missing the playoffs, it's the final time that Reggie Miller, retiring at the end of the season, will play basketball in Madison Square Garden. Before the game, InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner met with Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley to talk about his health, and Reggie. Tinsley has only played in 40 games this season and has been out for an extended period with a bad left foot.

InsideHoops.com: What's the latest on you and your health? (Readers: Again, note that this is from April 5)

Jamaal Tinsley: It's frustrating. Knowing I can't be out there. I'm just happy that they found out what's wrong with me, and I just got to deal with it right now. It's kind of frustrating knowing this is his (Reggie's) last year and I can't be out there and play. But things happen for a reason.

InsideHoops.com: And, as for your injury, it took a while to figure out exactly what was wrong, right?

Jamaal Tinsley: They didn't know what was wrong. The staff at Indiana, they didn't know what's wrong. Came up here (to New York) and right away I found out what's the problem. At the time when they didn't know what was wrong, I was getting treated, and that probably made it extend a little longer than it is, but it's just frustrating knowing that you don't know what's wrong and you think you're alright and you want to go out there and play, but the only thing you're doing is hurting it. But I just have to move on and now that I know what the problem is, I just got to get healthy.

InsideHoops.com: So now it's being treated correctly.

Jamaal Tinsley: It ain't no treatment. I just got to let it heal, and probably have surgery, who knows. But right now I just got to wait and see what the outcome is, and next time I'm with a doctor I know it's good.

InsideHoops.com: What are the chances you will need surgery? Any idea?

Jamaal Tinsley: Not at all. When I go back to the doctor in the next week or two, I'll find out everything.

InsideHoops.com: As for Reggie Miller, here we are in New York, and you know he's done some incredible stuff here.

Jamaal Tinsley: Him scoring like nine points in like eight seconds or seven seconds, something like that, it was amazing. Got two steals, and him just always beating the Knicks. I was never a Knicks fan anyway, I just had certain guys I liked on the Knicks, but knowing he's going out like this, to get the respect that he deserves, it's a good thing. And me being his teammate and a player on his team, I'm happy.

InsideHoops.com: The play you just talked about, the sequence, it was ridiculous. That's a video game thing, but it was real.

Jamaal Tinsley: Yeah, it happened in real life. That's the type of guy he is, hall of famer guy. He did a whole lot for this game.