The Infamous Richard Hamilton

There was once a jump shooter that raised his game to the next level when the playoffs came around.

He didn't seem particularly muscular or athletic, but he found a way to come up with big shots and baskets.

Was this Reggie Miller against the Knicks in the mid-'90s.

No, but Reggie was involved.

It was Richard Hamilton going head to head with the aging NBA legend in an Eastern Conference Final series tied at two games a piece.

Hamilton, who has been nicknamed "Rip," isn't the sharpest three-point shooter in the world, and he rarely drives hard to the basket.

He is the current undisputed king of the medium range jump shot, and to this point has played the role of complementary man on the outside to his team's interior game and vicious defense.

Sometimes he carries the offensive load, but never screams out "superstar."

Welcome to Game 5 against Indiana in a series in which nobody can put the ball in the basket -- and I mean nobody.

Twenty points by an individual can be considered a monster game in this series, it's that bad.

The announcers and analysts have been obsessed with the inevitable Reggie explosion, but what they didn't know was that it wouldn't be the old Reggie, it would be the new young Reggie named Richard Hamilton.

The Pistons are up 3-2 in the series now, because Rip was the difference maker.

In the first half of Game 5, he hit on everything he tried -- running off of screens set by his teammates, cutting to the basket, nailing open shots, and carrying the scoring load.

In the third quarter it was more of the same as Detroit built up a lead that stood up at the end.

Reggie was in the NBA for years before his breakout game against the Knicks featuring the infamous Spike Lee confrontation.

Until that time, he had never received major national attention or was treated as a superstar.

An All-Star and a proven scorer? Yes.

But a superstar? No. He was just a shooter.

Reggie started playing the role of the villain, hitting big shots on the road and antagonizing fans.

The Knicks series was his first moment that began his transformation into a superstar.

Now Rip is at that same crossroad.

His performance in Game 5 could be the springboard that launches him to the next level, the dangerous clutch performer just like Reggie.

Granted, it wasn't one of those magical unforgettable nights with electricity in the air, but that's because it was in the context of a brutal series lacking star power on and off the court.

Still, Rip became a star, and he did it by making old Reggie appear to be even older.

Back in Detroit for Game 6, Rip has a chance to send Indiana home and catapult his team into the finals.

If he goes off for 30-plus again, watch out!

We might finally have the breakout player of the playoffs.

The era of Miller time is coming to a close. Let 'er Rip.