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Flying start Iverson blows up as Pacers blow out Sixers
Posted: Sunday May 07, 2000 12:23 AM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- A double dose of 40s from Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose, along with Allen Iverson's ejection and bumping of a referee, gave the Indiana Pacers Game 1 -- and maybe a big edge in Game 2. Miller and Rose became the first teammates in five years to score 40 points apiece in an NBA playoff game as Indiana routed the Philadelphia 76ers 108-91 Saturday to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Iverson picked up two technicals with 2:53 left and appeared to bump referee Ken Mauer, which could lead to a suspension for Monday's Game 2. Miller, the NBA's career leader in 3-point shots, dashed Philadelphia's comeback bid minutes earlier by making three consecutive 3-pointers. Philadelphia, which trailed by as many as 19 in the second quarter, had cut the deficit to 88-80 when Miller found the range. Indiana led 97-80 after Miller made his seventh 3-pointer of the game, tying the franchise playoff record he already shared with Chuck Person. Iverson got into Mauer's face after teammate Aaron McKie was called for a foul. Iverson, who kept protesting and was hit with two technical fouls, finished with 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Philadelphia coach Larry Brown also received a technical. "They don't talk to you like grown men. When you talk to them, they hit you with a 'T'," Iverson said of the officials. Asked to describe the bumping, Iverson said: "He was walking away, and he stopped. I didn't expect him to stop. Anybody in his right mind, watching the tape, could see that it wasn't intentional."
Brown was critical of the official, saying, "Mauer came at [Iverson]. We had the same crew in Charlotte. When we came out and I saw them today, I knew we were in trouble." Rose, who spent a frustrating season playing under Brown in his final season with the Pacers, was 16-for-23 from the field. Miller connected on 11-of-18 attempts, including 7-of-10 from 3-point range. They are the fourth pair of teammates to each hit 40 in a playoff game, the first since Houston's Clyde Drexler (41) and Hakeem Olajuwon (40) did it against Utah on May 5, 1995. "Reggie and Jalen had unbelievable games. I don't know of any other way to describe it -- they were phenomenal. Jalen made some good shots," Brown said. "Reggie made tough shots. I saw Reggie in Games 3 and 5 [against Milwaukee] play as well as anybody I've ever seen. "We've got to do a better job guarding people than we did tonight." Miller picked up where he left off in leading the Pacers into the second round, scoring 16 points in the first quarter. He hit two 3-pointers as Indiana opened a 14-2 lead. The 76ers never recovered, although Indiana had to survive challenges in the third and fourth periods. The Pacers shot 67 percent in the first quarter, and their defense suffocated Philadelphia, consistently forcing off-balance and hurried shots. Philadelphia trailed 34-15 after one period, connecting on only 24 percent of its shots (5-of-21).
The 76ers, coming off a four-day break after winning their first-round series Monday, never drew closer than 12 points again in the first half and trailed 54-37 at the break. "I think we fed off the emotion from Game 5 [of the first round]," Rose said. "It didn't allow us to relax and be fat cats. I don't think we had the opportunity to think about being tired." Tyrone Hill scored a career-playoff high 20 points for Philadelphia. Indiana reserve Austin Croshere had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Notes: Philadelphia is hoping to reach the conference finals for
the first time since 1985. ... The Pacers pushed their sellout
streak at Conseco Fieldhouse to 45. ... Despite the bad start,
Philadelphia managed to shoot 44 percent for the game. Indiana
finished at 49 percent after hitting 10-of-18 attempts in the final
quarter. ... George Lynch had a career playoff-high 14 rebounds for
the 76ers. ... Indiana was 11-of-21 from 3-point range. ... This
was the first time two Pacers ever scored 40 points in the same
game and the first time in franchise playoff history that two
players scored 30. ... Indiana had only seven turnovers, just one
off the franchise playoff low.
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