|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- It took both the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers about 12 minutes to realize this was no longer the first round. Led by the record-tying duo of Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose, the Pacers quickly put their problems behind them and roared to a 108-91 victory over the 76ers in the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Miller, who scored 41 points in top-seeded Indiana's one-point win over Milwaukee in Game Five of the opening round, scored 16 of his 40 points in the first quarter. He made 11-of-18 shots, including a club record-tying seven 3-pointers. "I don't know if you can necessarily feel it coming on, but I have good use of my legs and and I'm seeing the rim better," Miller said. "What's helping is I'm taking it off the dribble, guys are setting good picks and I'm getting good looks." Rose, whose two missed free throws nearly cost the Pacers that win, contributed 11 of his career-high 40 in the opening period. He was 16-of-23 from the field, including three from long range. "I scored 40 in high school but not at the college level or this level," Rose said. "Reggie hit some good shots and got good looks which resulted in good looks and good shots for me." Together, Miller and Rose became the first pair of Pacers and only the fourth playoff duo to score 40 points in the same game. The last to do it were Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler against Utah on May 5, 1995. "You don't see that kind of offense very often. It is special," Pacers coach Larry Bird said. The 76ers could not have started or finished any worse. Coming off four days of rest following a first-round series win over Charlotte, they trailed 9-0 after 3 1/2 minutes, 34-15 after one period and never led. "I was hoping Philadelphia would play rusty today," Bird said. "Sometimes layoffs help and sometimes they hurt. They played the kind of game I knew they could from the second quarter on." When Philadelphia surged within six points midway through the third quarter, Miller and Rose were there. The duo combined for 26 straight Indiana points over a 15-minute span beginning in the second period. The Pacers led 78-69 entering the fourth quarter and never let the Sixers get closer than eight points as Miller and Rose again stepped forward. Rose made a tough jumper and a 3-pointer to push the advantage to 84-73 with 9:13 remaining. A 3-pointer by Allen Iverson cut the deficit to 86-78 before Miller scored 11 straight Indiana points, including 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to make it 97-80 with 4:08 to go. "Jalen made good shots, but Reggie made phenomenal shots," 76ers coach Larry Brown said. "Jalen was hot. He kept us afloat, especially in the third quarter when Philly was making a run," Miller said. "Then in the fourth quarter, big brother took over." That explosion, plus a non-call on a blocked shot, was too much for Iverson to take. Hot from the floor in the second half, he boiled over and stalked referee Ken Mauer, yelling in his face while accidentally bumping into him. Iverson was ejected with 2:53 left, leaving with 28 points. "I kind of got frustrated," Iverson said. "I was tired of being talked down to like a little kid. I deserve to be talked to like a man. It is a matter of respect. I didn't like the way he talked to me." "We had the same officiating crew when we lost last week in Charlotte," Brown said. "When I saw them before the game I knew we were in trouble." Game Two of the best-of-seven series is here on Monday and it is unclear whether Iverson will be suspended by the NBA. "I doubt it. And then again, I don't know," Iverson said. "They may look at it because of my reputation and judge off that. You never know. "I was talking to him, he was walking away and he stopped. I mean, if you watch it five times, you'll see that it was incidental." Miller and Rose did not get much help, but they didn't need it. Austin Croshere added 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Indiana, which shot 49 percent (39-of-79), made 19-of-21 free throws and 11-of-21 3-pointers. Iverson fouled out Travis Best, made 10-of-20 shots and got some help from Tyrone Hill, who scored 20 points. Philadelphia shot 44 percent (36-of-82) and made 3-of-8 from behind the arc. Point guard Eric Snow returned and collected six points and seven assists. He missed the last two games of the series against Charlotte with a chip fracture in his right ankle. "It really hurts," Snow said. "What can I say? I can't do everything I normally do." The 76ers came out ice cold and never totally recovered. They missed their first six shots, fell into a 9-0 hole and later misfired on eight in a row. Philadelphia shot just 21 percent (5-of-24). Meanwhile, the Pacers could hardly miss. They shot a scorching 67 percent (14-of-21), including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Croshere came off the bench and drilled a 3-pointer that began another 9-0 run, giving Indiana a 29-11 lead with 2:02 to go. Philadelphia's first quarter was so bad that Indiana had two players who made as many baskets as the Sixers. Miller was 6-of-8 and Rose was 5-of-5. Meanwhile, Iverson was 1-of-6. "No question, Reggie and Jalen controlled the game on offense," Bird said. "Reggie got the crowd into it early and set the tone for the whole game." "You can't let them get off to a start like that," Iverson said. "Their (fans) started yelling and screaming, you get down 10 to 15 points and it makes every shot hard. ... When they get on a roll like that you have to stop them somehow." Behind reserve guard Aaron McKie, the Sixers pulled within 12 points early in the second quarter. But the Pacers regrouped and rebuilt the lead to 54-37 at halftime as Iverson continued to struggle, getting only two shots and being picked clean by Best on one play. Philadelphia scored the first eight points of the third quarter to reduce the deficit to single digits for the first time since the opening minutes. Iverson had a jumper, layup and pass that led to a follow dunk by Theo Ratliff that made it 63-57 with 5:39 left. But that was as close as the Sixers got. Rose hit two free throws and Miller drilled a 3-pointer as they continued to carry Indiana's offense. A dunk by Croshere ended the duo's run and gave the Pacers a 74-63 lead with 2:01 to go. George Lynch grabbed 14 rebounds as Philadelphia held a 42-37 edge on the glass. Mark Jackson handed out 10 assists for Indiana, which committed only seven turnovers. "If you would have told me that we could hold Dale (Davis) scoreless, Rik (Smts) to four, Mark scoreless and Travis to two, I would have thought we would have a good chance to win this game," Brown said. "But two guys with 40 each makes the difference."
|
