Indiana finishes off Celts

BOSTON – The Indiana Pacers stamped their signature on the deciding game of their series with the Celtics, slowing the pace, keeping Reggie Miller’s career alive and ending Boston’s season with a blowout.

The Pacers won Game 7 of their first-round series 97-70 Saturday night to prolong a season marked by suspensions, injuries and disharmony.

Now the team that has overcome all that moves on to a meeting with its biggest rival – the defending champion Detroit Pistons – in the Eastern Conference semifinals beginning Monday night.

“It’s only right,” Jermaine O’Neal said. “It’s what I wanted. I wanted to see that team and I’m pretty sure Detroit is wanting to see us, too.”

It’ll be a rematch between the teams that took part in an ugly brawl that spilled into the stands during an early-season game at The Palace in Auburn Hills. The suspensions from that fight could have resulted in the Pacers giving up on their season, but that has clearly not been the case.

The Celtics played very poorly in a big game, missing easy shots and allowing Indiana to take uncontested ones, and had the second-lowest point total in their playoff history. They also lost three home games for the first time in a seven-game series.

“In Game 7, for us to go out and play the way we did is disappointing,” Boston’s Paul Pierce said. “No one wants to end the season getting blown out.”

Miller, who plans to end his 18-year career after this season, took just five shots and scored five points. But Miller didn’t have to do much with Stephen Jackson scoring 24 points, Fred Jones 16 and O’Neal 15.

“I’ve had a great career, regardless of what happened tonight,” Miller said. “These guys need to win it for themselves. I’m just glad I had the chance to play with them.”

The Celtics were led by Antoine Walker with 20 points and Pierce with 19, but both were out of the game with 4:20 left and Indiana ahead 86-62 as coach Doc Rivers began clearing his bench.

“They kept playing and we stopped to take a look” in the second half, Rivers said. “We hung our heads way too early in the game.”

Indiana turned a close game into a rout midway through the third quarter with an 11-2 run that made the score 54-43 with 3:46 left.

Indiana was ahead 59-48 before scoring five of the last seven points of the quarter, three by O’Neal, and led 64-50 going into the final period.

Any realistic chance for the Celtics disappeared in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter as the Pacers opened with a 12-5 spurt.