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Pistons push Pacers aside

Reggie Miller scored a team-high 27 points, but it wasn't enough to extend his career for another game. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
Reggie Miller scored a team-high 27 points, but it wasn't enough to extend his career for another game. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

INDIANAPOLIS – The Detroit Pistons didn’t feel like celebrating after knocking the Indiana Pacers out of the playoffs and sending Reggie Miller into retirement.

It wouldn’t have seemed right, especially after the 39-year-old sharpshooter made a teary-eyed retreat to the bench in the final seconds Thursday night.

“This is a sad day, really,” Detroit’s Chauncey Billups said after Detroit’s 88-79 victory sent the Pistons back to the Eastern Conference finals and ensured that Miller’s career would end without a championship.

Richard Hamilton scored 28 points and Billups added 23 as Detroit won the best-of-seven series 4-2. The Pistons will open the conference finals Monday at Miami.

It was the final game for Miller, the NBA’s 12th-leading career scorer who is retiring after 18 years in the league. He broke out of a shooting slump and led Indiana with 27 points, and his final basket was a 3-pointer with under 2 minutes left to pull Indiana to 82-79.

Hamilton then hit a basket and Billups added two free throws with 26 seconds left before Miller missed a 3-pointer and left the game to a prolonged, standing ovation – which the Pistons joined in – as the crowd chanted “Reg-gie, Reg-gie” with 16 seconds to go.

At the end of the game, the chant changed to “One more year.”

“It was definitely very emotional,” Hamilton said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a game where a team that’s about to move on and a guy comes out of the game and the other team is cheering.

“For a guy his age, the way he played tonight was unbelievable,” Hamilton said.

As Miller left the court, he embraced players from both teams.

“I told him thanks. Everybody in the NBA should be saying thank you,” Hamilton said.

Miller’s 27 points were his most since he had 33 in Game 3 of the first-round series against Boston.

“It’s somewhat bittersweet,” Miller said. “I thought we competed hard tonight. Every time we got a lead, Chauncey and Rip hit big shots to keep them within distance. That’s what championship teams do.”

Jermaine O’Neal, still bothered by a sore shoulder that sidelined him late in the regular season, added 22 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana.

The Pacers led almost the entire first half and turned back every Detroit rally until two straight baskets by Hamilton put the Pistons ahead early in the fourth quarter. The final score marked the Pistons’ biggest lead of the game.

Detroit has won eight consecutive playoff series clinchers over the last three seasons.

“There were very sentimental emotions from all of us,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “Tonight, the reality is we were beaten by a team that’s simply better. We played one of our better games tonight and they were able to win a very tough close-out game on the road.”

The Pacers, hoping to extend Miller’s career at least one more game, finally found their shooting touch after being blown out the past two games.

Miller, one of the NBA’s great clutch shooters who had been stymied into 38 percent shooting through the first five games of this quarterfinals series, shot 11 of 16 and made four 3-pointers.