BOSTON, 9 May 2005 — Stephen Jackson scored 24 points and Fred Jones added 16 as the Indiana Pacers crushed the Boston Celtics 97-70 to win their National Basketball Association Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Saturday.
Jermaine O’Neal added 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Pacers, who pulled away in the second half to take the decider in the best-of-seven series.
After missing an opportunity to win the series in Game Six at home on Thursday, Indiana pulled away in the second half to set up an Eastern Conference semi-final against archrivals the Detroit Pistons.
The teams took part in one of the worst brawls in North American sports history in an early regular season game at Auburn Hills in November.
The victory over Boston also ensured that veteran Indiana star Reggie Miller will continue playing for at least one more series.
The 39-year-old has announced he will retire after the Pacers final game this season.
“To win three games on the road and this series is unbelievable,” Miller said.
It was a disappointing end to the season for the Celtics, who lost three home games in a single playoff series for the first time in franchise history. It was also the second lowest points total in team playoff history.
The Pacers led by just three at the half, but an 11-2 run early in the third quarter put them 11 ahead, a lead they increased to 14 before the end of the third quarter.
As they had several times in the series, the Celtics failed to keep their composure and suffered disciplinary problems.
Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, Ricky Davis and Kendrick Perkins all had technical fouls in the game, with Pierce ejected late in the fourth quarter. Anthony Johnson added 13 points for the Pacers, who out-scored the Celtics 29-18 in the third quarter and 33-20 in the fourth.
Walker led the Celtics with 20 points, while Pierce added 19 points and seven rebounds.
Boston shot just 37 percent, including four-for-18 from three-point range, while the Pacers made 10 three-pointers in the game.
In Dallas, Jason Terry scored 31 points as the Mavericks advanced to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs with a 116-76 Game Seven mauling of the Houston Rockets.
John Howard added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who win the best-of-seven opening round series 4-3.
Dallas becomes just the third team in NBA history to win a series after losing the first two games of the series at home. The Mavericks will play the Phoenix Suns in the second round. Dirk Nowitzki added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Mavs, while Michael Finley added 13 points.
