Pacers again advance to conference finals

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Not all of the Indiana Pacers were celebrating after knocking Philadelphia out of the NBA playoffs.

Yes, Indiana finally put away a team that won two straight games after trailing 3-0 in the best-of-seven series.

And yes, Indiana advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight season and fifth time in seven years.

The Pacers, however, are still seeking their first trip to the NBA Finals.

''What are we celebrating for? We've been here four, five times. We have nothing to celebrate.''

Reggie Miller, who scored 25 points in Indiana's 106-90 victory Friday

''I'm a competitor. When I see the clock go down and I'm out, I know the game is over. I saw the whole season pass by just like that, and it hurt.''

Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76er

''What are we celebrating for?'' said Reggie Miller, who scored 25 points in Indiana's 106-90 victory Friday night in Game 6.

''We've been here four, five times. We have nothing to celebrate.''

Added Jalen Rose, who scored 21 points: ''We have bigger fish to fry. We understand this will be a long haul.''

Miller, returning from a one-game suspension, took his frustration out on the 76ers.

''The playoffs is when I'm at my best,'' said Miller, who was suspended one game for fighting with 76ers center Matt Geiger in Game 4.

''To not be a part of (Game 5), especially when your team is up 3-1 -- it kept bothering me all week. The more upset I got, the more I wanted to do something about it.''

The Pacers will play the winner of the Miami-New York series, which is tied 3-3 after the Knicks' 72-70 victory Friday night. The Pacers will play host to Game 1 of the conference finals on Tuesday.

''There won't be any celebrations,'' Indiana coach Larry Bird said of the victory over the Sixers. ''We've got to get ready to play.''

Miller took over in the third quarter Friday. He capped an 8-1 run by converting an alley-oop, his first basket since the first quarter, for a 74-63 lead. His jumper, followed by a 3-pointer, made it 83-69 with 31 seconds left in the period.

After the 76ers closed within 11 midway through the fourth, Miller's 3-pointer made it 93-79. He turned and stared at the 76ers' sideline following the shot.

''I didn't say anything,'' Miller said. ''Looks say a thousand words.''

Philadelphia didn't get closer than 14 the rest of the way.

''Sometimes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself,'' Miller said. ''I wanted to get going quickly, because if my teammates saw me do that, they were going to jump on my back.''

Aaron McKie led the 76ers with 19 points, and Allen Iverson had 18. Rik Smits added 18 for Indiana, and Mark Jackson had 12 points and 11 assists.

As the final seconds ticked away, Iverson appeared inconsolable, sitting with a towel over his face.

''I'm a competitor. When I see the clock go down and I'm out, I know the game is over,'' Iverson said. ''I saw the whole season pass by just like that, and it hurt.''

Bird is happy the Pacers won't have a long layoff between games. Indiana came within a missed shot of sweeping the 76ers and getting more than a week off.

''Sometimes, if we have too much time off, their heads swell and they get lazy,'' Bird said.

Notes: The Pacers hit nine of their first 10 shots and were 14-of-18 (77 percent) in the first quarter to take a 37-25 lead. ... . ... Eric Snow, who sat out the last three games because of a chip fracture in his right ankle, played six minutes. ... Indiana outrebounded Philadelphia 46-41.