76ers 107, Pacers 86
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Philadelphia 76ers got angry, then they got within a game of being even.Now, with at least one more game in the Eastern Conference semifinals, they still have a chance to become the first NBA team to come back from an 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.
With Indiana's Reggie Miller serving a one-game suspension for fighting, Allen Iverson scored 37 points, and the 76ers overwhelmed the poor-shooting and seemingly dazed Pacers 107-86 Monday night to pull within 3-2 in the series.
Game 6 will be in Philadelphia on Friday. A seventh and deciding game, if necessary, would be back in Indianapolis on Sunday.
The 76ers' first victory in the series was in Game 4 on Saturday, when Miller was knocked to the floor by Philadelphia's Matt Geiger, who was called for two flagrant fouls and drew a two-game suspension and $20,000 fine. Miller was suspended one game and fined $5,000 for retaliating. But the NBA also fined the 76ers $50,000, and owner Pat Croce was so incensed he threatened to resign.
He later agreed to pay -- grudgingly -- but remained adamant the fine was unwarranted.
The 76ers took his frustration out on the Pacers from the beginning, hitting seven of their first eight shots for a 15-0 lead. Iverson hit his first three shots and had seven points during the early run. But without Miller's 25-point playoff average, the Pacers had virtually no scoring besides Rik Smits, who had 14 of his team-high 15 points in the first half.