Indianapolis, IN (Basketball News) - Richard Hamilton scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the defending world champion Detroit Pistons into the Eastern Conference finals with an 88-79 victory over Indiana at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Chauncey Billups added 23 with eight assists for the Pistons, who won three straight over the Pacers to capture the best-of-seven semifinal series, 4-2, and advance to the conference finals for the third straight season. Detroit will open the conference finals on Monday in Miami against the Heat.
Rasheed Wallace finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds and hit a huge three- pointer late in the contest to help the Pistons escape with the win.
Detroit finished 22-of-24 from the free throw line, while the Pacers made just 2-of-7 attempts from the charity stripe.
The game marked the end of a brilliant 18-year career for Indiana’s Reggie Miller, who led the Pacers with 27 points in his final game. Originally selected out of UCLA by Indiana in the first round (11th pick overall) of the 1987 NBA Draft, Miller played in 1,389 regular-season contests and averaged 18.2 points per game and shot 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. The sharp-shooting guard participated in his 145th playoff game on Thursday.
"It’s somewhat bittersweet," Miller said after the game. "I thought we competed hard tonight. Every time we got a lead, Chauncey and Rip (Hamilton) hit big shots to keep them within distance. That’s what championship teams do."
Detroit, which trailed 63-62 after three quarters, took the lead for good on a basket by Hamilton early in the final stanza. The Pistons, which trailed throughout most of the game, stretched its lead to 77-72 after a pair of free throws by Billups with 5:22 remaining.
A three-pointer by Wallace with 1:42 remaining gave Detroit an 82-76 lead and seemed to put the Pistons in control. Miller, however, refused to quit and answered with a three just seconds later to keep the game close.
After a basket by Hamilton gave Detroit an 84-79 lead, Ben Wallace blocked a three-point attempt by Miller with 30 seconds left and the Pistons went 4-of-4 from the free throw line to seal the win.
Miller, who was taken out of the game with 15.7 seconds remaining, left to a standing ovation and chants of "one more year."
"Absolutely, positively, 100 percent no," Miller said after the game when asked if he had any second thoughts about retiring.
Detroit had not led in the contest until a pair of free throws by Hamilton late in the third quarter gave the Pistons a 62-61 edge. Jeff Foster, though, would dunk off a feed from Stephen Jackson to give the Pacers a one-point advantage heading into the final frame.
O’Neal and Miller combined for 12 points in the early going as Indiana jumped out to a 14-4 lead. The Pacers, who led throughout the entire first half, were ahead by two, 21-19, at the end of the first quarter behind eight points each from O’Neal and Miller.
Detroit was fortunate to trail by only two after hitting just 8-of-24 shots in the opening quarter.
A 10-2 run to begin the second quarter built Indiana’s lead back to 10 at 31-21. Detroit would get within two after a basket by Billups with 3:12 left before the break, but Miller hit a pair of three-pointers to help the Pacers lead by seven at halftime, 46-39.
Billups, who was 1-of-4 from the field in the opening frame, scored 11 points in the second quarter to help keep the Pistons close.
The Pistons pulled within one, 48-47, early in the third quarter after Ben Wallace’s first basket of the game. Indiana, however, would not relinquish the lead late in the frame.
"The city has really embraced me and understood we all had one common goal. Unfortunately, I never delivered on that, but it was an unbelievable ride," Miller said. "I tried, that I can say, I tried each and every night."
"I told him thanks. Everybody in the NBA should be saying thanks," Hamilton said he told Miller after the game.
Detroit Pistons 
Indiana Pacers 
