BOSTON (AP) -- Jermaine O'Neal broke into a smile when asked

about returning to the scene of the ugly brawl that nearly ruined

the Indiana Pacers' season.

"It's only right," he said. "It's what I wanted. I wanted to

see that team, and I'm pretty sure Detroit is wanting to see us,

too."

He got his wish Saturday night when the Pacers beat the Boston

Celtics 97-70 in the deciding game of their first-round series and

advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pistons.

They did it with the slow pace they prefer, keeping alive the

18-year career of Reggie Miller.

The Game 7 rout was so complete that Boston coach Doc Rivers

began clearing his bench with 4:32 left. And Larry Bird, the former

Celtics great and now the Pacers president of basketball

operations, left his seat behind the Indiana bench with 3:31 to go.

"I don't know if the leprechauns took the day off," Pacers

coach Rick Carlisle said. "All I know is we had No. 33 sitting on

our side of the building. I've got to believe that makes a little

difference when you're here for a Game 7."

Now the team that has overcome suspensions, injuries and

disharmony moves on to a meeting with its biggest rival beginning

Monday night.

It'll be a rematch between teams that took part in a melee that

spilled into the stands during an early-season game at The Palace

in Auburn Hills, leading to the season-long suspension of Ron

Artest.

"Everything we've been through this year was nothing but fuel

for us," Stephen Jackson said. "It makes us want to win more and

play harder."

The Celtics played very poorly in a big game, missing easy shots

and allowing Indiana to take uncontested ones, and had the

second-lowest point total in their playoff history. They also lost

three home games for the first time in a seven-game series.

"In Game 7, for us to go out and play the way we did is

disappointing," Boston's Paul Pierce said. "No one wants to end

the season getting blown out."

Miller, who plans to end his 18-year career after this season,

took just five shots and scored five points. But Miller didn't have

to do much with Jackson scoring 24 points, Fred Jones 16 and O'Neal

15.

"I've had a great career, regardless of what happened

tonight," Miller said. "These guys need to win it for themselves.

I'm just glad I had the chance to play with them."

The Celtics were led by Antoine Walker with 20 points and Pierce

with 19, but both were out of the game with 4:20 left and Indiana

ahead 86-62.

"They kept playing and we stopped to take a look" in the

second half, Rivers said. "We hung our heads way too early in the

game."

Indiana turned a close game into a rout midway through the third

quarter with an 11-2 run that made the score 54-43 with 3:46 left.

Indiana was ahead 59-48 before scoring five of the last seven

points of the quarter, three by O'Neal, and led 64-50 going into

the final period.

Any realistic chance for the Celtics disappeared in the first

five minutes of the fourth quarter as the Pacers opened with a 12-5

spurt for a 76-55 lead. Backup guard Jones started it with two

3-pointers and ended it with a dunk with 7:36 to play.

"We turned the ball over way too much tonight," Walker said.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Pacers took their victory in

stride -- shaking hands with Celtics players while Rivers and

Carlisle did the same.

But the Celtics had trouble keeping their composure again,

drawing six technical fouls, and Perkins and Justin Reed were

ejected in the final minute for a scuffle with Pacers guard Eddie

Gill. In Game 3, Walker grabbed referee Tom Washington and was

suspended for a game. In Game 6, Pierce was ejected when he elbowed

Jamaal Tinsley.

Miller has spent his entire career with the Pacers, has hit the

most 3-pointers and is the 12th leading scorer in NBA history. He

also was chosen for five All-Star games and led the NBA in

free-throw accuracy this season for the fifth time.

But his chances of going out as a champion plummeted on Nov. 19

when several Pacers got into a brawl with fans in Detroit, leading

to suspensions that included Jackson for 30 games and O'Neal for

15.

Then there were the injuries.

Miller missed the first 15 games with a broken left hand, O'Neal

sat out 22 straight with a sprained right shoulder before returning

for the last three regular-season games and the playoffs, and

Tinsley missed 33 straight, including the first four of the

playoffs.

The Celtics overcame their own difficulties in the regular

season. They were just 27-28 when Walker returned in a trade with

Atlanta, rejoining the team he spent seven seasons with before they

traded him to Dallas before the 2003-04 season.

They went 18-9 after that and gained homecourt advantage in the

playoffs.Game notes
Jackson fell and clutched his left knee with 3.5 seconds

left in the first quarter, went to the bench and returned midway

through the second quarter. ... New England Patriots in the stands

included Deion Branch, David Givens, Daniel Graham and Doug Flutie.

... David Ortiz, David Wells and Keith Foulke also were there after

the Boston Red Sox's night game against Seattle was postponed by

rain. ... The playoff loss was the Celtics biggest Charlotte beat

them 119-89 on May 3, 1993.