The defending NBA champions were at their best when it mattered most.
Richard Hamilton scored 10 of his 23 points in the final quarter as the Detroit Pistons followed three lackluster quarters with a dominant fourth and eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers 88-78 Tuesday in Game 5 of their first-round series.
"We just didn't want to let this game slip away," Hamilton said. "The fourth quarter we always say is our quarter."
An 8-0 run gave the Pistons an 80-69 lead with 4:48 left.
"They seem to flip a switch and turn it up on offense and defense," Sixers coach Jim O'Brien said. "Championship teams can do that."
The Pistons will play next against Indiana or Boston.
Allen Iverson scored 34 points, playing the last 10:56 after hurting his right ankle. Iverson landed awkwardly after missing a shot and was crumpled on the court before being helped to the bench. He had his right ankle taped and was quickly back in the game.
"I admire what he did," said Pistons coach Larry Brown, who coached Iverson for six seasons in Philadelphia before leaving for Detroit two years ago. "It was very courageous."
Iverson also went down hard after his shot was blocked from behind midway through the second quarter.
"I came out of the war beat up, but I feel like we competed," Iverson said.
Philadelphia's Chris Webber scored 11, and Samuel Dalembert had eight points in the first quarter but didn't score again until late in the game, finishing with 11 points.
The Sixers started three playoff neophytes, while Detroit returned all five starters from last season.
"Experience is tough to beat," Webber said. "So many times on the court, I looked on the right or left, to mentally tell somebody something. They've played together before and can make adjustments without coaching.
"Without experience, sometimes it's like you're a chicken running around with your head cut off."
Chauncey Billups scored 23 for the Pistons and Prince had 14 points, playing 45 minutes on a sprained right ankle. Ben Wallace added 11 points, 13 rebounds and a blocked shot, giving him a franchise-record 147 career playoff blocks.
Seattle 122, Sacramento 118
Everyone already knew Ray Allen is one of the NBA's biggest stars. Turns out he's got a solid supporting cast, too.
Allen scored 30 points and Rashard Lewis added 10 of his 24 in the fourth quarter, leading the Seattle SuperSonics to a 122-118 win over the Sacramento Kings and a 4-1 series win on Tuesday.
"The only thing I could think of was going back to Arco Arena. I didn't want to do that," Allen said.
The Sonics advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 1998. They'll meet the survivor of the San Antonio-Denver series, which the Spurs lead 3-1.
Allen, coming off a 45-point performance in Game 4, was smothered by double teams all night, but the Sonics supported him with a solid team effort reflected by seven players scoring in double figures.
Reserve forward Nick Collison had 15 points and nine rebounds, Antonio Daniels scored 14, Jerome James added 11 points and six rebounds and Reggie Evans and Luke Ridnour each scored 10.
"I thought we'd need that," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. "We didn't know what would be their plan for Ray and Rashard. We tried to commit to spacing the floor, putting our guys in position to attack if they double-teamed."
The Kings hadn't exited in the first round since 2000, when they lost a decisive fifth game to the Lakers. This year's playoffs also marked the first time in franchise history they'd trailed 3-1 in a series.
"Somebody has to lose," said Mike Bibby, who scored 35. "I'm not happy it was us. We gave it our all."
Peja Stojakovic had 38 points but missed his first six shots of the fourth quarter when the Kings needed him most. Up to that point, he'd shot 13-of-17 for 31 points.
Indiana 90, Boston 85
Jamaal Tinsley was back on the court for the first time in 2 1/2 months, making a return that helped the Indiana Pacers head home with a chance to eliminate the Celtics.
The point guard, out since Feb. 24 with a foot injury, passed and defended like he had never been away to spark Indiana to a 90-85 win and a 3-2 lead in their playoff series Tuesday.
"The way he played tonight was really key for us," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We needed, I think, the spiritual lift of having him out there."
Now, the Pacers can finish off the best-of-seven series Thursday night on their own court.
A bruised left foot had kept Tinsley out of the last 29 regular-season games and the first four playoff games. He found out he would play a few hours before Tuesday's game.
"He hurt us," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "He wasn't trying to score. He just ran the team."
Tinsley had six points, seven assists and five steals in 28 minutes and kept the Celtics from employing a press because of his ability to handle the ball better than his backup, Anthony Johnson. Tinsley was at his best when the Celtics threatened down the stretch after trailing by 15 with four minutes left in the third quarter.
A layup by Antoine Walker, returning from a one-game suspension for pushing referee Tom Washington in Game 3, had cut the lead to 77-75.
Then Tinsley assisted on Indiana's next two baskets, a 3-pointer by Reggie Miller and a jumper by Jermaine O'Neal.
Stephen Jackson's 3-pointer gave the Pacers an 85-80 lead, and Tinsley kept the Celtics from coming back with two steals in the last two minutes.
"It was a big test for me," said Tinsley, who felt sore afterward. ``I just wanted the ball in my hands down the stretch, knowing that there was a whole lot of pressure and I just wanted to make plays.''
The Celtics, especially Paul Pierce, forced up shots and stopped passing the ball.
"Both teams had focus. One team had better composure," Rivers said.
The Pacers were led by O'Neal with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Jackson with 15 points. For Boston, Pierce scored 27 points but committed six turnovers, and Ricky Davis has 19 points.
Road teams have won three of the five games in the series, and the Celtics must win away from home to prolong their season.
"We worked so hard to get homecourt advantage the second half of the season," said Walker, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. "I need to be a little bit more effective down low for this team to win."
The Celtics also must be more careful. They had 22 turnovers that led to 27 of Indiana's 90 points. And they allowed the Pacers to move the ball well, giving up 21 assists.
Wizards 106, Bulls 99
In Washington on Monday, Juan Dixon recovered from a horrible performance to score a career-high 35 points to lead the Wizards.
Dixon made just 1 of 10 shots in Game 3, but was 11-for-15 -- including 3-for-4 on 3-pointers -- and made all 10 of his free throws for the Wizards in Game 4 of the opening-round Eastern Conference series.
Jannero Pargo scored 16 of his 18 points in the final quarter, when the Bulls cut an early deficit of 28 points to six with 24 seconds remaining. Kirk Hinrich also had 18 points for Chicago.
Gilbert Arenas added 23 points and Antawn Jamison had 18 for Washington.
Spurs 126, Nuggets 115, OT
At Denver, Tim Duncan had his best game of the series, Manu Ginobili provided another spark off the bench, and Tony Parker scored 11 of his 29 points in overtime to help San Antonio take a 3-1 lead.
Duncan had 39 points and 14 rebounds, and Ginobili finished with 24 points and six assists for the Spurs, who can close out the series today in San Antonio.
Earl Boykins scored 32 points for Denver, and Carmelo Anthony had 28.
The National Basketball Association fined Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy US$100,000 -- the largest amount ever for a coach -- on Monday, a day after he accused officials of being overly harsh on Chinese center Yao Ming during this year's playoffs and saying Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is to blame.
While Van Gundy laughed off the penalty and Yao offered to pay half of the fine, NBA commissioner David Stern called the fine "an intermediary step." He added that an investigation will continue once the Rockets finish their playoff run.
He said further punishment is possible, even implying that Van Gundy could face a lifetime ban.
"If he's going to say things like that, he's not going to continue in this league," Stern said. "If the attitude reflected in those comments continues to be public, he's going to have a big problem with me as long as I'm commissioner."
Stern said the league is both furious at what Van Gundy said and that he refuses to divulge the official he claims told him that referees "were looking at Yao harder because of Mark's complaints" to the league office.
Van Gundy got himself into trouble by telling three reporters at the team hotel in Dallas on Sunday night that a referee not working the playoffs called him after the Rockets went up 2-0 and warned that Yao was mentioned in an online evaluation from supervisor of officials Ronnie Nunn.
Van Gundy added that because Cuban "has been hard on" the league and officials, "he's gotten the benefit."
"I didn't think that really worked in the NBA, but in this case it has," Van Gundy said.
He stood by his complaints Monday and said he's made many of them privately to the league all season.
"I said what I said. I believe what I believe and I've seen what I've seen. They've got to do what they think is right," Van Gundy said. "I would watch all of [Yao's] 20 fouls with anyone. And I would have no problems making my case that he's not refereed appropriately. I stand by that."
However, Yao offered to split the fee because "coach was talking about me."
"I feel I need to do it that way," Yao said.
FAN SENTENCED
A fan charged with throwing a chair during a fight among players and fans last November at an NBA game -- one of the worst brawls in US sports history -- was sentenced to two years of probation on Tuesday.
Bryant Jackson was the only one of the 13 players and fans charged with a felony from the melee during the Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons game.
"I'd like to apologize to the Pistons organization, my family and the Pacers organization. ... I am very remorseful," Jackson said before he was sentenced. He also was ordered to pay about US$6,000 in restitution.
"I honestly believe this is mob mentality," Judge Rae Lee Chabot said on Tuesday. "It doesn't excuse it, but it does explain it."
Three other fans already have been sentenced to probation for walking on the court or throwing objects.
Trials for the five Indiana players involved in the brawl are set to begin on Aug. 1, starting with Artest. Trials for four other defendants are to start in July. All are charged with assault and battery.
ROOKIE AWARD
Charlotte forward Emeka Okafor won the NBA's Rookie of the Year award, narrowly beating best friend Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls, a Bobcats source told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The award will be announced on Wednesday. The Bobcats have called a news conference for what they have only called "a major announcement."
Okafor, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft, led all rookies in scoring (15.9 points per game) and rebounding (10.9 rpg) and was second in his class behind Atlanta's Josh Smith in blocks (1.71). He also ranked second in the NBA with 3.8 offensive rebounds per game.
He ended his season with 47 games in double figures in both points and rebounds.
But Okafor spent the final months in a close battle with Gordon, his best friend and roommate while the two led University of Connecticut to the US college championship last year.
Okafor played under tremendous pressure the entire season as the face of the expansion Bobcats. Charlotte traded up in the draft for a chance to pick him, hoping to make him the cornerstone of their franchise.
Even with a limited supporting cast, Okafor was able to help the Bobcats to 18 wins despite preseason predictions that Charlotte would be the worst team in NBA history. He helped the Bobcats to two wins over Detroit, the defending NBA champions, as well as victories over Miami and Houston.
After the season-ending win over the Pistons, Okafor said he enjoyed his rookie season.
"With an expansion team, I knew that things would be different, but I didn't have anything to compare it to," he said. "I've had a pretty enjoyable experience. I can't complain at all. I've had a great time in Charlotte this year and its only going to get better. The future is looking bright."
Sixth Man award
Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award on Tuesday, the first rookie to win the award.
Gordon, the third overall pick in the 2004 draft, averaged 15.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in just over 24 minutes this season. He came off the bench in 79 of 82 games this season and helped the Bulls make their first playoff appearance since 1998, when Michael Jordan led them to their sixth title.
Gordon received 88 of 125 first-place votes and 513 points from a panel of media members. Boston guard Ricky Davis was second with 257 points, and Denver guard Earl Boykins was third with 155.
Defensive Player award
Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace received the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award for the third time in four years on Monday.
Wallace joins Dikembe Mutombo as the only two players to win the award three or more times. Wallace also won it in 2002 and 2003.
Mutombo won in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001.
During the regular season, he ranked fifth with 2.38 blocks per game, second with 12.2 rebounds a game, and 23rd with 1.43 steals a game. The 2.06m, 108kg Wallace ranks second in the playoffs with three blocks a game.
Wallace received 45 first-place votes and a total of 339 points from a panel of 125 members of the media. San Antonio's Bruce Bowen was second with 247 points, and Denver's Marcus Camby finished third with 168.
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