Rose-Croshere Combination Leaves the 76ers in a Bind

Game 1 was all Jalen Rose and Reggie Miller with 40 points each. Austin Croshere got a piece of the scoring for the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rose scored 30 points and Croshere added a career playoff-high 20 as the Pacers, despite not making a field goal over the final seven minutes, beat Philadelphia, 103-97, Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.

“I didn’t feel that I carried my weight in the first round. There was a little bit of nervousness in that first series,” said Croshere, who played only one minute in the playoffs in his first two seasons. “The key for me wasn’t ‘I’ve got to come out and score’ but to play hard and be aggressive.”

The Pacers scored their final 10 points on free throws, starting with two by Rose that put Indiana ahead, 95-73, with 5:53 to play.

The 76ers rallied with a 33-14 run in the fourth quarter, including scoring 17 straight points.

The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Wednesday and Game 4 on Saturday. Only seven teams in NBA history have rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win a series.

“Squarely, the pressure is now on Philadelphia. We can play a little bit more freer, a little bit more loose,” said Miller, who had 19 points.

Allen Iverson led the 76ers with 28 points, but was only nine for 25 from the field. He had 10 assists.

The 76ers also found out that starting guard Eric Snow, who missed the final two games of the opening series against Charlotte because of a fracture in his right ankle, will not be able to play the rest of the playoffs because of the injury. He played only four minutes in the second half Monday night.

Indiana, which pulled away on 55% shooting in the first half, also got 14 points on seven-for-nine shooting from center Rik Smits.

Croshere was four for four from three-point range.

“He had a fantastic overall game,” Miller said of Croshere, who sprained his right ankle in the fourth quarter but returned.

“Croshere and [Derrick] McKey, their contributions were phenomenal,” Philadelphia Coach Larry Brown said. “They [Indiana] were the aggressor on both ends of the court. . . . They got every loose ball. They executed.”