Miller’s Time Serves the 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers’ $50,000 fine may have been worth it.

With the Indiana Pacers’ Reggie Miller serving a one-game suspension for retaliating against Matt Geiger of the 76ers in the previous game, Allen Iverson scored 37 points Monday night and Philadelphia overwhelmed the poor-shooting and seemingly dazed Pacers, 107-86, to pull within 3-2 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Now, with at least one more game, the 76ers still have a chance to become the first NBA team to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.

“The pressure is kind of on those guys,” Iverson said. “Everybody expected they would beat us. When it comes down to talent in this league, we’re not at the top . . . but we have more heart than anybody else in the league.”

Game 6 will be at Philadelphia Friday. A seventh and deciding game, if necessary, would be at Indianapolis Sunday.

“We really feel like we’ve got a shot,” Iverson said. “We’re going to bring our ‘A’ game, and for them to get out of there with a win, they’re definitely going to have to bring their ‘A’ game.”

The 76ers’ first victory in the series was in Game 4 Saturday, when Miller was twice knocked to the floor by 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 after the second flagrant foul. But the NBA also fined the 76ers $50,000

The 76ers took took control at the start, making seven of their first eight shots for a 15-0 lead.

“You hope to get a good start, but there’s no way in the world I imagined we’d get off to that lead,” 76er Coach Larry Brown said. “Allen had a great game, especially in the first three quarters.

“I know they lost a great player,” he said of Miller’s absence. “You can’t make up for somebody of his ability not playing, but all the conversation was they didn’t need him, they would win without him, so it’s just a tremendous effort on our part.”

Iverson made his first three shots and had seven points during the early run. But without Miller, who is averaging 25 points a game in the playoffs, the Pacers had virtually no scoring besides Rik Smits, who scored 14 of his team-high 15 points in the first half.

Two baskets by Smits cut Philadelphia’s lead to nine, then Smits blocked a shot by Toni Kukoc and Mark Jackson scored to pull Indiana within 19-12 in the closing minutes of the first quarter. The Pacers were never closer than that the rest of the game.

“All I know is we need to regroup before we find ourselves fighting for our lives again,” Pacer guard Mark Jackson said. “But history tells me we’re going to come out aggressive. For some reason, we’re a better team when we’re up 3-2 than when it’s 3-1. Don’t ask me why.”

A 10-2 Philadelphia run pushed the lead to 29-16 at the end of the first quarter, and the 76ers took control in the second quarter with a 14-2 run.