NBA.com News: New York 90, Indiana 82


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      BOX SCORE | RECAP
      New York 90, Indiana 82



      NEW YORK (Ticker)  Without their "Big L," the New York Knicks turned to 
      Allan Houston for the big W. 
      Houston scored 22 of his 32 points after Larry Johnson was injured in the 
      second quarter, helping the Knicks complete an improbable run to the NBA 
      Finals with a 90-82 victory over the Indiana Pacers. 
      With their third straight playoff series upset, the Knicks closed out the 
      Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals in six games and became the first 
      eighth-seeded team to reach the Finals. They will face the San Antonio 
      Spurs in Game One on Wednesday. 
             Marcus Camby gets a lift after giving the Knicks a lift off the 
            bench throughout the Conference Finals. (AP Photo) 


      "It was more special than I thought it would be," Houston said. "It was 
      kind of like, it was 25 seconds to go and I'm just picturing how it was 
      going to be after the game was over. I didn't even know we were still 
      playing. It was even more special. You can't put it into words." 
      Often faulted for his lack of aggression, Houston took the game into his 
      own hands after Johnson left with a sprained MCL in his right knee midway 
      through the second quarter. With an assortment of jumpers and drives, he 
      missed just one shot in the final 30 minutes. 
      "He got a couple of layups, got his confidence going and made some tough 
      shots," Pacers coach Larry Bird said. "He shot the ball extremely well, 
      scored 32 points in a low-scoring game. That's pretty good." 
      Houston overcame a slow start and finished 12-of-17 from the field. He 
      also wrested the unofficial title of best clutch shooting guard from 
      Indiana's Reggie Miller, who could not keep up with Houston on defense and 
      suffered through an awful 3-of-18 performance, scoring just eight points 
      -- none in the fourth quarter. 
      "Horrendous. Horrendous," Miller said. "A lot of open looks. ... They were 
      looking to ride my back this round, and I didn't do it for them. So I have 
      to take responsibility for that. I'm disappointed because I definitely 
      feel like I let our franchise down -- really our state. For me to come up 
      so short in such a crucial part and a crucial time, it's very difficult." 
      Houston had some help from Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby, who again 
      proved to be too quick for the Pacers. Sprewell scored 20 points and Camby 
      added 15 and nine rebounds as the duo combined for 10 of New York's last 
      12 points. 
      "This is what we play for," said Sprewell, who has gone from outcast to 
      hero in 18 months. "As a kid, you sit up and you watch TV and you're 
      saying, 'Hey, that's Michael (Jordan), that's Larry (Bird) and James 
      Worthy,' some of the guys you admire. You always hope to be in this 
      position." 
      Already without injured star center Patrick Ewing, the shorthanded Knicks 
      used just eight players. Reserve point guard Chris Childs scored nine 
      points, flashing Johnson's trademark "Big L" after making a couple of 
      second-half jumpers to honor his fallen teammate. After the buzzer 
      sounded, Houston also gave the "Big L" sign. 
      "That was just for Larry," Houston said. "We know that he's been with us, 
      as well as Patrick, and he's going to continue to be with us." 
      "You guys buried us, covered us, started shoveling dirt on us," said 
      Ewing, who has a partially torn left Achilles tendon. "We still believed 
      in ourselves." 

            It was kind of like, it was 25 seconds to go and I'm just picturing 
            how it was going to be after the game was over. I didn't even know 
            we were still playing. It was even more special. You can't put it 
            into words.
             Allan Houston 

      Rik Smits scored 20 points before fouling out and Jalen Rose added 16 for 
      the second-seeded Pacers, who lost in the conference finals for the fourth 
      time in six years. After sweeping through the first two rounds, Indiana 
      never led in this series. 
      It was another heroic effort by Houston, who sank the game-winning jumper 
      with less than a second left in Game Five of the first round against 
      Miami, allowing the Knicks to advance. His explosion tonight put New York 
      in the Finals for the first time in five years and finally secured coach 
      Jeff Van Gundy's future. 
      Despite a talented roster, the Knicks were the last team to clinch a 
      playoff berth and much of the blame fell upon Van Gundy, who was 
      reportedly going to be replaced after the season. But the Knicks have not 
      stopped winning and Van Gundy secured a one-year, $3.5 million extension 
      on his contract by reaching the Finals. He was an assistant under Pat 
      Riley when New York lost to the Houston Rockets in the 1994 Finals. 
      "This was about great, great play by a team that has developed itself into 
      a true team and one that fought hard and played just to win," Van Gundy 
      said. "I'm really happy that they got that win. I feel good for those 
      guys." 
      "We're working very well together and we're communicating and we both 
      agree we're going to sit down after the season," said Madison Square 
      Garden president Dave Checketts, who fired general manager Ernie Grunfeld 
      during the season. "I know the players really support him. I think they've 
      rallied around him and it's one of the great stories ever in sports." 
      Houston scored nine points in each of the final two quarters. He was 
      unstoppable as he worked over Miller in the third quarter and Rose and 
      Mark Jackson in the final period, when New York made 10-of-13 shots. 
      A dunk by Smits pulled the Pacers within 69-68 with 4:39 to play and 
      Houston answered with a short jumper. Smits hit a jumper but Sprewell 
      answered with a 16-footer and Houston made a floater over Rose and drew 
      the foul for a three-point play and a 76-70 lead with 3:53 to go. 
      Rose buried a 3-pointer and Houston responded again with a 17-foot jumper 
      with 3:24 remaining. Smits converted a three-point play but did not score 
      again, committing two fouls in the next two minutes. 
      A flying tip-in by Camby gave New York some breathing room at 80-76 with 
      2:54 left. Miller missed a pair of 3-pointers around two foul shots by 
      Camby and Rose missed a 3-pointer, springing Sprewell for a driving layup 
      and an 84-76 lead with 39 seconds to go. Sprewell added four free throws 
      and Childs made two down the stretch. 
      New York shot 44 percent (31-of-70), as did Indiana (34-of-77). But the 
      Knicks made 27-of-33 foul shots while the Pacers took just nine, making 
      them all. Jackson scored 14 points and Dale Davis grabbed 12 rebounds for 
      Indiana, which committed 27 turnovers. 
      "It's tough, very tough," said Jackson, crying in the locker room. "All 
      the work, all the effort, all the energy. Tough." 
      After he was the hero of Games Three and Five, Johnson's twisted knee had 
      a twist of irony. The injury occurred with 6:03 left in the second 
      quarter, when Pacers guard Travis Best -- who had missed the last two 
      games with a groin pull -- crashed into Johnson as he scored on a driving 
      layup. 
      Johnson stayed down for several minutes before teammates carried him to 
      the locker room. X-rays were negative but he was taken to a hospital for a 
      precautionary MRI. He will be re-evaluated Saturday. 
             
            All Larry Bird could do was watch as Allan Houston lit up the 
            Pacers.(Ray Amati/NBA Photos) 


      Already missing Ewing, the Knicks were left without a low-post threat. 
      That put the offense on the perimeter with Houston, who took charge 
      thereafter. 
      "I felt the whole game that it was going to be a good night for me. I just 
      kind of felt at peace," Houston said. "I think getting going early helped 
      me, and I had a good first half. I knew I wasn't going to stop." 
      Both teams appeared tight at the outset but the Pacers -- with the 
      exception of Miller -- were first to get rid of the jitters. Two baskets 
      by Smits and a 3-pointer and jumper by Jackson gave Indiana 13-4 lead with 
      3:37 left in the first period. 
      Houston found his stroke with a runner, a free throw and a 3-point play 
      that closed the quarter and cut the deficit to 17-14. Miller had no such 
      luck, missing 5-of-6 shots. 
      New York's surge continued into the second quarter, with Johnson making a 
      pair of foul shots and two short jumpers. A 13-footer by Kurt Thomas gave 
      the Knicks a 24-18 lead before a dunk by Antonio Davis ended the Pacers' 
      basket drought at just over five minutes. 
      Miller missed eight in a row before sinking a long jumper with 1:26 
      remaining in the second quarter. Even without Johnson, the Knicks actually 
      built their lead as Camby scored five quick points and Houston and 
      Sprewell added four apiece. 
      Houston's 21-footer over Miller with 3.9 seconds left gave New York a 
      41-35 lead. He outscored Miller 14-4 in the first half. 
      Thomas replaced Johnson to start the second half but the offense sputtered 
      and the Pacers took advantage, rattling off 11 straight points. Jackson 
      had three baskets before Miller drilled a 3-pointer to give Indiana a 
      46-41 lead with 9:37 left in the third quarter. 
      Houston took charge, giving New York its first basket of the period with 
      an 18-footer with 7:16 left and scoring nine points in the period. His 
      driving layup pulled the Knicks into a 53-53 tie with 3:28 left and his 
      jumper just under two minutes later provided a 57-55 edge.
       

            Star/News: Pacers had problems with Houston
            Pacers-Knicks series index
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            VIDEO
            Pacers at Knicks (L, 82-90) 
            See complete Game 6 highlights.
            28.8+ | ISDN+ 
            Knicks vs. Pacers (W, 90-82) 
            Marcus Camby comes flying through the lane for the rebound tip-in to 
            help lead the Knicks to the series-clinching win.
            954k avi | QuickTime 
            Pacers at Knicks (L, 82-90) 
            Mark Jackson spins into the lane and finishes with the floating 
            runner in the third quarter.
            901k avi | QuickTime 
            Knicks vs. Pacers (W, 90-82) 
            Allan Houston makes the sweet behind-the-back pass to Kurt Thomas 
            who finishes with the smooth jumper.
            963k avi | QuickTime 
            Pacers at Knicks (L, 82-90) 
            Reggie Miller gets the Pacers off to a fast start with this 
            breakaway dunk in Game 6.
            959k avi | QuickTime 



            AUDIO
            Listen to the call of the final seconds of the Knicks' 
            series-clinching victory.
            156k wav | RealAudio

            Marcus Camby says that the Knicks are happy to make the Finals, but 
            their goal is not yet complete.
            113k wav | RealAudio

            Patrick Ewing says that he is very proud of the way his team played.
            163k wav | RealAudio

            Allan Houston hits point #32 with the jumper over his defender in 
            the fourth quarter.
            138k wav | RealAudio

            Latrell Sprewell delivers the final blow to the Pacers by grabbing 
            the loose ball and taking it the length of the floor for the layup.
            194k wav | RealAudio

            Allan Houston continues to torch the Pacers as he drives to the hole 
            and easily lays the ball in.
            116k wav | RealAudio







