Celtics pick up the pace

After banking in a 3-pointer with 39.2 seconds remaining, Paul Pierce smiled slyly and tilted his palms skyward as if to say, ''What do you expect?" Last night, when it looked as if Pierce wouldn't reach the 30-point mark, he surprised everyone except himself.

Stephen Jackson could not have contested the shot any better. The soldout TD Banknorth Garden probably had its doubts, considering how Pierce struggled from the floor in the first half, and only a minute before the 3-pointer had missed a layup and free throw. But the captain never wavered in his confidence or conviction.

''I knew what I wanted to do," said Pierce, who had 31 points and eight assists. ''He stepped back and I knew I was going to take the shot. I knew I had to get it up a little higher, because Stephen Jackson really contested it really well. If I had shot it straight, he probably would have gotten a piece of it. I got it up a little higher and banked it in."

Little did Pierce know that the banked 3-pointer would be the winner in the Celtics' 99-98 victory over the Pacers. It was an appropriately strange ending for a strange game in which each team failed to hold onto significant leads; Raef LaFrentz recorded a career-high seven assists; and Orien Greene was hailed for his play despite missing two free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining that could have put the game away. Instead, the arena was on its feet for the Pacers' final possession that started with 4.6 seconds remaining.

Tony Allen defended Jackson as best he could on the perimeter and it was good enough. Jackson launched a 13-footer that bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

''I was thankful Doc [Rivers] had that kind of faith in me," said Allen, who played just 3 minutes 35 seconds. ''All I was thinking was, 'Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.' "

The Celtics have won six of their past nine games, an impressive and necessary streak for a team that still believes it has a shot at the playoffs. Even better, the Celtics have apparently found a way to win close games. Until just before the All-Star break, the Celtics often kept games close, then collapsed in the fourth quarter. Sometimes it happened when Pierce tried to win the game by himself. Sometimes it happened when the Celtics went away from what had worked most of the game.

''Since early in the season, we've been saying, 'We've got to find ways to close games out,' " said Delonte West (17 points, seven assists). ''This was one of those nights and we found a way. We're kind of rolling now. We've kind of found our swagger. We know how we want to play each and every night. The thing is just going out and executing."

West has been a proponent of delivering what he likes to call ''the knockout blow." The Celtics had a chance to do just that when West converted a 3-point play and pushed the home team ahead, 85-78, with 8:46 remaining. It was the Celtics' largest lead of the game. But the Pacers responded with an 8-2 run and closed to 87-86 on a 3-pointer by Fred Jones (16 points off the bench). That set the stage for late-game drama.

It remained a one-possession game down the stretch, though the Celtics managed to capitalize on the Pacers' turnovers. But a missed free throw by Pierce (3 of 8 on free throws) proved costly as Jones tied the game, 94-94, on a layup with 1:34 remaining. Jones squandered a chance to put the Pacers back ahead when he failed to complete the 3-point play. The Celtics called time and collected themselves for the final possessions. After the teams traded baskets, the game remained tied with one minute left. Then, Pierce really went to work.

''I played great D," said Jackson (20 points, seven assists). ''It was a tough three he hit off the glass and there's nothing you can do about it. It was just one of those shots that was meant to be. I just didn't want to foul him. I wanted to make him take a tough shot. I did my job, but he did a better job, making sure it went it. It's something you've got to live with."

Leading, 55-52, at halftime, Indiana started the third with a 10-2 run and established a 12-point lead (70-58) when Jackson nailed a 3-pointer with 7:20 left in the quarter. The Celtics answered with a 19-4 spurt and took the lead for the first time since the first quarter when West hit a 3-pointer with 2:47 left. It was the youth movement that brought the Celtics back and kept the lead for the final minutes of the third. A dunk by Greene (5 points) stretched the Celtics' advantage to 77-74 and capped the comeback run. The Celtics entered the fourth ahead, 81-78. They did not fall behind again.