SPORTSTICKER NBA PLAYOFF RECAP (INDIANA-PHILADELPHIA) PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Once again, the Indiana Pacers showed their experience while the Philadelphia 76ers showed their age. The Pacers did not panic during an awful fourth quarter and made all the key plays down the stretch in an 89-86 victory over the 76ers that completed a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference semifinal series. Reggie Miller scored 23 points, including a running banker that gave the Pacers the lead for good with 1:31 to play. After missing 13 straight shots deep into the final period, Indiana turned the tables and held Philadelphia without a basket for the last 3:17. "Our defense stepped up for us big-time," Miller said. "We made plays down the stretch defensively. We were struggling offensively in the fourth." It was a familiar formula for the Pacers, who in all four games built big early leads, weathered comebacks by the pesky 76ers and relied on their huge advantage in postseason experience to put away the wins. "It felt long, like a six- or seven-game series," Miller said. "You really got to give Philadelphia a lot of credit. We knew they weren't going to lie down. They could have gone south when we got up 17 in the first half, but they are a very prideful team with a very prideful coach. They played great and had a chance to win it." The first best-of-seven series sweep in NBA franchise history made Indiana the first team since the 1993 Chicago Bulls to go undefeated through the first two rounds. The Pacers returned to the conference finals for the fourth time in six years and await the winner of the series between Atlanta and New York. "We've been playing well, especially in the playoffs," Pacers coach Larry Bird said. "We haven't lost a game yet, so that helps us. I've got a veteran team that has one thing in mind -- that's trying to win a championship. They take this stuff pretty seriously. It's good to see that." Allen Iverson scored 25 points and Matt Geiger added 23 and 13 rebounds for the 76ers, who were swept in a best-of-seven series for the first time in franchise history, ending a sweet season in bitter fashion. "If I could be beat or swept by any team I would rather be swept by that team," Iverson said. "They showed a lot of poise. Their sportsmanship was great. Those guys didn't act real cocky after the victory, any of the victories, or during any of the games. They didn't throw anything in our face and showed a lot of class." Led by Iverson and former Pacers coach Larry Brown, the Sixers made the playoffs for the first time since 1991 and upset the Orlando Magic in the first round. Brown termed the series "a nightmare" because of his acrimonious departure from the Pacers in 1997 and he was right as his young team did not have enough maturity to deal with Indiana. "They did what all good teams do -- make plays when it matters," Brown said. "And they move on. My admiration for them is great and my respect for my team than anytime I've been involved with them." Iverson led the league in scoring during the season and kept up the pace in the playoffs. But the Pacers made him work as he shot 11-of-28 today and just 44-of-115 in the series. Philadelphia trailed 73-62 entering the final period but rallied as Indiana went cold. A jumper by Geiger capped a 9-0 burst that cut the deficit to two points and Iverson scored eight of his team's next 10 points, giving the Sixers an 81-77 lead with 3:56 to go. "A lot of teams would have packed it in as badly as we got started or as well as they played early," Brown said. "The second half was the way we needed to play against them the entire series." "We weren't playing too well in the fourth," Bird said. "Our second unit didn't give us much of a lift all day. We had a good lead going in, an 11-point lead. It evaporated pretty quick. Philly got up by four. Then it was just trying to battle back." A bank shot by Geiger kept the lead at four points with 3:17 to play but that was Philadelphia's last basket. After committing no turnovers in the second half, the Sixers had giveaways on consecutive possessions and Chris Mullin ended Indiana's basket drought at 12:10 with a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 83-82 with 2:02 to go. Iverson missed a jumper before Miller's short banker and Eric Snow missed a 3-pointer. Mullin had his 3-pointer partially blocked by Larry Hughes but Rik Smits grabbed the rebound and put in a layup for an 86-84 lead with 1:02 remaining. The 6-foot Iverson appeared to be fouled by the 7-4 Smits as he missed a 3-pointer from the left corner. Smits missed a shot but Dale Davis grabbed the offensive rebound and handed off to Miller, who was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws to seal it with 11 seconds left. "I thought I got fouled but maybe it shouldn't have even come down to that," Iverson said. "That play didn't even matter." Mullin scored 16 points and Smits added 15 for the Pacers, who shot 40 percent (27-of-67) from the field and had all five starters in double figures. Mark Jackson had 14 points and 13 assists and Davis had 10 points and 13 boards. Snow had 13 points and seven assists and George Lynch added 11 points for the Sixers, who shot 41 percent (36-of-88) but were outscored 27-12 at the foul line. Philadelphia was without starting forward Theo Ratliff, who was sidelined with a left calf strain. As they did in Game Three, the Pacers immediately took the First Union Center crowd out of the game with a quick start. Miller made 6-of-8 shots and scored 16 points in the first quarter as Indiana led by as many as 17 before settling for a 31-17 advantage. Snow's three-point play triggered a 13-3 burst that featured four points each from Geiger and Lynch and cut the deficit to 38-33 with 4:28 left in the second quarter before the Pacers rebuilt the lead to 50-41 at halftime. Iverson took only nine shots in the first half after launching 20 in the first two quarters of Game Three. He came out firing in the third quarter but made just 3-of-11 from the field. A jumper by Snow pulled the Sixers within 62-58 with 4:02 to go, but Davis scored inside and Miller and Mullin made 3-pointers to quickly rebuild the lead to 12 points.  