INDIANAPOLIS -- Doc Rivers had hit plenty of key shots in his 10-year NBA career. But these meant the most to him.
Rivers scored New York's final 11 points in overtime Thursday night, including three 3-pointers that allowed the Knicks to beat the Indiana Pacers 109-100 and advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
New York won the best-of-five series 3-1 and will play the Charlotte Hornets in the second round.
Rivers' first 3-pointer in the late barrage, with 2:41 remaining in the extra period, pushed the Knicks' lead to 101-97. He followed with two more 3-pointers and a pair of free throws, countered only by three Detlef Schrempf free throws, in the final 1:16.
'These feel the best because of the timing,' Rivers said. 'You don't want to go to the fifth game with a team playing you great because anything can happen.'
Patrick Ewing, who led the Knicks with 28 points and 13 rebounds, scored the Knicks' first 4 points in the extra period, putting them up for good at 96-94 on the first play of the extra period.
'I'm just happy to get to the next round,' he said. 'It's hard. It's rough. But we're moving on. The train's running.'
Anthony Mason came off the bench to score a playoff career-high 25 points and grab 10 rebounds. John Starks, thrown out of Game 3 for head- butting Indiana's Reggie Miller, scored 15 points.
Rivers hit 21 points and dished off 11 assists, but had only 5 points before his first 3-pointer of the game with 2:48 to go in regulation, which tied it at 89-89.
'I had missed three or four shots in a row,' Rivers said. 'I knew I could make it and I took it. When I hit it I thought we had a chance.'
That hoop came during a wild final six minutes of regulation in which there were eight lead changes before New York's Charles Oakley hit a layup with 34 seconds remaining to send it to overtime tied at 94-94.
'That was a great playoff game,' New York Coach Pat Riley said. 'Two teams played at an incredible level as far as effort goes. It's tough on a coach but we'll take the result any time.'
Reggie Miller led Indiana with 33 points, Detlef Schrempf added 25 and Rik Smits added 21 points and 12 rebounds. The Pacers have lost in the first round the past four seasons and have never won an NBA playoff series.
'We proved we were better than most people thought,' Indiana Coach Bob Hill said. 'The effort was there and it was a great, great game. It's tough. Everyone is disappointed.'
Each team failed on a chance to win in regulation.
Smits missed a jumper with 11 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Ewing missed a 21-footer and Starks missed a put-back try just before the buzzer.
New York led 92-89 with 1:37 to go, but Smits hit a jumper followed by a Miller 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining to give the Pacers a 94- 92 edge.
Indiana scored the first 5 points of the fourth quarter to take a 77- 70 lead, but the Knicks came right back. Ewing's rebound dunk with 5:57 remaining in regulation completed an 11-2 run and gave New York an 81-79 lead.
Rivers' dunk off a steal with less than a second remaining brought the Knicks within 72-70 at the end of the third quarter. The dunk capped a 10-0 run over the last 2:35.
Charles Smith's dunk with 9:52 to go in the third gave New York its biggest lead to that point, 58-51.
Miller led the Pacers on a 21-2 charge, though, scoring 10 straight points in the run that put Indiana ahead 72-60 with 2:39 to go.
Indiana led 47-40 on Miller's 3-point play with 3:28 remaining, but the Knicks responded with 12 straight points. Mason's two free throws with 1:45 to go put New York ahead 48-47, its first lead since 6-4. The Knicks took a 54-49 lead into the lockerroom.
The Pacers reeled off a 14-2 run to go up 18-8 with 4:46 left in the first period. Indiana extended its edge to 30-16 with 1:12 remaining on a Miller 3-pointer.
