ATLANTA, May 2 -- When the fourth quarter rolls around for the Indiana Pacers, it's usually (Reggie) Miller time. With Miller out of the lineup and likely out for much of the playoffs, the Pacers Thursday night turned to their defense when they needed it the most Indiana clamped down and held Atlanta without a field goal for more than seven minutes in the fourth quarter when the Pacers defeated the Hawks, 83-75, forcing a fifth game in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. 'We had our backs up against the wall, they were up 2-1 and at home, there definitely was a sense of urgency,' said guard Mark Jackson. 'We're a good team with a lot of character and we responded. 'Our biggest weapon is our defense and our intensity. That's how we win games, whether Rik (Smits) or Reggie (Miller) was in there. We could've folded, but that's not the makeup of our team.' Rik Smits scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Derrick McKey added 14 points, including a key three-point play with 2:54 left, as the Pacers used an 8-0 run to turn a two-point lead into an 81-71 advantage with 75 seconds to go. 'We wanted to do it the hard way, one step at a time,' Smits added. 'Now we have to take care of business at home. I think the difference was we set the tone today. We got the breaks, the rebounds and the loose balls went our way.
It comes down to our character and effort. You don't go to the Eastern finals without any character. Everybody stepped up and made big plays.' The Hawks, who have been eliminated by the Pacers in their last two playoff series, now travel to Indiana to play Game Five on Sunday to decide the series. The winner of this series will play the Orlando Magic in the conference semifinals. The Hawks hit just 5-of-23 shots (22 percent) in the fourth quarter and were held to an all-time playoff low 11 points in the period. The 75 points scored by Atlanta was their second lowest output in post-season history. 'At 75-71, that was the key part,' said Pacers coach Larry Brown. 'We managed to hold them down, that's how we used to win games. I feel very fortunate and glad for another day.' Steve Smith scored 19 and Mookie Blaylock added 17 for the Hawks, who missed 13 consecutive shots in the fourth period. 'We missed shots, they made shots,' Smith said. 'We had opportunities, it was more us even though they played well. We had about six different possessions where we missed our shots. We need to accomplish a win, we need to play hard with a lot of emotion and have fun. Basketball is still a fun game. It's a one-game series.' 'You have to have ball movement and you have to defend,' said Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens. 'You have to talk and you can't give them a second or third shot. We have to do a better job next game. We've won in Indiana and the players know that. This game was a missed opportunity.' Smits was 8-of-12 from the field and scored 15 of his points in the first half as the Pacers built a 50-41 lead. Indiana seized a 25-22 first-quarter lead behind eight points from Mark Jackson and six from Smits. Dale Davis added nine rebounds, while Jackson finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Travis Best, who hit a jumper during the pivotal fourth-quarter spurt, contributed nine points, including 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Atlanta forwards Stacey Augmon and Grant Long combined to shoot 6-of- 19 from the field, scoring just 17 points in 69 minutes. Long led all players with 12 rebounds. The Hawks had seven blocked shots, including three by Smith.
