BOSTON, May 3 (UPI) -- Paul Pierce scored 29 of his playoff career-high 46 points in the first half and decisively outdueled Allen Iverson Friday night as the Boston Celtics routed the Philadelphia 76ers, 120-87, in the fifth and final game of their NBA Eastern Conference first-round series.
Pierce led Boston to its first postseason series win since 1992 by making 10-of-13 shots in the first half. He fell one point short of Boston's franchise record for points in a half -- a mark held by John Havlicek and Larry Bird.
The Celtics swingman had 10 points in a 15-4 run in the second quarter that gave Boston the lead for good, 54-43, with 3:20 left in the half. He bookended the spurt with 3-pointers.
Iverson, the reigning league MVP, scored 20 of his 31 points in the first half but simply could not keep up with Pierce's torrid pace.
A 3-pointer by Iverson at the buzzer pulled Philadelphia within 77-67 after three quarters. But Boston used a 13-4 spurt to take a 97-79 lead with just over six minutes left.
The Celtics continued to pour it on and made seven of their 17 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including several in the final minutes. Boston outscored Philadelphia, 43-20 in the fourth.
Boston will visit second-seeded Detroit on Sunday for Game One of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
