It wasn't baseball and it wasn't for a world championship, but the Celtics most certainly let a slow roller up the first base line get through their legs last night.

The C's were well within sight of wrapping up this first-round series against the Pacers, but they managed to go an NBA record 0-for-overtime to hand a 93-88 win and a largely undeserved playoff life to Indiana. Instead of advancement to the second round, the Celtics will now have a Game 6 tomorrow night at the FleetCenter.

NBA commissioner David Stern sent a subtle message to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday: Televise your playoff games.

Stern, speaking before the playoff game with Boston at Conseco Fieldhouse, was critical of the Pacers for not broadcasting Game 2 on April 21.

The game also was blacked out locally on NBA TV, a subscription package available on cable and satellite outlets.

Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal received the "official" word Tuesday that he'll be a member of the U.S. team that this summer will attempt to qualify for the 2004 Olympics.

O'Neal, Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers were added to the U.S. team.

The Boston Celtics held scoreless for seven minutes? Impossible. Unthinkable. Unbelievable.

Yet there they were Tuesday night, with a chance to finish off the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series at Conseco Fieldhouse.

In one 27-minute appearance Tuesday, Tim Hardaway made the Indiana Pacers' late-season gamble pay off.

The 36-year-old point guard made a vital rescue effort in a do-or-die game, contributing 13 points and six assists in their 93-88 overtime victory over Boston at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Analysis of the Indiana Pacers' 93-88 overtime victory over Boston on Tuesday got simpler as the game progressed.

Ron Artest.

At both ends of the court.

Artest scored a game-high 26 points, including the Pacers' final field goal of regulation and three of their five overtime points, as the Pacers pulled within 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Ron Artest finished his post-practice workout and walked to face the cameras with his jaw set and hands clasped behind his back like a soldier.

The Pacers forward, his words clearly rehearsed, was anxious to broadcast the message that he was wrong to question coach Isiah Thomas' game plan following Sunday's Game 4 loss to the Celtics.

``We had just lost a game, and I was bad,'' Artest said, sounding for all the world like a grade-schooler facing the principal. ``That's what that was. Everybody knows that we have to execute better, and that's the problem.''

There's an old saying that you should be careful about what you wish for because you may get it and regret it. The Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers can relate.

The Pistons wanted to finish the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference so they could enjoy home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs. They got it and opened the best-of-seven-game first round against the Orlando Magic, whom they had beaten twice in three games during the season.

For the first 3? quarters, Paul Pierce was off-target and the Boston Celtics appeared overmatched.

By the end, Pierce had changed everything.

Pierce scored 21 of his 40 points in the final quarter, leading Boston back from a 13-point deficit in the final 7? minutes as the Celtics rallied past the Indiana Pacers 103-100 in Game 1 of their first-round series.

"I thought we did a good job of putting me in position to drive,'' said Pierce. "I was able to get to the basket every time. I knew I could beat my man.''

Pierce's primary defender was Ron Artest before he fouled out with 40 seconds left. That the Pacers scrambling to contain Pierce, whose 3-pointer with 27.5 seconds left put the Celtics ahead 99-97.

Pierce also went 21-for-21 from the free throw line, setting an NBA playoff record for most free throws made without a miss.

Pierce blamed his slow start on illness. Bothered by a sore throat and fatigue, he missed 15 of 19 shots in the first three quarters.

"My legs were weak. I didn't have any spring in my shots,'' Pierce said. "I just stuck with it. I said 'At least I can make some free throws and rebound.'''

Pierce did finish with 11 rebounds, but it was his free-throw shooting that made up most for his off-night from the floor. His 11 free throws in the fourth were two shy of the most ever made in one playoff quarter. They were Boston's only free throws in the quarter.

"He was just putting his head down, going to the basket and going to the foul line,'' Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. "It seemed every time he went into the air, he went to the foul line.''

Indiana, just as it did over the course of the regular season, faded after a fast start. The Pacers made only four field goals in the fourth, giving the Celtics plenty of chances to rally.

Antoine Walker, who scored 22 points, hit a couple of 3-pointers early in the quarter to pull Boston within seven. The Pacers pushed the lead back to 13, 88-75, after five straight points by Ron Artest.

That's when Pierce took over.

He sank four straight free throws to make it 93-89, then added a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:31 remaining to make it 95-94.

Jermaine O'Neal's jumper clanged off the front of the rim and Pierce grabbed the rebound. He was quickly fouled by Artest with 40.8 seconds left, with Artest arguing that a jump ball should have been called. Pierce had 11 rebounds.

It was Artest's sixth personal foul and Pierce hit the free throws, giving the Celtics a 96-95 lead. Brad Miller would quickly regain the lead for Indiana with two free throws.

That set up Pierce's final heroics. He drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the arc over the outstretched arm of a charging Miller for a 99-97 lead.

Al Harrington's baseline 3-pointer rimmed out, and Pierce added two more free throws.

"I was very shocked it came out,'' Harrington said.

Jamaal Tinsley hit a 3-pointer for the Pacers to make it 101-100, but Pierce made his last two free throws. Jonathan Bender wasn't close with a heave from beyond midcourt at the final buzzer.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Monday night.

"When the game is on the line, we want the ball in each other's hands,'' Walker said of his relationship with Pierce.

Eric Williams scored 18 points for Celtics and Tony Delk added 12.

Artest led the Pacers with 26 points, O'Neal had 24 and Tinsley 14.

The Pacers can take solace in one fact. They have won Game 1s each of the past two years but didn't advance.

"As you know, Game 1 doesn't tell the story,'' O'Neal said.

O'Neal said anything less than an NBA Finals appearance would be a disappointment for Indiana. Instead, the Pacers continued to play like they did most of the second half when they lost 15 of 20 in one stretch.

"I think sometimes you get a little too comfortable,'' said Reggie Miller. "In playoff basketball, that's when you've got to turn up the intensity. They were never out of it because of their longball. I don't think we recognized that as well as we should.''

Perhaps it was because Boston gave Indiana little reason to fear its league-best 3-point shooting early.

The Pacers led by as many as 12 in the first half as Pierce and Walker could never get untracked. The two went 8-for-24 in the half and Boston, which led the league in 3-pointers made and attempts, missed seven of 10.

Boston rediscovered its stroke in the second half, making six of 13.

"We've got to put teams away. That's it. Just put them away,'' Artest said.

The Celtics played the second half without center Tony Battie, who was ejected early in the second quarter after committing a flagrant-2 foul on Artest.

Artest was going up for a layup on a three-on-two fast break when Battie knocked him to the floor. Artest, who led the league in flagrant fouls, immediately popped back up and was quickly separated by teammates and an official. Artest pushed a television camera close to his face.

Artest kicked Battie on the side of his head on the previous possession while going for a rebound.

Game notes
The season series was split, with each team winning twice at home. ... The Pacers and Celtics have met twice before in the playoffs, both in the first round. The Celtics eliminated Indiana both times, 3-2 in 1991 and 3-0 in 1992. ... Utah's Karl Malone went 18-for-18 from the line against the Lakers in 1997. ... The Pacers lost the first game of a first-round series for the first time since 1996 against Atlanta. ... The Pacers are 1-4 in their last five home playoff games.

The Associated Press reports that Pacers assistant coach Brendan Malone is interested in the Raptors coaching job.

Malone was the coach for the Raptors in their inaugural season.

"There's a nucleus of a very good basketball team,'' Malone told The Associated Press after Indiana practiced Friday for its first-round playoff series against Boston. "I'd love to have the opportunity to coach that team.''

Interestingly enough, Malone was fired by then General manager Isiah Thomas because of differences in philosophy. However, Thomas hired Malone in 2000 to be an assistant with him in Indiana.

Malone feels he has some unfinished business in Toronto and would like to have another opportunity to work with the team.

"I thought maybe if I was given a couple of more years, I could have had a winning record,'' he said.

"They know who I am,'' Malone said, referring to the Raptors. "I don't know how to go about it. I don't have an agent. (Toronto general manager) Glen Grunwald knows me. I think it would be great again to go back to Toronto, because I really enjoyed my experience there."