Right from the start, Walter McCarty was nothing but trouble for the Pacers.

BOSTON (AP) – Given a rare start, Walter McCarty showed that the Boston Celtics are more than two stars and a bunch of bystanders.

He’s a major reason that the Indiana Pacers must win before a hostile crowd Sunday or fall into a deep hole in their best-of-seven playoff series.

“We knew coming back and playing in front of our fans would be big. They were loud,” McCarty said.

And creative.

When Reggie Miller went to the free-throw line in Boston’s 101-83 win Thursday night, fans chanted “Cheryl,” a reference to his sister, a star at Southern California in the early ’80s. From the field, Reggie missed all seven of his shots.

The Celtics’ 44th victory in 61 games against Indiana in Boston gave them a 2-1 series lead even though Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, their best two players, got into early foul trouble.

“The two guys we wanted to focus on, we’ve done a really good job on them,” Indiana coach Isiah Thomas said. “Had we made our shots and took advantage of the opportunities that were there, then it’s a different story.”

The 6-foot-10 McCarty played an even bigger role than he had anticipated.

He started in place of 6-8 Eric Williams, providing more size against Indiana’s 7-foot starting center, Brad Miller. McCarty started just eight regular-season games and none of the previous two playoff games.

But he hit the first basket of the game and had 14 points, five rebounds and a career playoff high six assists in a team-high 43 minutes. He was 6-for-12 from the field, including 2-for-7 on 3-pointers.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench,” McCarty said. “The main goal is to win and play hard, whoever is on the floor.”

He also played aggressive defense on Jermaine O’Neal, who had 16 points in the first half but five in the second, all on free throws as he tried just one field goal.

“Walter did a tremendous job in the second half,” Walker said.

McCarty started 64 games in 1997-98, his first with Boston after being obtained from New York. But in the five seasons since, he had just 20 regular-season starts. In the last three seasons, he averaged 3.2 points.

But this season, he averaged 6.1 points as coach Jim O’Brien, who likes his intensity and energy, used him more.

“Walter’s playing well, and I thought throughout the game (starting him) would allow us to match up better with them,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien didn’t expect Pierce to pick up his second foul just 2:50 into the game or Walker to get his third with 7:55 left in the half. Each played just 33 minutes.

“The foul trouble actually helped me and Paul because we had a lot of energy in the second half,” Walker said.

So did McCarty, who sparked a 10-0 run that gave Boston a 75-57 lead with 38 seconds left in the third quarter.

He started it with a 3-pointer. Then he missed a jumper, but Walker got the rebound and fed McCarty for a dunk.

Boston also got help from Tony Delk, who had 14 points, and Tony Battie and Williams, who had 12 each.

Although Pierce had 21 points and Walker 17, “those guys weren’t killing us,” Indiana’s Jamaal Tinsley said. “It was just tough knowing that when we focus on one person, they swing the ball around and guys are hitting shots.”

Pierce went 5-for-8 with 10 free throws, while Walker was 7-for-17, including three 3-pointers.

“With the way everybody was playing, I didn’t really see a need for me to have a big scoring night,” Pierce said. “It gets kind of contagious when one guy is passing … to another guy with a wide-open look. It just makes the team a lot better.”

AP-ES-04-25-03 1857EDT