MIAMI (AP) – The Indiana Pacers halted a lot more than Miami’s home winning streak. They also ended the Heat’s surprising season.

Ron Artest made several clutch shots and finished with 27 points to help the Pacers eliminate the Heat with a 73-70 victory in Game 6 on Tuesday night, snapping Miami’s 18-game home winning streak.

The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000 and the sixth time since 1994. Indiana will have three days off before playing the winner of the New-Jersey-Detroit series, which concludes Thursday.

Anthony Johnson made two free throws to give Indiana a 73-69 lead with 14.7 seconds to play. Lamar Odom then hit a free throw to make it a three-point game.

Artest, who had been 10-of-13 from the free throw line, missed two from the stripe with 9.1 seconds to play.

Rafer Alston, the Heat’s best 3-point shooter, shot an airball from several feet beyond the arc, and Reggie Miller rebounded just before the final buzzer. Despite the loss, the Heat will consider this a successful season for getting this far. They started the season 0-7, prompting many to question Pat Riley’s decision to hand his coaching duties over to Stan Van Gundy.

They improved to 25-36 in March under the first-year coach, but were still widely considered a long shot to make the postseason.

But the team that lost 57 games a year ago went 17-4 down the stretch to return to the postseason for the first time in three years. The Heat earned the fourth seed in the East and beat New Orleans in the first round.

They did it without winning a game on the road.

The same thing cost them against the Pacers. Indiana dominated its three home games, and after losing two in Miami, finally showed its defensive prowess in Game 6 by holding the Heat to 30 percent shooting.

Indiana also avoided a Game 7 back at home. The Pacers had the NBA’s best record in the regular season (61-21) and have won 15 of their last 16 at Conseco Fieldhouse – including 13 in a row and all five in the postseason.

But they wanted nothing to do with one all-or-nothing game against the young, inexperienced and scrappy Heat.

Notes: Caron Butler’s steal in the first quarter was his 28th of the postseason, breaking the team record. Tim Hardaway had 27 steals in the 1997 playoffs. … The Pacers had nine turnovers in the first quarter, the most ever by an opponent in any period against the Heat in the postseason. … The list of celebrities attending the game included comedian Tommy Davidson, actor David Caruso, rapper Bow Wow, former NFL star Dan Marino and NBA vice president Stu Jackson.

AP-ES-05-18-04 2303EDT