Boston 105, Philadelphia 98

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Boston Celtics took control of the Atlantic Division.

Paul Pierce scored 27 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, and the Celtics moved closer toward clinching the division title with a 105-98 victory over second-place Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

Allen Iverson scored 28 points and Kyle Korver added 17 for the 76ers, who fell three games behind Boston with five games remaining.

``This was the biggest game to date,'' said Pierce, who had 13 rebounds. ``We had a lot on the line. We're our own worst enemy right now. It's in our hands to take.''

Philadelphia holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, one game behind Cleveland and one game ahead of New Jersey.

``It's about as disappointing as it gets,'' Iverson said. Antoine Walker had 18 points and Ricky Davis scored 16 for Boston, which saw a 5 1/2 -game lead in the division slip to two games since March 19.

Back in the lineup after missing one game with two sprained thumbs, Iverson was 9-for-21 from the field and had 11 assists.

Chris Webber, returning after missing five games with a sprained left shoulder, wasn't a factor, finishing with eight points and seven rebounds.

``I wanted to come back and be here for a big game,'' Webber said. ``Something's got to change. Hopefully, it will get better soon.''

Pierce broke a 98-all tie with an 18-footer with just under one minute left. After Marc Jackson missed a short jumper, Gary Payton's free throw gave the Celtics a 101-98 lead.

Jackson missed another jumper and Payton iced it with two free throws with 19 seconds left.

Walker beat the shot clock with a fallaway baseline jumper that gave Boston a 96-93 lead with 3 minutes left. After Payton stole Iverson's pass, Pierce made two free throws to extend the lead. But Jackson answered with a jumper and Iverson made a layup off a long pass from Webber to cut it to 98-97. After Pierce missed a layup, Webber made one free throw to tie it at 98. He missed three free throws in the fourth quarter.

``At the end of the game, we made more plays than them,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ``The thing I was most proud of was execution. We executed as well as we have in a long time.''

The Sixers had won the first three meetings against Boston.

Iverson had five assists before taking his first shot, a successful driving layup with 3:31 left in the first quarter.

A 13-0 run by Boston early in the second quarter put the Celtics ahead 38-33. Al Jefferson had six points during that stretch, including consecutive driving layups.

The Sixers answered with a 10-0 run later in the quarter, taking a 49-44 lead. Jackson had eight of the 10 points, four on free throws. Philadelphia led 54-50 at halftime.

Fueled by the presence of Iverson and Webber, the Sixers opened the game with a 13-2 run, capped by a dunk from Samuel Dalembert off an alley-oop pass by Iverson.

``It was a big win,'' Davis said. ``It was a playoff game, a chance to keep our edge. This gives us confidence.''

Wait 'til next year

Can the Golden State Warriors become the Phoenix Suns of 2006?

That's the question on Warriors fans' minds as their team steamrolls through the final portion of the 2004-05 season on a wildly entertaining tear that'd been equally impressive in both style and substance.

The Warriors have won 17 of their last 25 games, with many victories coming against quality teams like Seattle, Houston, Phoenix and Washington. An eight-game winning streak was broken Sunday night in a 136-134 double overtime loss to San Antonio, but Golden State's recent stretch has Bay Area basketball fans buzzing for the first time in a long while.

While a horrendous start to the season took the Warriors out of the playoff picture early, Mike Montgomery's team has spent the past month gaining confidence and momentum heading into the offseason. With Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy and the newly acquired Baron Davis all locked into long-term deals, it appears Golden State has its foundation.

Davis has done for the Warriors what Steve Nash has done for the Suns: He has made the whole thing work.

Like Phoenix last season, Golden State already had plenty of talent on its roster but lacked the point guard to tie it all together. Chris Mullin acquired the often-injured Davis from New Orleans at the trade deadline with the hope that a change of scenery would motivate and inspire him. Mullin was dead on. Davis has worked his way back into shape, and his creativity has opened up the floor for Richardson and fellow wing men Mike Dunleavy and Mickael Pietrus.

Montgomery, to his credit, recognized Davis' prodigious talents immediately and scrapped much of the offense his team had run all season. Now, Golden State simply plays off Davis with a series of high screens and isolations, much like Phoenix does with Nash. Murphy provides the big shooter at the four spot that spreads the floor, giving driving lanes to Davis, Richardson and the rest of the team's athletic players. And since they don't run many plays, the Warriors are very difficult to scout. You never know what's coming.

Golden State has excited its fans with this recent stretch, and the crowds have been growing rapidly. The Warriors are showing promising signs for the future, and while an argument can be made that it is easier for a team to win when they have nothing to lose, there's no question that Golden State will be a team to watch next year.

Mullin has invested a lot of money in this club, so the Warriors will be well over the salary cap for years to come. To go along with Richardson, Davis and Murphy, Derek Fisher and Adonal Foyle are locked into multiyear deals. This is the squad Mullin has built, and there isn't much flexibility to make more moves.

They key for the future will be Davis. He must stay healthy, which is hardly a given. His back problems have bothered him most of his career, but if he's on the floor and playing well, perhaps the Warriors can become a playoff team next season. Or maybe even become next year's Phoenix Suns.

Steve Kerr is Yahoo! Sports' NBA analyst. Send him a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.