INDIANAPOLIS — Carmelo Anthony was finally having his bust-out game, carrying 35 points into the fourth quarter. Melo went bust in the final period, though, and the Knicks season went right along with him.
The Pacers are headed to South Beach with a 106-99 Game 6 victory in Game 6 Saturday night at euphoric Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and the Knicks are headed home well short of their goals.
In their first Eastern Conference semifinal appearance in 13 years, the Knicks underwhelmed as their 40-year championship drought extends another year. They failed to meet lofty expectations in losing the best-of-seven series 4-2 and failing to get to Miami. Pacers fans chanted “Beat the Heat’’ at the final buzzer.
Anthony finished with 39 points, but missed his first five shots of the fourth and committed three giant turnovers. Anthony’s fourth quarters in the three games in Indianapolis were awful, with just two field goals total.
Anthony still called it “a hell of a year.’’
“We took steps forward as an organization,’’ he said. “We’ll take that. We’ll be back better and stronger, that’s for sure.’’
That might be a tough sell as the premier free agent, point guard Chris Paul, is unattainable because the Knicks aren’t permitted to do a sign-and-trade this summer.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson wouldn’t call a second-round flameout an underachievement.
“This is the first time this team has ever been assembled,’’ said Woodson, who again benched Amar’e Stoudemire and Jason Kidd in the second half. “We did a lot of special things this season. To walk away from tonight and say this was a disaster, absolutely not. We had high expectations when we set out at training camp and our goal was to win an NBA title. We played like it throughout the season.
“At the end of the day, we didn’t get it done. Me being the head coach, I take full responsibility.’’
Anthony scored just four fourth-quarter points, but he hardly got help. Point guard Raymond Felton sputtered through a nightmare 0-for-7, two-point evening and J.R. Smith’s shooting slump carried on with a 4-of-14 outing.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s Lance Stephenson killed his hometown team with a monstrous performance, 25 points, going 9 of 13, and making the Knicks pay for not drafting him in the second round three years ago.
“It’s tough to be out of the playoffs,’’ Felton said. “There’s a lot of emotions. It hurts right now.’’
In a huge momentum-killer midway through the fourth, Anthony roared down the right baseline and rose for a big dunk when 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert met him at the rim and blocked it squarely.
“It was a hell of a block,’’ Anthony said. “It shifted the momentum.’’
Indeed, things unraveled from there for Melo, who then was called for a charge. Tied at 92, Anthony’s pass was picked off by Stephenson, who sprinted all the way for a layup and was fouled by Smith. Stephenson completed the three-point play, the Pacers led 95-92 and that was that.
“We all know what the goal was,’’ Anthony said. “Everybody wanted to go to the championship [round]. Unfortunately our run has to stop here. We regroup and come back better next year.’’
Hibbert outplayed center Tyson Chandler all series. The big center is now Miami’s problem. Hibbert finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Chandler fouled out with 3:12 left on a drive by Stephenson to finish off the Knicks center’s lousy series.
The Knicks committed 34 fouls to the Pacers’ 16 — a huge disparity. Asked about the officiating, Kenyon Martin said, “I’ll save my money, man.’’
Anthony scored his first points of the fourth with 2:08 left on a drive, but then gave up a bucket when Stephenson scored over him in the post with 1:53 left.
Anthony finally got help from Iman Shumpert, who hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter to help with the comeback as the teams entered the fourth tied at 81.
“We wanted to put ourselves in the finals and roll the dice and we didn’t do that,’’ said Shumpert, who chipped in with 19 points.
Anthony had an excellent 20-point first half, but got no help from Smith, his wingman, in the half or in the series.
“We felt all year we were in the top two in the East,’’ Indiana’s David West said. “Coach [Frank] Vogel talked 2 ½ months ago, you’re going to have to beat the Knicks to get where we want to get.’’
The Pacers did. And the Knicks don’t even get to a Game 7.
marc.berman@nypost.com