WASHINGTON -- The Atlanta Hawks advanced to a conference finals for the first time in 45 years. It took six games against Washington and one agonizing replay review after another clutch shot by Wizards forward Paul Pierce to get there.

Forward DeMarre Carroll had 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Hawks survived a frantic finish to eliminate the Wizards with a 94-91 win in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series on Friday night.

Forward Paul Millsap added 20 points and 13 rebounds, and guard Jeff Teague scored 20 points for the Hawks, who advanced despite blowing a 15-point lead in the second half.

Atlanta also endured despite another clutch 3-pointer from Pierce, but it came tenths of a second after the final buzzer.

The Hawks reached the conference finals for the first time since 1970. Atlanta faces the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals. The top seed in the East, the Hawks host Game 1 on Wednesday night.

Trailing by three after Hawks center Al Horford split two free throws with 6.4 seconds left, Washington called its final timeout. Starting possession on the left wing, the Wizards fed Pierce.

The future Hall of Famer was used to this scenario. He hit a buzzer-beating jumper to win Game 3, missed a potential tying shot at the end of a Game 4 loss and sank the go-ahead 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining in Game 5 eventually won by Atlanta.

Covered tightly in the left corner and his feet dangerously close to stepping out of bounds, Pierce rose up and fired. The ball floated through the tense air and eventually fell through the net.

That sent the Verizon Center crowd into a frenzy, the referees to the monitor to see whether the shot left his hands in time and Wizards coach Randy Wittman to start planning for overtime.

"I thought it was good when he made it," Wittman said.

The Hawks feared the worst.

"I almost had a heart attack, man," Teague said.

Smiles turned to frowns a minute later. Upon further review, game officials overturned the call.

"Took forever to find out," Wittman said. "Then when you hear the crowd moan, it's not a good sign."

Teague said, "When I (saw Pierce) got the ball, I was like, he's going to make it. And he did. But luckily time ran out."

Pierce finished with four points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field. He nearly finished as the hero once again.

"When I got the ball, I was just trying to make sure I was behind the (line), tried to make sure I got it off in time," Pierce said. "Unfortunately, I didn't. That's the way it goes sometimes."

And with the no-shot, the Hawks move on.

"I think for our organization it's something we can take a lot of pride in," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said of reaching the conference finals. "There was a lot of great work put in all year."

Guards Bradley Beal and John Wall fueled Washington's comeback. Beal scored 29 points, including the final six during a 9-0 spurt to put the Wizards up 88-87 with 3:50 remaining after trailing the entire second half.

Carroll countered with consecutive baskets for a 93-89 with 31 seconds left.

Wall had 20 points and 13 assists in 44 minutes. Washington's All-Star guard played the entire second half without any apparent hesitation in his second game back after suffering five fractures in his left hand and wrist during the first game of the series.

Atlanta scored the final six points of the first half for a 45-39 lead. The Hawks extended the lead to 62-47 in the third as Carroll scored 13 in the quarter.

Nobody expected the margin to last. The score in each of the previous three games in the series were three points or less inside the final four seconds. Horford's putback with 0.9 of a second remaining gave Atlanta an 82-81 victory on Wednesday night.

"I still feel and I know our guys still feel we should have won this series," Wittman said. "But (the Hawks) did. They made the plays that they had to make."

Now the Hawks focus on the next step in the team's growth.

"We are making strides," Millsap said. "Getting to the conference championship is a huge step. We are going to enjoy this and get ready for (the Cavaliers)."

NOTES: Hawks C Al Horford scored 13 points in the series clincher. ...The Wizards previously lost three straight when they dropped four in a row from March 20 to March 25. ... The Hawks were in the Western Conference the last time they reached a conference final. Washington's appearance in the conference finals occurred in 1979. ... Wizards C Kevin Seraphin entered in the first quarter after not playing in the previous three games. He finished with 13 points. ... Atlanta won three of four games against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the regular season.