|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
|
SHOT CHART
|
GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- There's no such thing as a moral victory in the
NBA playoffs. If there were, the Philadelphia 76ers would have a
2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
|  | | Ray Allen started slow but finished with 20 points, five assists and five rebounds Saturday. |
With the injured Allen Iverson watching from his hotel room and
phoning in his support, the Milwaukee Bucks had a surprisingly
tough time defeating what remained of the 76ers.
In a game that stayed close longer than it should have, the
Bucks held off the Iverson-less 76ers 80-74 on Saturday in Game 3.
"That was fun," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "I walked into
that dressing room, and I don't think I've ever been prouder of a
team than I was tonight.
"It doesn't get any better for me as a coach -- except for the
result."
Iverson stayed at the team hotel to rest his sore left hip,
making it seem like the Sixers were sacrificing a game for the sake
of having a healthier Iverson for the remainder of the series. But
Iverson's coach and teammates did not roll over and quit.
Holding the Bucks to just four points over a 9 1/2-minute stretch
of the fourth quarter, the Sixers were within seven points with
3:23 left and had three chances to get even closer but missed shots
each time.
By the time the Bucks committed a 24-second violation with 36.6
seconds left, that seven-point deficit was too much for the Sixers
to overcome. Aaron McKie hit two foul shots with 34.2 seconds left
to make it a five-point game, but Cassell hit a foul shot and McKie
missed a 3-pointer to end the suspense.
Cassell scored 24 points, Ray Allen had 20 and Glenn Robinson 18
for the Bucks, while Ervin Johnson outrebounded Dikembe Mutombo
13-10.
"If we had won by one point, it still would have been a win,"
Cassell said. "If we had lost by one, it would have been a
devastating loss for the Milwaukee Bucks."
McKie scored 22 points and Jumaine Jones had 16 for
Philadelphia, which hopes to have Iverson back for Game 4 Monday.
"I left it up to him," Brown said of Iverson. "I didn't think
it was my place to make the decision for him. I'm proud of what
he's done. I really appreciate the fact that he tried to play the
first two games being as banged up as he was, and hopefully we'll
get him well."
Iverson phoned the locker room at halftime to offer his
encouragement, but his teammates simply didn't have enough
offensive weapons to grit out the victory.
Brown came up with every gimmick he could, slowing the tempo,
employing a full court press, using a two-center, three-guard
alignment and running his offense through the low post much more
than usual. The strategies caused the Bucks some difficulties,
which were compounded by their tendency to let up whenever they
built a seemingly comfortable lead.
Milwaukee went ahead 73-60 early in the fourth on a jumper by
Allen, but then went more than 6 1/2 minutes without scoring a point.
The Sixers pulled within six on a 3-pointer by Jones with 7:25
left, but failed to score on their next three possessions.
Robinson and Cassell hit jumpers to give the Bucks a 10-point
lead with 4:18 remaining, and they were able to hold off
Philadelphia despite failing to score again until 32 seconds
remained.
The Sixers had only nine healthy players as Matt Geiger
(quadriceps tendinitis) and George Lynch (broken foot) also were
sidelined.
Snow replaced Iverson in the starting lineup and had a terrible
game, missing all seven of his shots in the first half and failing
to stop Cassell from hitting three straight jumpers early in the
third quarter.
Snow finished 1-for-11 from the field and 2-for-6 from the line
with six turnovers and two assists.
"I didn't try to do too much, I just didn't do anything,"
Snow said. "I just played awful. If I had played any kind of a
decent game, we probably win."
It looked like a bad omen for the Sixers when their first shot
of the game, a corner jumper by Jones, hit the side of the
backboard. The Bucks took a 7-0 lead and were ahead 17-9 when Brown
made his first substitution -- inserting 12th man Raja Bell for
Jones.
Milwaukee led 24-17 after one quarter but started having trouble
with Philadelphia's full-court pressure. Robinson threw away an
inbounds pass less than three minutes into the period, leading to
two foul shots by McKie that gave the Sixers their first lead,
26-24.
The Bucks then went through a particularly ugly stretch in which
they committed three straight turnovers, but the Sixers couldn't
capitalize. Philadelphia's biggest lead was three, 27-24, and the
Bucks answered with a 9-0 run before settling for a 43-39 halftime
lead.
Scott Williams twice rejected shots by shot-blocking specialist
Mutombo early in the third quarter, the latter of which led to a
jumper by Robinson that gave Milwaukee a 59-47 lead.
McKie hit a 3-pointer and Todd MacCullough converted a
three-point play with 2:10 left in the third to pull the Sixers to
63-57, but Milwaukee scored the next six points and took a 69-60
lead into the fourth.
"They're a scrappy ballclub and they have some shoulders. They
knew that was their only chance of competing with us," Bucks
forward Darvin Ham said. "They hung around the whole game with
defense and pure hustle."
Game notes
The Bucks improved their franchise playoff record to 96-95.
... The 1993 Chicago Bulls were the last team to overcome a Game 1
loss and advance to the NBA Finals. ... George Karl improved his
career playoff coaching record to 56-60, moving past Don Nelson and
Bill Fitch into 12th place on the playoff win list.
 Send this story to a friend
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
No Answer: Injured Iverson misses Game 3
Cassell's emergence down the stretch propels Bucks
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Watch Sam Cassell score 10 consecutive points in the Bucks' Game 3 win over the Sixers.
avi: 1397 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN
Cable Modem
 Sam Cassell says the Bucks did not take full advantage of Allen Iverson's absence.
wav: 102 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Larry Brown does not know if Allen Iverson will return for Game 4.
wav: 100 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
George Karl says the Bucks will not change their game plan for Game 4.
wav: 155 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
