|
No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 Milwaukee
Indiana defeats Milwaukee, 3-2
| REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS (Series tied 2-2) |
| Date |
Final Score |
| 12/18 at MIL |
Milwaukee 109, Indiana 95 |
| 1/19 at IND |
Indiana 106, Milwaukee 84 |
| 2/17 at MIL |
Indiana 92, Milwaukee 90 |
| 3/23 at IND |
Milwaukee 108, Indiana 84 |
| HEAD COACHES |
|
Larry Bird, Indiana
Third year with Pacers, third year overall
Playoff record: 19-10
Best finish: Took Pacers to Eastern Conference finals in 1998 and '99,
but lost to Bulls and Knicks
|
|
George Karl, Milwaukee
Second year with Bucks, 13th year overall
Playoff record: 45-42
Best finish: Took Seattle to NBA Finals in '96, lost to Bulls in six games
|
| STARTING FIVE |
| Indiana Pacers |
| Mark Jackson, G |
Doesn't score, but takes care of ball -- 4-to-1 assists-to-turnovers ratio |
| Reggie Miller, G |
Tied with Rose for team's scoring lead |
| Jalen Rose, F |
This is his team, much as Reggie doesn't like it |
| Dale Davis, F |
Breakout year led to first All-Star appearance |
| Rik Smits, C |
Big fella talking about retirement after the playoffs
|
| Milwaukee Bucks |
| Sam Cassell, G |
Whined about not getting the respect the other members of Big Three get |
| Ray Allen, G |
Shot 400-plus 3-pointers and made 42 percent of them |
| Glenn Robinson, F |
Great shooter, not the best defender |
| Darvin Ham, F |
He's only 6-7, but Karl loves how he tosses people around |
| Ervin Johnson, C |
Bucks leading rebounder and shot-blocker |
| THE BENCH |
| Indiana Pacers |
| Austin Croshere, F |
Third-year player blossomed into one of league's best sixth men |
| Travis Best, G |
Backup point scores more than Jackson |
| Sam Perkins, C |
Sleepy-eyed Sam a deadly 3-point shooter |
| Derrick McKey, F |
Probably the best perimeter defender on the team |
| Chris Mullin, G |
Veteran hasn't played much this season, but can still sink the big shot
|
| Milwaukee Bucks |
| Tim Thomas, F |
He'll get votes for Sixth Man award |
| Scott Williams, F |
Second-best rebounder on team, behind Johnson
|
| Danny Manning, F |
Veteran in Karl's doghouse, but could be factor in playoffs
|
| Rafer Alston, G |
Gets backup point minutes |
| HOW THEY GOT THERE |
| Indiana Pacers |
|
They were No. 1 in the East for most the season with the
25-game winning streak at the sparkling new Conseco Fieldhouse the defining
highlight. The other noteworthy developments weren't so rosy. The Pacers
were a losing team on the road (20-21), although they won't have to worry
about that in the East playoffs with the homecourt advantage throughout.
Also, there was the controversy of who exactly is the man in Indy -- Jalen
Rose or Reggie Miller? Miller, the Pacers' leading scorer for most of the
last decade had some company on top this season and he seemed a bit testy
when asked about it. |
| Milwaukee Bucks |
|
A late-season cupcake schedule worked out favorably for
Karl's Bucks. And two wins against Orlando, their rival for the final
playoff seed, in the final week didn't hurt. Still, there's not a lot of
optimism for this team heading into the playoffs. They have the Big Three
(Sam Cassell, Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson) who are good for 60-plus points
a game, but there's little else. Especially in the middle, where the flops
have come in droves, starting with Robert "Tractor" Traylor and continuing
with J.R. Reid and Williams. The Bucks are the 24th-worst team in the
league in points allowed (101 a game) and 25th-worst in rebounding (40.8 a
game).
|
| SERIES OUTLOOK |
| The Big Three will get their points, but so will the Miller, Rose and
Smits. Two things make the Pacers the favorite: their depth with Croshere,
Perkins, McKey, Mullin and Best blows away the Milwaukee reserves.
Secondly, Smits should be able to score inside against the doughnut 'D' of
Milwaukee.
|
| PREDICTION |
Bird won't go down in first round. Pacers in four.
Prediction by Simon Fishler, SportsLine.com NBA Editor
|
|
