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Bucks turn to defense just in time Posted: Wednesday April 23, 2003 6:53 PMST. FRANCIS, Wis. (AP) -- The Milwaukee Bucks fulfilled George Karl's five-year dream by winning a playoff game with defense. The Bucks, always getting an earful from Karl for focusing more on scoring than defense, suddenly have become the aggressors, and as a result their best-of-seven series with the New Jersey Nets is tied going into Game 3 at the Bradley Center Thursday night. The Bucks shot better, rebounded better and stifled the Nets' terrific transition game by continually beating them back downcourt for an 88-85 victory Tuesday night. The fast-break points favored the Bucks 15-9, and Jason Kidd found himself lulled into a walk-it-up tempo that he and the Nets detest. "It's tough to run when you are taking the ball out of the net," New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin said. "They shot the heck out of the ball." Nets coach Byron Scott was as surprised as anyone at the defensive development of the Bucks following their embarrassing Game 1 blowout. "They did a good job of grabbing and holding on our cuts, closing off our routes. Other than that, we just missed shots," Scott said. "It really surprised us because that's not the type of team they are. "They made the adjustment and they were much more aggressive. They outscored us in transition points and that's something I didn't expect." Karl said there was no secret to shutting down the transition game. "We didn't turn the ball over, our shot selection was better, we made more shots and the biggest part, in my opinion, was my team focused on it," he said. "It's a big part of their confidence and if they don't get that, they can be stale a little bit. But if they do get it, they're really good." In the opener, the Nets outscored the Bucks 21-5 on fastbreak points on their way to a 31-point fourth-quarter lead and a 109-96 victory. "Nine times out of 10, your strength is your weakness," Bucks forward Tim Thomas said. "That's what it is with New Jersey. They run down on the offensive end, but on the defensive end they don't get back." Thomas said he could sense Kidd getting flustered. "You could probably see it in his eyes when there's not a lot of lanes to create anything," he said. Scott is more concerned about his offense. He said the Nets have to score more than 85 or 90 points to win. "We got corralled into playing a slowdown game," Scott said of Game 2. "I don't know if we forgot to run, we just didn't run. We just started to play a little bit of a halfcourt game, we didn't bring that aggressive attitude we had in Game 1." The Bucks aren't basking in their new defensive dimension. Toni Kukoc and Sam Cassell admonished their teammates not to celebrate anything just yet. "That's the one thing I like about my locker room," Karl said. "It was very quickly brought forward: don't be too happy." But the Bucks are smiling. The Bucks' newfound aggression was most evident in the play of Thomas, who returned to the starting lineup and set the tone with an early hard foul of Martin to prevent a fastbreak basket. "I got popped," Thomas said. "My nose right now is a little swollen, so somebody else had to get popped. It's playoff basketball, that's what it's about." |
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