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This up-and-coming bunch came within a game of the conference title last season. Can it take the final step?

By Marty Burns

Allen is a major reason that the Bucks ended an eight-year playoff drought in '99 and took the Sixers to Game 7 last spring.  John Biever Enemy Lines An opposing team's scout sizes up the Bucks "I would give the edge to the 76ers and the Magic over Milwaukee. The Bucks have to do a better job of defending, rebounding and getting to the line, and I don't see their players being able to improve in those areas. They are what they are: a perimeter-shooting team. ... Glenn Robinson was sick of losing, and he did something about it last year. He was able to improve a little bit -- just a little bit -- in his all-around play. ... Ray Allen is one of the elite players in the East. He rises very quickly, and even if you're right there with him, he can still beat you. If he were with a coach who really drilled him in man-to-man, he could be a great defensive player as well. ... It will be interesting to see how Sam Cassell 's unhappiness with his contract plays out. He loves the game. You can see it in his face. At times he might appear to be out of control emotionally, but he's not -- he's a leader who knows how to win.... Last year the Bucks tried to play solid man-to-man, but with the new rules they'll sometimes try a soft trap in the backcourt and then fall into some kind of zone. ... They have no bona fide starters at the four and the five. You can't win the conference with Scott Williams , Jason Caffey , Darvin Ham and Mark Pope at power forward, and Ervin Johnson or Joel Przybilla at center. ... I don't know if Anthony Mason would solve their problems. P.J. Brown proved that Mason can be shut down in the playoffs by someone with size. But G.M. Ernie Grunfeld knows Mason as well as anybody from their five years with the Knicks."

Bucks forward Glenn Robinson wore his home white uniform and held a shiny new basketball. Coach George Karl sported a spiffy green-and-black sweat suit. Everything was in order for a scheduled portrait at the team's media day on Oct. 1. The camera was set. The lights were lit. There was only one thing missing.

"Oh, Superstar," Karl called out across the gym to his shooting guard, Ray Allen, who was busy doing a radio interview. "We're waiting. ..."

Moments later Allen sauntered over with a sheepish grin on his face that turned into a megawatt smile as he put his arms around his compatriots. They might be striking a similar pose in June: With four silky-smooth shooters in Allen, Robinson, point guard Sam Cassell and sixth man Tim Thomas, the Bucks have a shot at reaching their first Finals since 1974. Despite having no reliable low-post scoring threat to draw double teams last season, they still averaged 100.7 points, second to the Kings, and protected the ball in the open court (13.7 turnovers per game, third best in the league). Memo to Milwaukee foes: Forget about zones.

Under Karl, who took over in 1998-99, the Bucks have been building momentum. Had Robinson not missed an open 10-footer at the end of Game 5, it might well have been Milwaukee -- and not the Sixers -- that went on to face the Lakers. "We felt we were the better team," says Allen, 26. "Glenn had a shot, and he missed it. We also got on the refs too much. That's part of gaining experience. Now we know what to do."

The Bucks still don't scare anyone defensively, but with 6'11" center Ervin Johnson to clean up mistakes, and with Karl now free to play his 3-2 zone legally, they might be better than a year ago. Still, Karl and G.M. Ernie Grunfeld were concerned enough about the lack of interior defense and post play that they were making a serious pitch to rugged free-agent power forward Anthony Mason.

Whether they land Mase or not, the Bucks hope Allen's emergence as -- yes -- a superstar can push them over the top. After racking up career highs in rebounds, assists and steals during the regular season, he averaged 25.1 points in the playoffs, shooting 47.9% from beyond the arc. Against the Sixers he scored 27.1 points per game, including a 41-point Game 6 explosion in which he reeled off 19 straight points. Equally important, Allen gave the finesse-oriented Bucks some grit, whether playing sticky defense on Iverson or defiantly stroking jumpers. "Whenever things were in disarray," power forward Scott Williams says, "Ray was a calming force."

Allen, who hasn't missed a game in his five-year NBA career, admits he could drive more to get to the foul line this season. (He averaged 4.8 trips in 2000-01.) He also would like to achieve Karl's goal for him of 20 double doubles. "Ray is capable of being an MVP candidate," Karl says. "If he got a mentality to be the best, to go get an MVP, it would force him to develop all aspects of his game." While he craves such honors, Allen is careful not to separate himself too much from Robinson and Cassell. He clearly does not want to disrupt his team's chemistry, especially after a season in which the Big Dog played through bone spurs in both ankles and Cassell donned a flak jacket to protect bruised ribs. "Leadership will come from Sam and Glenn, too," Allen says. "We've always done a good job sharing."

The Bucks are still too reliant on the jump shot to expect to win a title. Also, it remains to be seen how motivated Cassell will be given his unhappiness over a contract that will pay him a relatively meager $8.5 million over the next two years. But with a little luck and some more heroics from Allen, Milwaukee's season could yet turn out near picture perfect.

Issue date: October 29, 2001

Click here to look back at CNNSI.com's preseason Bucks preview.