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EVENTS
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CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- The "Big Three" could not have come up any bigger. The trio of Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell carried the Milwaukee Bucks to an exciting and emotional 104-97 victory over the Charlotte Hornets that forced Game Seven in the Eastern Conference semifinals. "Ray, Glenn and myself have been nicknamed the 'Big Three,'" Cassell said. "Tonight we played the part." "We controlled at least one of those three guys in each of the three games (we won)," Hornets coach Paul Silas said. "But when all three are scoring like that, they're awfully tough to beat. We just couldn't find a way to stop any of those three guys." Allen's tie-breaking 3-pointer from the left wing with 27 seconds to play was the game-winner, but it would not have been possible without Robinson and Cassell, both of whom had playoff career highs that left the Charlotte Coliseum crowd of 23,509 feeling very low. The Bucks stormed back from a 15-point second-quarter deficit as they shut down Jamal Mashburn in the second half and executed their offense practically to perfection in the final period. Before his game-winner, Allen scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half, preventing the Hornets from turning it into a total blowout. The All-Star guard made 10-of-19 shots. Robinson scored 13 of his 29 points in the third quarter, when the Bucks reclaimed the lead for the first time. Having a very shaky postseason, the All-Star forward made 11-of-21 shots, most of them on his trademark mid-range jumper. Cassell, a prominent player on Houston's title teams of 1994 and 1995, flashed his championship pedigree. Battling bruised ribs, he scored 14 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 assists. "My ribs are on fire, but I had to suck it up," Cassell said. "I've been here before." "Sam played like a true warrior tonight," Robinson said. "He played his type of game -- getting into the paint, hitting his shots and dishing the ball." The irrepressible point guard was exhorted by coach George Karl to take charge and did just that as he sank 10-of-16 shots and 13-of-15 free throws while controlling the tempo. "I told the fellas to just gimme a chance to do the things I know how to do at this time of year," Cassell said. "Sam gave his guts and his heart tonight," Karl added. In a fabulous fourth quarter that featured five ties, eight lead changes and a handful of big shots, the Bucks were just a bit better. They will host the first seventh game of the 2001 NBA playoffs on Sunday with a chance to reach the conference finals for the first time since 1986. "There is a lot of basketball left," Karl said. "It's gonna be a great 48-minute game on Sunday." It was a demoralizing loss for the Hornets, who were beaten at home for the first time in the postseason. They squandered a chance to reach the conference finals for the first time in club history. "Game Seven is going to be a great game and we're looking forward to it," Silas said. "It's going to be a barn-burner." David Wesley scored 27 points for Charlotte, which shot just 39 percent (28-of-72). Mashburn scored 24 points but just six in the second half, when he was double-teamed and missed all eight of his shots. "I think we took some things for granted tonight," Wesley said. "We were in front of our home crowd and then up by 10 at half. You can't take anything for granted. You have to scrap and keep working hard." A steal and layup by Wesley gave Charlotte a 90-89 edge with 3:21 left and was the first of five lead changes on consecutive possessions. Cassell and Mashburn traded a pair of free throws, Cassell sank a jumper and Mashburn made two more from the line for a 94-93 lead with 2:26 remaining. "Sam Cassell was the catalyst on our team," Allen said. "He made some unbelievable shots tonight and really showed his playoff experience." Mashburn missed inside and Cassell took it all the way for a finger roll and a 95-94 lead with 1:44 to go. Mashburn had a shot blocked before a shot-clock violation and Robinson's lane jumper made it 97-94 with 1:05 to play. "What the Hornets did to me the last four games is what we did to Mashburn tonight," Allen said. "I don't think he had the confidence late in the game tonight like he's had in previous games." "Whenever I caught the ball, they just came and got me," said Mashburn, who made just 5-of-20 shots. Baron Davis drilled a 3-pointer that tied it 20 seconds later. But Cassell penetrated and found Allen open on the perimeter. After Charlotte's Eddie Robinson missed badly on a 3-pointer, Glenn Robinson made two free throws with 15 seconds left. Tim Thomas added a dunk before the buzzer. Thomas scored nine points and Ervin Johsnon grabbed 13 rebounds for the Bucks, who shot 50 percent (38-of-76) and made 24-of-26 free throws. Milwaukee was 12-of-12 from the line in the final period. Davis scored 19 points and Elden Campbell contributed 12 for the Hornets, who were beaten on the boards, 39-35. Mashburn's fadeaway jumper closed the first quarter and gave the Hornets a 28-21 advantage. Wesley and Mashburn made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to build the lead to 42-29 with 6:23 left in the second quarter. After both shots, the Bucks did not notice Karl signaling for a timeout. A 3-pointer by Davis gave Charlotte its largest lead at 48-33 before Allen made consecutive shots from the arc to help Milwaukee close to 53-43 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bucks clamped down on Mashburn, who scored 18 points in the first half. A 13-2 run that featured seven points from Glenn Robinson pulled Milwaukee within 61-60 with 5:03 to go. "When we came out, we weren't moving the ball, we weren't penetrating and we didn't hit our shots," Davis said. "In turn, that gave them hope and they started hitting their own shots and that got them into a rhythm." Mashburn scored just two points in the third period, which ended in a 71-71 tie. "We played great defense in the second half," Glenn Robinson said. "We also had a great third quarter. They've been killing us this series in the third quarter." |
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