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Pacers-Bucks Game 2 Preview Indiana poised to take 2-0 lead
Posted: Thursday April 27, 2000 04:01 PM
It's all a matter of perception. Did the Pacers let the Bucks back into a game that should have been a runaway ... or did the Bucks push the No. 1 seed in the East to the brink in Game 1? If Indiana plays a decent third quarter in the opener, then nobody's talking about the positives that George Karl's Bucks took away from a loss. But the Bucks outscored the Pacers 28-17 in the third, suddenly the game was close, and the Bucks came within a Tim Thomas threebie of tying the game. Indiana got what they needed out of their key players on Sunday: double digit boards from Dale Davis ... double digit assists from Mark Jackson ... 21 points from Reggie Miller and 26 from their leading scorer Jalen Rose. The Bucks on the other hand, can't make the same claim. Two of the big three showed up -- Ray Allen and Sam Cassell -- but the Big Dog had no bite: 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting. As my colleague Hubie Brown has pointed out since Day 1, you have to have your three key guys produce every night in the postseason. The Bucks didn't. Letting a healthy lead get away, but still winning was the kind of wake-up call a team needs. You still have the home court edge, but you learned something in the process. I don't think Game 2 will be as close, and the Bucks will move a step closer to vacation.
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