Speed kills

T'wolves run to victory while Bucks prefer to walk there

The T’wolves wanted to make the Lakers run. The Bucks wanted to make the Nets walk.

Both got what they wanted Tuesday night in Game 2 of their respective playoff series. As a result, they’re both still standing.

Minnesota blitzed Los Angeles from the start, riding Troy Hudson’s lightning-quick penetration and outside shooting to roll up a big early lead. Unlike in Game 1, when they passively allowed the Lakers to set up their halfcourt offense, the T’wolves came out Tuesday determined to speed up the tempo.

9-20 Free-throw shooting by Milwaukee in Game 2, as they nearly pulled a San Antonio with three crucial misses in the final seconds before holding on for the win. "He's a career 40-percent shooter, and you don't expect him to shoot 60 or 70 percent shooting jumpers like that. If they are going to rely on that, we've got to feel good about our chances." -- David Wesley of the Hornets, one day after Allen Iverson torched his team for 55 points to singlehandedly win Game 1. Will anyone step up to help out Shaq and Kobe?

They swarmed Shaq with double-teams when he caught the ball in the post. They ran at Kobe on the perimeter and forced him to give up the ball. At the other end, Hudson, Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak came out firing.

Basically, the T’wolves played with a fury that kept L.A. from just dumping it into Shaquille O'Neal or letting Kobe Bryant go one-on-one. The other Lakers, seemingly content to go home with a split, never matched Minnesota’s energy. Whether the T’wolves can summon that kind of effort again in Game 3 -- without the help of the raucous Target Center crowd -- remains to be seen, but at least they now know it can be done.

Milwaukee, by contrast, evened its series with the Nets by slowing the tempo a notch. After letting Jason Kidd run wild in Game 1, the Bucks did a much better job in transition defense Tuesday. Milwaukee still got hammered on the boards, but it was able to make enough shots to allow its defense to get back.

While much of the headlines Wednesday will focus on Milwaukee coach George Karl’s decision to insert Tim Thomas (18 points) in the starting lineup, his decision to give Toni Kukoc heavy minutes was just as important. Kukoc is a facilitator who can spread the court, operate in the post and thread passes to open teammates. He’s also a savvy vet who has been in a lot of big games.

It was Kukoc who set up a huge Thomas 3-pointer late in the game by drawing a double-team in the post and kicking the ball out. It was also Kukoc who stripped Kidd at midcourt for a key steal late in the game. After a nervous Thomas clanged two free throws in the final seconds, giving New Jersey one final chance, it was Kukoc who chased down the loose ball on the ensuing inbounds play.

In Kukoc, Gary Payton and Sam Cassell, the Bucks boast three proven clutch players who entered the series with a combined 260 playoff games under their belt. Among New Jersey’s regulars, only Kidd has similar big-game experience. It might be Milwaukee’s biggest advantage in this matchup, and could be the difference -- if the Bucks can control the tempo.

	AP Stud: Troy Hudson, G, T'wolves We expect Kevin Garnett to get 35 points and 20 rebounds. But Hudson getting 37 and throwing in 10 dimes to boot? Are you kidding? A year ago this guy was a backup in Orlando. But on Tuesday, he was unstoppable.		AP Dud: Kerry Kittles, G, Nets Getting torched by Cassell, Payton and Michael Redd was bad enough, but Kittles couldn't even get payback at the other end. He finished 1-of-8 from the field with three turnovers and took a seat during crunch time.

Even after getting torched by Allen Iverson for 55 points in Game 1, Hornets coach Paul Silas says he doesn’t intend to change his strategy and double-team the Answer more in Game 2. If so, Iverson could threaten Michael Jordan’s record for most points in a playoff game (63) before the series is over. So Magic coach Doc Rivers bristled when informed that the Pistons plan to get physical with Tracy McGrady, who scored 42 points in Orlando’s Game 1 upset? Gee, Doc never seemed to have any problem with that style of play when his old Knicks were trying to stop Jordan. With Scottie Pippen (knee) ailing, the Blazers lose a tall defender to block Steve Nash’s passing angles. That means he can more easily find Dirk Nowitzki (46 points in Game 1) on the perimeter, where the versatile 7-foot German is harder to double-team and especially dangerous.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.

 

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