While some may have been suprised with the Bucks' blowout win over the Pistons in Game 3, but not Pistons coach Flip Saunders.

?I told my guys tonight the biggest adjustment they?re going make is the attitude they?re going to play with and how hard they?re going to play,? Saunders said. ?They came out and played with a great amount of energy and got some shots going early and got their confidence going.

?But they can?t change how we play. We cannot all of a sudden play a lot of one-pass shots and play out of character, which I thought we did a lot of.?

Led by 40 points by Michael Redd and a career high 15 assists by T.J. Ford, the Milwaukee Bucks crushed the Detroit Pistons, 124-104, at the Bradley Center and got themselves back into their first round playoff series, which the Pistons lead 2-1.

?It?s definitely a series now,? said Bucks guard Mo Williams. ?It?s not 3-0 where you know you?re on the outside looking in...like I don?t know if I should pack or get ready to play. It?s a series now. We sent them a message, obviously. They?re going to come out aggressive and with an attitude on Monday, but that?s fine.?

Said guard T.J. Ford, ?I?m not ready to go home. I want to play some more basketball. It?s all about basketball right here. This is what we work hard for.?

The Bucks are a banged up club at the moment, as they prepare to host Game 3.

Toni Kukoc practiced on Friday after missing Games 1 and 2 with back spasms. The club expects him to suit and play.

Mo Williams said he would play in Game 3, but he said the ankle injury he suffered in Game 2 doesn't feel any better.

The Milwaukee Bucks are complaining that the Pistons played too rough Sunday in Game 1, and the officials let them get away with it.

"I'm not going to send a message to the officials," Stotts said Tuesday in a teleconference. "We do have the best officials in the game. I do think Michael (Redd) was being held and grabbed a lot. If you watch the game film, that was obvious. It can go both ways. I'm not sending a message; I'm just stating what I saw."

The message came across anyway. But Stotts probably wants to downplay it because of a memo the NBA sent before the playoffs, according to the Detroit Free Press. Pistons coach Flip Saunders said the league told teams not to talk about fouls.

"Because what teams, coaches, players try to do is set the tone for referees when they come in," Saunders said.

Despite missing most of the Bucks' on-court work during their last three practice sessions, guard Bobby Simmons expects to be available when the Bucks take on the Pistons in game 2.

"It's just the little knick-knack things you go through in the course of a season," Simmons said after the Bucks' practice at the Cousins Center on Tuesday. "It's being prepared to play the game and doing what I can out here in practice."

Detroit strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander said that Richard Hamilton might be healthy enough to practice Tuesday and said he expects him to play Wednesday night in Game 2.

"We kept him out today. He's getting treatment," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said after Monday's practice. "He's going to be OK. It's probably good that we have a couple days off and don't have a short turnaround, because it gives him more of a chance to get ready.

"We have the ability to get by without him, but he's going to want to play. Arnie and Mike will do a good job and will get him ready to go."

The regular season is finally over and the playoff picture is now set.

Eastern Conference

1.) Detroit Pistons vs. 8.) Milwaukee Bucks
2.) Miami Heat vs. 7.) Chicago Bulls
3.) New Jersey Nets vs. 6.) Indiana Pacers
4.) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5.) Washington Wizards

Western Conference
1.) San Antonio Spurs vs. 8.) Sacramento Kings
2.) Phoenix Suns vs. 7.) Los Angeles Lakers
3.) Denver Nuggets vs. 6.) Los Angeles Clippers
4.) Dallas Mavericks vs. 5.) Memphis Grizzlies

Alex Acker will be a free agent this summer, has the most to gain by playing well in the next few games. The Pistons are expected to re-sign him to a two-year contract, but Acker still realizes that a strong showing this week will help in that regard.

"Oh yeah, I'm looking at that when I get on the court also," Acker said.

Larry Brown did not travel to Detroit and will not coach the Knicks on Sunday when they play the Pistons. Brown was hospitalized Thursday night in Cleveland with a stomach ailment after becoming ill during the Knicks' loss to the Cavaliers.

He returned home on Friday.

The pressures of a long, gruelling season are slowly starting to wear on Piston powerhouse Ben Wallace, who according to the Detroit News refused to re-enter the team's recent loss to the Orlando Magic after being taken out of the game.

With 7:57 left in the fourth quarter, coach Flip Saunders took Wallace out of the game. Wallace was clearly peeved. He had played all 15 minutes of the second half to that point, and he stormed to the end of the bench uttering a torrent of unprintables directed at Saunders.

Saunders explained the move to Wallace, who waved him off.

A couple of minutes later, Saunders wanted to put him back into the game. Wallace didn't move. He wouldn't even look at Saunders. With the Pistons back in contention and threatening to steal a victory, Saunders again summoned Wallace.

Again, Wallace waved him off and stayed seated at the bench, not even getting up to join the huddle during timeouts.

"He said he couldn't go," was all Saunders would say after the game.

Wallace made it clear he wasn't injured and that he will be ready to play today against the Pacers.