RealGM Wiretap
Bucks seek a statement victory as talented Mavericks pay a visit
By MICHAEL HUNT
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: March 25, 2002
St. Francis - Since the all-star break, the Milwaukee Bucks are 9-13, with just four victories against opponents with records of .500 or better.
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Photo/Benny Sieu
Michael Redd and the Bucks need something to get excited about.
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In fact, it's been a long time - all the way back to Dec. 29, when they beat San Antonio - since the Bucks have had a meaningful victory against a really good team.
Unlike last season, when they swept the Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and the Sacramento Kings, the Bucks have been mediocre at best (19-18) against plus-.500 teams, with a poor 4-8 record against such opponents since the break.
"That's probably not good enough to win the division," Bucks coach George Karl said, "but we still have time to figure that out."
What the Bucks need, then, as they try to recapture the Central Division lead from the Detroit Pistons with 14 regular-season games to play is the kind of confidence-building pick-me-up that comes by beating someone important.
Such an opponent comes to the Bradley Center tonight in the form of the Dallas Mavericks, who, coincidentally, are the only National Basketball Association team without a victory in the Bucks' 14-year-old arena.
Dallas' 0-12 record at the Bradley Center can mostly be attributed to the fact that the Mavericks were really bad for most of the '90s, something they most assuredly are not anymore.
At 48-21, Don Nelson's team was tied with San Antonio for the league's second-best record before the Spurs played the Clippers late Monday night.
Nevertheless, iconoclastic Dallas owner Mark Cuban wasn't merely satisfied with having the most dangerous offense in the league, led by Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Wisconsin's Michael Finley. Cuban sanctioned the trade with Denver that brought in Kenosha's Nick Van Exel and Raef LaFrentz, adding even more horsepower to the Mavericks' turbo-charged attack.
"They're an offensive machine," Karl said. "Nellie and I have been stealing from each other for so long that he's built a team on how we started playing a couple of years ago. Now, he's got the best offensive unit out there.
"Hopefully we defend them a little bit, score against them a little bit and make it a great game."
Are the Mavericks better after the trade that jettisoned Juwan Howard?
"They're more talented," Karl said. "Sometimes more talented doesn't mean you're better, but they've got a lot of players who can hurt you."
In their quest to win a big game for the first time in almost three months, the banged-up Bucks should be better staffed tonight. Forward Tim Thomas, who has missed the last six games with a sprained right knee, made it through the entire practice Monday and is expected to play against Dallas.
"I still have a little pain, but it's nothing I can't stand being out there on the court," Thomas said. "As of right now I'm going to play. I feel good. I want to get back out there."
The Bucks were 2-4 without their $67-million sixth man, who has been part of the team's bad luck with injuries this season. Thomas, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson have missed nearly 40 combined games.
Allen (knee) continues to say he might have to shut himself down for at least part of the stretch run, and Cassell (toe) said he could use time off as well. Robinson returned Sunday from a bruised tailbone with 25 points and 10 rebounds against Orlando.
The Bucks, who at minimum want to secure home court for the first round of the playoffs, can't afford to lose any of their top four players the rest of the way.
"I told all of them, 'You're at the stage where it's (pain) not going away. Even if you sit down for a week, it's going to come back,' " Karl said. "What I know about Sam and Ray's injuries, it's going to be a month of rest before they go away. You just have to evaluate what you can get out of your body. I can't do that for them. They have to do it themselves."