PLAYOFF GAMEDAY: Milwaukee vs Atlanta - Game 3 - 4/24/10

Head Coach Scott Skiles

(On tonight's game...)
"We're not going to worry about what they are going to do, we are trying to control our game. They've dominated us in the first two games. Our goal was to come out with a lot of energy, intensity and get back to playing like we know we can and we did that for huge stretches of the game tonight. We were able to build a lead and hold them off."

(On Milwaukee's rebounding advantage and tonight's game...)
"We out-rebounded them, but they were all over the offensive glass. Tonight they didn't necessarily turn it into points. We made a couple minor adjustments, but nothing major. We felt like until we can play an entire game like we know we can play on the defensive end, why even change? I'm sure Woody (Head Coach Mike Woodson) is going to feel like they didn't have their `A' game tonight. It was nice to see the guys show up again. This is the team that I'm used to coaching and seeing."

(On Milwaukee's defense and tonight's game...)
"With Bogues (Andrew Bogut) out, we need our defense to create some offense for us. We want to do that anyway with Bogues in. It's hard for us right now to slow the game down and go inside and read the defense and make decisions. We need that. We need to get stops, get the ball out in transition and hopefully knock down some shots. We were able to do that early in the game."

Forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

(On his offensive performance...)
"The ball was moving a little more and I was finding myself going to the boards, finding myself cutting and my teammates were finding me. Everybody was moving it around instead of holding it and trying to go one-on-one every time."

(On Milwaukee's rebounding advantage and tonight's game ...)
"I'm not surprised. I think that the energy we had tonight, coming into the building, the fans, almost everybody got into it. We started moving the ball, sharing the ball like we did all season long. That really paid off. It opened gaps and opportunities for offensive rebounds. Once our offense is going it helps our defense too."

Guard Luke Ridnour
(On the playoffs...)
"It doesn't start until a road team wins. We can't let that happen Monday. We've got to continue to come out and play and try to get this thing back to 2-2."

(On Milwaukee's defense...)
"At Atlanta, they got a lot of open looks and they knocked them down. Here, we wanted to just get as many hands up as we could and make it as tough as we could. I think all around everyone did a great job."

(On Game Four...)
"It's a huge game. We have to come out just as energized as we were, if not more on Monday. We have to come in and play as hard as we can. They are going to hit shots; they're a good team. Just come out and continue to compete and hopefully we can come away with another win."

WELCOME TO THE SHOW - Brandon Jennings leads the Bucks in scoring in his debut playoff series, leading all rookies (and T-16th in the league) with 21.5 points on 42.5 percent shooting (17-40), including 41.7 percent (5-12) from long distance. Jennings poured in 34 points in Game One, tied for the fourth most by a rookie in his playoff debut and just two off of the record for most points in a rookie's first postseason game (36 by Derrick Rose in 2009 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1970). Those 34 points were the most by a Buck in the playoffs since Michael Redd scored 40 in a Game Three victory over Detroit on April 29, 2006.

POSTSEASON'S GREETINGS - In addition to Brandon Jennings, a pair of second-year Bucks are having success in their first career postseasons. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has said hello to the playoffs by starting both contests and averaging 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. Meanwhile, Ersan Ilyasova, who was a member of the Bucks D-League affiliate Tulsa 66ers during Milwaukee's 2006 playoff run, leads the bench with 12.0 points and 10.5 rebounds, recording a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds on Tuesday.

BARRY FAMILIAR FACE - Although the Bucks failed to qualify for the playoffs during the three seasons that Jon Barry spent with the club from 1992-93 to 1994-95, Barry went on to become very familiar with postseason play. The former occupant of the No. 17 Bucks jersey went on to play in 62 playoff games, scoring 5.3 points per game and hitting 40.3 percent of his three-point shots. The Bucks went 5-9 against Atlanta in his three years with the deer. Barry, not one to pick sides, also spent 1996-97 and part of the 2004-05 season (Mike Woodson's first year) with the Hawks. He played with Bucks guard Royal Ivey on the 04-05 Hawks squad and has also played with Jerry Stackhouse (01-02 Pistons).

SAL-MANIA - Sal-mania continues to sweep Milwaukee as John Salmons is averaging 18.3 points to go with 4.0 rebounds, 3.5. steals and 3.0 assists in two postseason games for the Bucks. His 3.5 steals are the most by any player in the NBA Playoffs and his six in game one are an NBA postseason-high. Milwaukee ended the regular season with a 22-8 (.733) record after acquiring Salmons at the trade deadline, with the shooting guard averaging a team-high 19.9 points with 3.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals. Salmons led the Bucks in scoring with 21 points on in Tuesday's playoff tilt.

THE STORY OF SIX - The Bucks have earned the sixth-seed in the Eastern Conference for the second time since the 16-team playoffs were introduced in 1984. Their previous appearance in the six seed came in 2004, when they lost in the first round to Detroit, 4-1. The last six seed to beat a three was last year, when the Mavericks beat the Spurs in five games. The last time it happened in the Eastern Conference was in 2005, when the sixth-seeded Pacers defeated the third-seeded Celtics 4-3. The Rockets are the only six seed to have made it all the way to the NBA Finals, doing so twice (1981 and 1995) and winning it in 1995. The farthest an Eastern Conference six-seed has advanced has been the Bulls in 1989, making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

IMPRESSIVE IMPROVEMENTS - The Bucks made the largest improvement in the East this season and third-best in the NBA, winning 12 more games than they won last year (34-48 in 2008-09). From the 2007-08 season, the Bucks have improved on their 26-56 record by 20 games. Milwaukee's 46 wins are their most wins since going 52-30 in the 2000-01 season. The Bucks also won 30 games (31-21) against the Eastern Conference for the first time since posting a 33-21 mark in 2003-04 and their 22 wins (22-9) since the All-Star break are their most post-break since going 23-12 in 2000-01.

• In their 26th playoff berth in franchise history, and first since the 2005-06 season, the Bucks are one of four teams in this year's playoffs that did not qualify last year (along with Charlotte, Oklahoma City and Phoenix). The Bucks are 101-112 (.474) all-time in postseason play, including 58-40 (.537) at home and 11-16 (407) all-time in the playoffs at the Bradley Center.
  
  
• The Bucks are 9-25 in Eastern Conference First Round road games and 27-37 overall in the first round. Milwaukee is 3-19 in series when they are without home-court advantage.
  
  
• The wait is over for Primoz Brezec, who played nearly six minutes in his first career playoff game on Tuesday in Atlanta. Brezec was 12th among active players with most regular season games played (342) without appearing in the postseason.
  
  
• The Bucks 8.0 steals per game this postseason is fourth best out of the 16 participants.
  
  
• Jerry Stackhouse scored 15 points on Tuesday, leaving him one point shy of 950 career playoff points. It is his best playoff effort since scoring 20 in Game Six of the first round with Dallas on May 3, 2007.
  
  
• Milwaukee holds an all-time Game Three record of 20-21 heading into tonight's tilt.
  
  
• The Bucks entered the 2010 Playoffs with the second-least amount of previous playoff games played on their roster of any Eastern Conference team with 243, ahead of only Chicago's 225 (Atlanta was fifth with 359 games played).
  
  
• Milwaukee is tied for second in the NBA Playoffs with 14.5 offensive rebounds per game, thanks in part to seven offensive boards by Ersan Ilyasova on Tuesday, tied for the most in the playoffs thus far.
  
  
• Dan Gadzuric doubled his previous playoff career-high in minutes with 18 on Tuesday and secured six rebounds, also his postseason best.
  
  
• The Bucks set a franchise record with 645 three-pointers made this season, passing the previous mark of 593 set in 2001-02.
  
  
• The Bucks set a franchise record for fewest points allowed in a full season (96.0) in 2009-10.