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DAY 7
Sunday, July 21, 2002
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The key to the game was the Bucks’ defense, especially in the second quarter. They held the Spurs to just 7 points in the quarter on 3-for-16 shooting (18.8 percent), turning a 27-16 deficit after one into a 35-34 lead at the half. The Bucks’ shooting from the floor was nothing to write home about either (5-for-13, 38.5 percent), but they drove to the basket and got to the foul line from where they converted 9-of-10 free-throws, including two each by Marcus Goree, Scoonie Penn, Lonnie Cooper and Jamal Sampson in the last 2:42 of the half, to take the lead.
The Bucks offense finally woke up late in the third quarter. With the score tied at 47-47, Milwaukee went on a 12-3 run in the last 3:50 of the quarter. Murray keyed the rally. After a Dan Gadzuric layup, Murray hit an 18-foot jumper off a fast-break and after baskets by Ryan Carroll and Goree, he made 1-of-2 from the line and put the Spurs away with a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 59-50 after three quarters. Murray, Goree, Carroll and Penn combined for 17 points to outscore the Spurs by themselves. San Antonio lost any chance at a comeback by shooting only 25 percent in the quarter.
The game didn’t start out well for Milwaukee. San Antonio, behind 8 points each by Amal McCaskill and Jason Hart, led at the end of the first quarter, 27-16. But their poor shooting let Milwaukee back into the game and the Bucks never went away. They held the Spurs to just 33.8 percent from the field and took advantage of a 22-10 advantage in free-throws made to account for the win.
Hart led the Spurs with 13 points. McCaskill had 12 points as did Wright (who also pulled down 13 rebounds), Anthony Goldwire added 11 points off the bench and Saddie Washington threw in 10 points.
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The outcome of this game was decided in the first 2:10 of the third quarter. Atlanta (6-0), already leading 47-43 at the half, came out of the locker room and put the game away. Louis Bullock hit a 16-foot jumper, Johnson made a driving layup and then hit two free-throws, and Mario Bennett (17 points, 10 rebounds) hit a 21-footer to put the Hawks up 55-45. Later in the quarter the Hawks went on an 8-2 run, keyed by a Johnson 20-foot jumper and a three by Bullock, to lead 69-53 lead.
With the championship in their sights, the Hawks put the clamps on the Boston offense. They did not allow the Celtics to do anything offensively in the fourth quarter, holding them to just 2-for-17 (11.8 percent) in the quarter. Johnson added 5 points in the quarter as the Hawks sailed to the 17-point win.
Boston kept it close for a half. Forte and Oliver Miller each shot 3-for-3 from the floor in the first quarter and the Celtics trailed only 26-20 after one. Terquin Mott scored 8 points in the second quarter and the Celtics were within 4 at the half, 47-43.
Atlanta’s Dion Glover, who averaged 17.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists, won the Shaw’s Cup as the League’s Most Outstanding Player. Bullock (18 points), Bennett, (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Miles Simon (10 points), joined Johnson in double-figure for the Hawks. Joseph Forte, who led the Celtics in scoring this week with 18.0 points, was Boston’s high scorer with 15 points. Terquin Mott added 14 points and Darius Songailia and Miller added 12 points each in the losing effort.
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The 76ers led 32-31 with 6:48 left in the third quarter when Salmons took over, hitting a pair of 20-foot jumpers and a 13-footer. Tang Hamilton hit a pair of free throws and suddenly, the 76ers had an 8-point lead. The Nets closed it to 45-40 at the end of the quarter on a three-pointer by Billy Thomas with 4.3 seconds left. But Efthimios Rentzias came right back for the 76ers, hitting a three to start the fourth quarter to build the lead back to 8. The Nets made one last run as Tamar Slay countered with a three, Darren Kelly and Neil Edwards each hit a free throw and Slay hit a short jumper to make it 49-47. But after a Johnny Taylor extended the lead to 3, Rentzias put the game away with another three and a 14-foot jumper to make it 58-51 with 2:48 left in the game.
The Nets kept the game close in the first half despite a poor shooting second quarter. New Jersey went 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) from the floor in the quarter but outscored the 76ers 5-0 from the foul line to stay within a basket at the half, 28-26.
Slay led all scorers with 19 points. Salmons ended up with 13 points and Hamilton and Damone Brown each scored 12 points.
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Simmons came up big in the fourth quarter with 12 points. After Rolen Roberts hit two baskets to put the Wizards ahead by 3, Simmons hit a jumper and then a layup to increase the Washington lead to 7. The Knicks cut it down to 2 at 62-60, but then Simmons took over, hitting two free throws, a slam off a Kwame Brown steal and, after two jumpers by Juan Dixon, he made an 18-footer and a layup in the last 1:50 of the game to clinch the win.
The Wizards looked like they were going to run away with this one, leading by as many as 18 points in the second quarter. Jared Jeffries scored 9 points and Brown and Dixon each had 8 in the first half as the Wizards led at the break, 46-32.
But the Knicks used a strong inside game to go on a 15-3 run to start the third quarter. Pete Mickeal exploded for 14 of his game-high 21 points in the quarter, including 10-for-10 from the foul line. Billy Keys short jumper gave the Knicks their first lead since the first minute of the game, 52-51 with 2:12 left in the quarter. The Knicks led after three, 55-54.
Jeffries (10 points), Brown (11 points), and Dixon (12 points) joined Simmons (16 points) in double-figures for the Wizards.
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The Magic broke open a close game in the third quarter, turning a 42-42 halftime tie into a 55-44 lead with 5:37 left in the third quarter. Sasser and Pat Burke had four points each during the run. The Magic stretched the lead to 16 before Reggie Geary’s finger roll cut it to 68-54 after three.
The Timberwolves made it close in the game’s final few minutes. Khalid El-Amin had 11 fourth quarter points and Minnesota cut the deficit to 81-80 with 29.0 seconds left. But Cory Hightower and Sasser each hit a pair of free-throws, and Minnesota had the win.
Burke added 18 points and 9 rebounds for the Magic. El-Amin led the Timberwolves with 18 points.
- Recaps by Mike Swartz
