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Baketball Roundup
Bucks Buck Hornets
The Milwaukee Bucks reached the NBA conference finals for the first time in 15 years after knocking off the Charlotte Hornets 104-95 in Game Seven Sunday.
Milwaukee, led by the Bucks' "Big Three" of Glenn Robinson (29 points), Ray Allen (28 points), and Sam Cassell (17 points, 13 assists), will play the Philadelphia 76ers for a berth in the NBA Finals.
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Bucks' guard Ray Allen salutes the fans following a win in the seventh and final game of their Eastern Conference playoffs with the Charlotte Hornets. REUTERS |
The Bucks, who were behind in the series three games to two at one point, trailed by three points at halftime on Sunday. But took charge by outscoring the Hornets 29-17 in the third quarter. Then in the fourth quarter, the Buck's big three accounted for all but four of Milwaukee's 31 points to keep Charlotte at bay.
What helped the Bucks, and at the same time hurt the Hornets, was free throw shooting. These are free shots and should be relatively simple to make. The bucks, hitting 33 of 35 attempts, made it look simple, while the Hornets, connecting on only 17 of 28 tries, made it a chore.
The question for the Bucks is, can a team that relies on the jump-shot win the NBA title? The last two winners, the Spurs and the Lakers, are known for their big men. And while the 76ers has league MVP Allan Iverson, They also have Dikembe Mutombo, the top defensive center in the league.
Hockey Roundup
Sixers Deep-Six Raptors 88-87
With two ticks left on the game clock, the Raptors got the ball to their star Vince Carter. He juked, faking-out Tyrone Hill, who went sailing past him, and then threw up a prayer. It wasn't answered, so the Philadelphia 76ers are now advancing to the Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Although Sunday night didn't go as he had hoped, the day was not a complete bust for Vince Carter. In the morning, Carter flew to North Carolina to accept his diploma in African-American studies from the University of North Carolina. Carter had left the school after his junior year. REUTERS |
Neither team's superstar came up with a dominating performance. Carter scored 20 points on six of 18 shooting. Iverson was a dismal 8-27. The difference was Iverson overcame Toronto's harassing defense by passing to the open man.
Trusting his teammates like never before, Iverson had 16 assists as he passed out of double-teams, to give Aaron McKie, Eric Snow, and Jumaine Jones open shots. The trio responded with 51 points.
"Allen was great, Aaron McKee was great, Jumaine Jones was great and so was Eric Snow," said Sixers coach Larry Brown. "[The Raptors] left them open when they doubled and tripled Allen and he did what I asked and got the ball to our other guys. People who aren't rated as scorers stepped up and hit the shots needed."
Playoff Results from May 18-20, 2001
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