While Gary Payton and Sam Cassell said it’s full speed ahead following their Saturday-night arrests, Bucks coach George Karl wished it was that simple.

“Anytime a legal thing is hanging over your head, it’s a worry,” Karl said. “They’re human. It may not go away in one day.”

Still, Karl believed his starting backcourt stars can brush aside the distraction of flying to Toronto following Saturday’s Game 1 loss and surrendering to authorities after which they were released.

Payton, Cassell and Jason Caffey have been charged with alleged assault outside a strip club at 2:30 a.m. The incident involved two women who are former strip-club workers, the women’s boyfriend, and the strip joint’s doorman. Sources said a verbal argument escalated into a minor physical altercation but there were no injuries. The case will be heard May 30.

“They’ll be at practice (yesterday) to find out what happened on the court, not in Toronto,” Karl said.

On a conference call yesterday, Cassell, when asked about the arrest, said “Let’s talk basketball. I’m not here to talk about that.” But when asked if the looming Toronto trip was a distraction Saturday, Cassell said “I don’t think so. We’re professionals. What I don’t like is you’re not giving the Nets enough credit. They played awsome.”

Payton, too, said the legal matter wasn’t a distraction in his hideous 3-for-11, eight-point, five-turnover outing. The Bucks had purposely planned for the three players to officially surrender to ahtrtoday after the game, thinking it would be most ocnvenint. Their deadline was mid-week.