MILWAUKEE – For the Nets, there are few things worse than simply playing on the road. Playing on the road in Milwaukee is one of them.
And that’s the scenario they face tonight in Game 3 here, where they’ll try to reclaim the home-court advantage lost by splitting the first two games in the Meadowlands.
“Anything can happen in the playoffs. They came in and got one in a hostile environment,” said Kenyon Martin, the Nets’ top playoff scorer and rebounder (21.5 and 13.5), who went lightly through practice yesterday nursing a tender left ankle. “We realize what’s at stake.”
The Nets know they must get at least a split here (tonight and Saturday). As Lucious Harris bluntly put it, “We have to get one up there, period.” They are confident they can get this done, Harris said, “because [the Bucks] played probably their best game.”
The Nets are prepared to see the Bucks team that represented Milwaukee in Game 2, not the group of semi-mannequins that were routed in Game 1. The winning Bucks shot the lights out (.500 – now .506 in two games, with Sam Cassell at .640) and slowed the Nets’ running game. They doubled Martin effectively. With aggressive defense, they forced the Nets outside, where shots clanged.
“We have to make shots. They’re too good offensively,” said Byron Scott, noting more production must come from two guard, specifically Kerry Kittles, who was 1-of-8 in Game 2. “They were more aggressive on Kerry. Sam or whoever guarded him did a much better job of grabbing and holding and not letting him just get into a rhythm or into a groove.”
With their shooting, the Bucks denied the Nets’ transition points (Milwaukee held a 15-9 edge in fast-break points). That kept down Kittles, who is so lethal in the open floor.
“Sam [Cassell] was on me a little more than he was before,” said Kittles, who had 18 points in Game 1, two in Game 2.
So the Nets hope to rectify their shooting and scoring woes on the road. Good luck. They ended the season losing 4-of-5 and 5-of-7 on foreign floors for a 16-25 overall road record. At home, where they were 33-8, they outscored opponents 97.7-87.6. The road saw a considerable drop to a mere 93.0-92.7 difference.
The Bucks, who had beaten the Nets five straight (40-18 lifetime) in Milwaukee before the Nets won Dec. 28, know venue won’t mean much if the Nets get going early.
“Homecourt won’t mean a thing if we get behind,” said Tim Thomas, the Bucks’ top scorer (21.5) in the series. “We’re down 15 points in the first quarter, it won’t matter how loud our fans are.”
