Milwaukee Rallies, Forces Game 7

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —  Down 15 points and on the brink of elimination, the Milwaukee Bucks did not panic. Instead, they turned to their “Big Three” and forced a seventh game in Milwaukee Sunday.

Sam Cassell scored 33 points, Glenn Robinson had 29--both career playoff highs--and Ray Allen added 23 to rally the Bucks to a 104-97 victory over the Charlotte Hornets Thursday night, evening their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

“There was never any pressure on us,” Allen said. “We know that when we play together we play our best and that brings a calm to us. We know that all we have to do is get together and everything will be fine.”

After struggling through three consecutive losses, the Bucks’ shooters finally broke out. Cassell, bothered by sore ribs the entire series, was 10 for 16 from the field and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Robinson had 13 in the third quarter, and Allen made a three-point basket with 27 seconds to play to break a 97-97 tie and give Milwaukee the lead for good.

“We controlled at least one of those guys in each of the three games we won, but when all three are scoring like that they are awfully tough to beat,” Charlotte Coach Paul Silas said.

David Wesley led the Hornets with 27 points. Jamal Mashburn scored 24 but had only six points in the second half, all on free throws.

The Hornets were playing well early, when they built a 15-point lead. That’s when frustration began to show in the Bucks, and Cassell came close to being ejected for arguing a call.

After Tim Thomas was called for a foul, Cassell stormed after referee Derrick Stafford, who hit Cassell with a technical. Cassell screamed at him until Ervin Johnson raced over and pulled him away.

As the Hornets made three free throws to make it 45-31, Milwaukee Coach George Karl implored his team to settle down.

The Bucks did, pulling back into the game in the second half behind the “Big Three.”

Milwaukee opened a four-point lead at the start of the fourth and kept it there behind Cassell’s solid free-throw shooting--he made eight in a row.

The Hornets went ahead, 94-93, on Mashburn’s two free throws, but Cassell answered with a jump shot. The Hornets then turned the ball over on a shot-clock violation and Robinson stretched the lead to 97-94 with a jump shop with 1:05 to play.

Baron Davis tied it with a three-point basket, but the Bucks pulled away from there.