2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks season

2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks season
Head coachGeorge Karl
General managerErnie Grunfeld
OwnerHerb Kohl
ArenaBradley Center
Results
Record42–40 (.512)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Central)
Conference: 7th (Eastern)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Nets 2–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionWCGV-TV
Fox Sports Net North
(Jim Paschke, Jon McGlocklin)
RadioWTMJ

The 2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks season was the 35th season for the Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association.[1] For the first time since the 1993–94 season, Glenn Robinson was not on the opening day roster. During the off-season, the Bucks acquired Toni Kukoč from the Atlanta Hawks.[2][3]

With the addition of Kukoč, the Bucks played around .500 in winning percentage with an 8–8 start to the regular season, but then fell below .500 as the team lost seven of their next nine games. The Bucks soon recovered and won 10 of their 14 games in January, and held a 25–23 record at the All-Star break.[4] At mid-season, just before the trading deadline, the Bucks traded All-Star guard Ray Allen to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for All-Star guard Gary Payton, and Desmond Mason.[5][6][7] With the addition of Payton and Mason, the Bucks won eight of their final nine games of the season, finishing in fourth place in the Central Division with a 42–40 record, and earning the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.[8]

Sam Cassell averaged 19.7 points and 5.8 assists per game, while Payton averaged 19.6 points, 7.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game in 28 games after the trade, and Michael Redd provided the team with 15.1 points per game, and also led them with 182 three-point field goals. In addition, Desmond Mason contributed 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 28 games, while Tim Thomas provided with 13.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and Kukoč contributed 11.6 points, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Meanwhile, Anthony Mason averaged 7.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, Jason Caffey provided with 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, Dutch rookie center Dan Gadzuric contributed 3.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, Ervin Johnson averaged 2.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and Joel Pryzbilla provided with 1.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, but only played just 32 games due to injury.[9]

Despite a stellar season before the mid-season trade, Allen was not selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, Georgia;[10] Allen averaged 21.3 points per game, and contributed 123 three-point field goals in 47 games with the Bucks.[9] Payton finished in eleventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[11] while Redd finished in second place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, behind Bobby Jackson of the Sacramento Kings, and with Kukoč finishing in tenth place;[11] Redd also finished in twelfth place in Most Improved Player voting.[11]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, the Bucks faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Atlantic Division champion New Jersey Nets, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and second-year star Richard Jefferson. The Nets took a 2–1 series lead, but the Bucks managed to win Game 4 at home in overtime, 119–114 at the Bradley Center. However, after losing Game 5 on the road, 89–82 at the Continental Airlines Arena, the Bucks lost Game 6 to the Nets at the Bradley Center, 113–101, thus losing the series in six games.[12][13][14] The Nets would advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year, but would lose to the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the 2003 NBA Finals.[15][16][17]

The Bucks finished 17th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 665,966 at the Bradley Center during the regular season.[9][18] Following the season, Payton signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers,[19][20][21] while Cassell and Johnson were both traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves,[22][23] head coach George Karl was fired,[24][25] and Caffey and Anthony Mason both retired.

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
113Marcus HaislipPF United StatesTennessee
234Dan GadzuricC NetherlandsUCLA
241Ronald MurraySG United StatesShaw
247Chris OwensPF United StatesTexas

Roster

2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
F 35 Jason Caffey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 256 lb (116 kg) 1973–06–12 Alabama
G 10 Sam Cassell 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1969–11–18 Florida State
C 50 Dan Gadzuric 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1978–02–02 UCLA
F/C 12 Marcus Haislip 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1980–12–22 Tennessee
C 40 Ervin Johnson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1967–12–21 LSU New Orleans
F 7 Toni Kukoč 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1968–09–18 Croatia
F 17 Anthony Mason 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1966–12–14 Tennessee State
G/F 24 Desmond Mason 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 222 lb (101 kg) 1977–10–11 Oklahoma State
G 20 Gary Payton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1968–07–23 Oregon State
C 6 Joel Przybilla 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1979–10–10 Minnesota
G/F 22 Michael Redd 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1979–08–24 Ohio State
F/C 31 Jamal Sampson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 257 lb (117 kg) 1983–05–13 California
F 5 Tim Thomas 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1977–02–26 Villanova
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Detroit Pistons 5032.610–30–1120–2119–9
x-Indiana Pacers 4834.585232–916–2519–9
x-New Orleans Hornets 4735.573329–1218–2317–11
x-Milwaukee Bucks 4240.512825–1617–2416–12
e-Atlanta Hawks 3547.4271526–159–3214–14
e-Chicago Bulls 3052.3662027–143–3812–16
e-Toronto Raptors 2458.2932615–269–3210–18
e-Cleveland Cavaliers 1765.2073314–273–385–23
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Detroit Pistons5032.610–
2 y-New Jersey Nets4933.5981
3 x-Indiana Pacers4834.5852
4 x-Philadelphia 76ers4834.5852
5 x-New Orleans Hornets4735.5733
6 x-Boston Celtics4438.5376
7 x-Milwaukee Bucks4240.5128
8 x-Orlando Magic4240.5128
9 e-New York Knicks3745.45113
10 e-Washington Wizards3745.45113
11 e-Atlanta Hawks3547.42715
12 e-Chicago Bulls3052.36620
13 e-Miami Heat2557.30525
14 e-Toronto Raptors2458.29326
15 e-Cleveland Cavaliers1765.20733

Game log

2002–03 game log
Total: 42–40 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
October: 0–1 (home: 0–0; road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1October 30, 2002@ Philadelphia L 93–95 First Union Center
19,569		 0–1
November: 6–6 (home: 4–2; road: 2–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
2November 2, 2002Orlando L 90–100 Michael Redd (17) Toni Kukoc (12) Kevin Ollie (5) Bradley Center
16,713		 0–2
3November 4, 2002@ New York W 97–88 Dan Gadzuric (10) Madison Square Garden
18,100		 1–2
4November 6, 2002New Jersey W 99–93 Bradley Center
14,539		 2–2
5November 7, 2002@ Minnesota L 110–114 Target Center
14,776		 2–3
6November 9, 2002Philadelphia W 110–105 Bradley Center
16,782		 3–3
7November 13, 2002Chicago W 108–101 Bradley Center
14,036		 4–3
8November 15, 2002@ Indiana L 100–103 Conseco Fieldhouse
16,010		 4–4
9November 16, 2002Boston W 104–85 Bradley Center
18,717		 5–4
10November 19, 2002Miami L 93–97 Bradley Center
13,632		 5–5
11November 22, 2002@ Golden State W 95–91 The Arena in Oakland
12,170		 6–5
12November 24, 2002@ L. A. Lakers L 99–111 STAPLES Center
18,997		 6–6
13November 25, 2002@ Phoenix L 81–86 America West Arena
12,986		 6–7
December: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
January: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
February: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
March: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
April: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
2002–03 schedule

Playoffs

2003 playoff game log
First Round: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 19 @ New Jersey L 96–109 Tim Thomas (25) Desmond Mason (8) Gary Payton (10) Continental Airlines Arena
16,102		 0–1
2 April 22 @ New Jersey W 88–85 Gary Payton (22) Anthony Mason (8) Gary Payton (7) Continental Airlines Arena
17,633		 1–1
3 April 24 New Jersey L 101–103 Sam Cassell (24) Tim Thomas (11) Gary Payton (8) Bradley Center
17,539		 1–2
4 April 26 New Jersey W 119–114 (OT) Toni Kukoč (23) Desmond Mason (8) Gary Payton (14) Bradley Center
18,391		 2–2
5 April 29 @ New Jersey L 82–89 Toni Kukoč (18) Desmond Mason (12) Gary Payton (5) Continental Airlines Arena
16,601		 2–3
6 May 1 New Jersey L 101–113 Gary Payton (24) Tim Thomas (6) Gary Payton (8) Bradley Center
18,717		 2–4
2003 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Ray Allen 474635.843.739.591.34.63.51.20.221.3
Sam Cassell 787734.647.036.286.14.45.81.10.219.7
Gary Payton 282838.846.629.474.63.17.41.40.319.6
Michael Redd 821428.246.943.880.54.51.41.20.215.1
Desmond Mason 282534.047.429.476.56.72.40.70.414.8
Tim Thomas 807029.544.336.678.04.91.30.90.613.3
Toni Kukoč 63027.043.236.170.64.23.71.30.511.6
Anthony Mason 655832.648.60.071.86.43.20.50.27.2
Jason Caffey 511617.545.60.065.13.50.70.40.35.8
Kevin Ollie 53421.345.920.074.71.93.40.70.15.7
Marcus Haislip 39811.343.125.068.41.40.20.20.54.1
Dan Gadzuric 493015.548.30.051.84.00.20.41.13.4
Ervin Johnson 691717.045.20.068.24.30.30.50.92.2
Ronald Murray 1203.534.60.062.50.10.30.30.01.9
Joel Przybilla 321717.139.10.050.04.50.40.31.41.5
Jamal Sampson 501.60.00.00.00.40.20.20.00.0

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Gary Payton 6641.842.96.770.03.08.71.30.218.5
Tim Thomas 6531.846.257.171.94.81.30.51.017.8
Sam Cassell 6636.247.052.493.33.22.70.50.217.2
Toni Kukoč 6030.749.237.970.04.23.72.20.214.8
Desmond Mason 6634.050.90.071.07.00.81.00.713.0
Michael Redd 6021.340.425.092.93.51.80.30.29.7
Marcus Haislip 2112.066.70.050.02.01.01.00.55.0
Anthony Mason 6026.241.20.069.23.30.20.50.23.8
Ervin Johnson 6312.737.50.00.04.00.50.50.81.0
Joel Przybilla 438.3100.00.00.02.50.30.00.50.5

Player statistics citation:[9]

Awards and records

Transactions

Overview

Players Added

Via draft

Via trade

Via free agency

 Players Lost

Via trade

Via free agency

Trades

August 2, 2002
 To Milwaukee Bucks---- To Atlanta Hawks----
February 20, 2003 To Milwaukee Bucks---- To Seattle SuperSonics----

Free agents

PlayerSignedFormer team
Kevin Ollie
 September 6, 2002 Indiana Pacers
Cedric Henderson September 25, 2002 Golden State Warriors

Player Transactions Citation:[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Milwaukee Bucks". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  2. ↑ Broussard, Chris (August 3, 2002). "PRO BASKETBALL: NOTEBOOK; Hawks Gain a Scorer in Trade for Robinson". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. ↑ Smith, Sam (October 30, 2002). "Eastern Conference Capsules". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  4. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  5. ↑ Popper, Steve (February 21, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Sonics Deal Payton to Bucks for Allen". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  6. ↑ Heisler, Mark (February 21, 2003). "Losses Will Fit Seattle Like a Glove". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  7. ↑ Nichols, Rachel (February 21, 2003). "Sonics Trade Payton to Bucks". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  8. ↑ "2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  10. ↑ "2003 NBA All-Star Game: West 155, East 145 (2OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 "2002–03 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  12. ↑ Robbins, Liz (May 2, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Nets Finish Off Bucks and Move On to Celtics". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  13. ↑ Kerber, Fred (May 2, 2003). "Nets Get It Done – Boot Bucks Behind Kidd, K-Mart". New York Post. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  14. ↑ "2003 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Bucks vs. Nets". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Spurs Defeat Nets to Win N.B.A. Title". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 15, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  16. ↑ Heisler, Mark (June 16, 2003). "Spurs Reduce the 'Risk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  17. ↑ "2003 NBA Finals: Nets vs. Spurs". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  18. ↑ "2002–03 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  19. ↑ Popper, Steve (July 11, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Malone Agrees to Play for Lakers, Taking a $17.7 Million Cut in Pay". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  20. ↑ Brown, Tim (July 9, 2003). "It's Glove in Hand". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  21. ↑ Neiman, David (July 9, 2003). "Payton, Lakers Agree on Contract". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  22. ↑ Broussard, Chris (June 28, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; In Fallout from Draft, Bucks Trade Cassell". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Bucks Send Cassell to Minnesota". United Press International. June 27, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  24. ↑ "PRO BASKETBALL; Karl Is Gone as Bucks Coach". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 21, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Karl Is Out as Coach of Bucks". Los Angeles Times. July 21, 2003. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  26. ↑ "2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks Transactions". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.

See also

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