2001–02 Milwaukee Bucks season
The 2001–02 NBA season was the Bucks' 34th season in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Bucks signed free agent Anthony Mason to shore up their front line. After advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the Bucks got off to a solid start winning nine of their first ten games, but then lost five straight afterwards. The team posted an 8-game winning streak in January, which led them to a division-leading record of 26–13 as of January 21, and held a 28–18 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team signed free agent Greg Anthony, who was previously released by the Chicago Bulls. However, with a 35–25 record as of March 6, the Bucks would struggle and proceed to lose 16 of their final 22 games and miss the playoffs, finishing fifth in the Central Division with a 41–41 record, thanks to an embarrassing 123–89 road loss to the Detroit Pistons to close out the season. This was one of the biggest late-season collapses for a team that was contending for a Division title in March.
2001–02 Milwaukee Bucks season | |
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Head coach | George Karl |
General manager | Ernie Grunfeld |
Owner(s) | Herb Kohl |
Arena | Bradley Center |
Results | |
Record | 41–41 (.500) |
Place | Division: 5th (Central) Conference: 9th (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television |
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Radio | WTMJ |
Ray Allen averaged 21.8 points and 1.3 steals per game, and was selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. In addition, Glenn Robinson averaged 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, while Sam Cassell provided the team with 19.7 points and 6.7 assists per game, and Mason contributed 9.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Off the bench, sixth man Tim Thomas averaged 11.7 points per game, and second-year guard Michael Redd showed improvement averaging 11.4 points per game. Following the season, Robinson was traded to the Atlanta Hawks after eight seasons in Milwaukee, while Darvin Ham signed as a free agent with the Hawks, and Anthony retired.
For the season, the team slightly changed their uniforms by adding side panels to their jerseys. The uniforms would remain in use until 2006.