2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks season

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.