SAN ANTONIO VS. LOS ANGELES PHILADELPHIA VS. MILWAUKEE

Wednesday, May 30 Bucks say they must shed soft image Associated Press ST. FRANCIS, Wis. -- There's bad blood simmering between Milwaukee and Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference finals, and Bucks coach George Karl thinks that's a good thing. Sixers on the mend PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson went to see a dentist. Eric Snow underwent an MRI and a CAT scan. Tyrone Hill worried about his ailing father. With three of their top six players dealing with their latest set of problems, the Philadelphia 76ers decided to forsake having a formal practice Tuesday -- just as they've done every day since mid-February. Holding a conventional workout went out of style in Philadelphia months ago when its season of high highs and low lows was merely in mid-tumult. Tuesday was yet another day of watching video, doing some stretching and taking inventory of who was in what state of disrepair. "I've never seen a group like this that has had so many things happen, and they all thrive on it," said coach Larry Brown, who spent a few minutes lobbing alley-oop passes to the likes of Rodney Buford, Todd MacCullough, Jumaine Jones and Raja Bell after the Sixers returned home following their victory Monday over the Milwaukee Bucks that tied the Eastern Conference finals 2-2. Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET. Iverson, who had his tooth dislodged when he was struck by Ray Allen's elbow late in Game 4, was fitted for a mouthguard that he may or may not wear in Game 5. Snow was wearing a walking cast on his right foot after spraining his ankle. He had surgery on the same foot earlier this season, but this newest injury is unrelated. His surgeon will evaluate his test results Wednesday, 76ers spokeswoman Karen Frascona said. Hill had planned to fly to Cincinnati to be with his father, Eddie, who has had two diabetes-related strokes in the past two weeks. But when Hill's mother telephoned to say her husband's condition had stabilized, Hill stayed in Philadelphia. "We've played four times, we shouldn't like each other right now," Karl said Tuesday. "I don't like them and they shouldn't like us. And it's probably going to get worse." And that's not necessarily a bad thing, Karl insisted. "It's just the nature of a competitive series," he said. "I personally think it's a pretty professional series." But Karl wants his team to play with more of a combative attitude than it did Monday, when the more muscular Sixers bullied the Bucks into losing their temper, the game and home-court advantage. "Yeah, I think we're being bullied a little bit. I think the game has moved to a wrestling match and might be on the move to a football game," Karl said. Then, he took yet another not-so-subtle shot at the officiating: "I wish the league would have sent the memo out that hand-checking is back and that blocking was back and that fouling was allowed and that we're going back to the old-time game," Karl said. "I just missed that memo. My e-mail must not have been working that day. Because there's a lot of `hacheting' going on out there. And we now have to make the adjustment to dig in and get smarter and get more physical." But it's not as though the Bucks are going to transform themselves overnight from a perimeter team to one that pierces defenses with penetration. "We don't want to get away from the characteristic of our team," forward Scott Williams said. "But at the same time, we realize the playoffs and the series have been more physical. So, we'll have to raise our intensity level a little bit." Ray Allen, the Bucks' leading scorer who has been stymied by Aaron McKie the last two games, said that starts with him. No more Mr. Nice Guy for the winner of the first "Magic Johnson Ideal Player Award." Allen, who has shot just 11-for-32 since torching the Sixers in Games 1 and 2, got into two altercations Monday, when he scored a career playoff-low 14 points. "It's on now. It's on. Being nice is not going to get the job done," Allen said Monday. "If you want to win, you can't. There's no good relations between these two teams anymore. This game established that. We've got to go out and let that be known." Allen drew a double foul with McKie after they exchanged elbows and then words, and his other confrontation left MVP Allen Iverson with a loose tooth, a bloody mouth and a vow for retribution. Iverson had to play the final two minutes with a dislodged front tooth that caused heavy bleeding. "He threw an elbow," Iverson insisted. "He stuck his head in and he caught my elbow," explained Allen. And, according to Allen, with just over a minute left, Iverson yelled to his bodyguard sitting courtside that he would retaliate. "He thinks I did it intentionally, and you guys know I wouldn't do anything like that," Allen said. "But I will defend myself next time when we go out there on the floor." Glenn Robinson, who was ejected in the closing minutes after arguing he was fouled on a crucial turnover, said the Bucks are victims of their jump-shooting philosophy. Robinson has yet to go to the free throw line in the series even though he has played 152 minutes and taken 77 shots. "I don't care about not getting calls because I never get them anyway and I probably never will," Robinson said. "But if there's two minutes on the clock and we're down five and I get tripped, I expect to get it called. I mean, I am a two-time All-Star." But it's not just Robinson. The Bucks went to the line just six times in Game 2, making an NBA-record low two free throws. Robinson said if the Bucks were getting to the line more, "we'd blow them out because we're a great free throw shooting team. I'm shooting 90 (percent) in the playoffs. Sam (Cassell) and Ray are shooting in the high 80s. We're the primary scorers. If we could get to the line more, that would definitely take pressure off us to make shots from the field." But there's just one way for the Bucks to draw more whistles, Karl said. "Win games and win playoff series, that's the way you get respect in this league," he said. "And just stay positive through the frustration." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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