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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Bucks' Redd has turned into NBA's quietest superstar
cnnsi.com
cnnsi.com
Michael Redd has pumped up his scoring average -- again -- this season.
It was only fitting that the biggest scoring night of Michael Redd's career would take place on a humdrum Saturday night in Milwaukee, against a low-profile team like the Jazz.
Not on a weeknight TNT game, or against a marquee opponent like the Heat or Mavericks, or in a big media market such as New York or L.A.
Redd's 57-point masterpiece on Nov. 11 -- the most points scored in an NBA game this season and the most by a second-round pick since the days of the NBA/ABA merger -- barely caused a ripple in the sports world.
It's a fairly typical occurrence for Redd, who flies under the NBA radar like a stealth bomber. The 6-6 lefty currently ranks second in the league in scoring (30.3 points), behind Carmelo Anthony and ahead of Allen Iverson and LeBron James. Yet his name often seems to be left out when talk turns of the NBA's best pure scorers.
"I don't worry about scoring. I don't look at stats during the season. That's the honest-to-God truth," Redd said at the team's media day last month. "I just play basketball. Some nights I might score 10. Some nights I might score 40.
"I think my numbers won't be as high as last year. That's a good thing if it translates to wins. I got no problem with that."
So far it hasn't worked out quite like Redd had planned. The Bucks, expected to be a playoff contender, are 3-8 after Tuesday night's loss to the Pacers. Injuries to starters Bobby Simmons and Charlie Villanueva have hurt them, and their defense has been porous.
The only bright spot has been Redd's continued development into one of the NBA's premier scorers. Now in his seventh season, the Ohio State product has seen his scoring average increase each year, from 2.2 his rookie season (when he was stuck behind Ray Allen and appeared in just six games) to 25.4 last year. This year, Redd has taken his game to an even higher level, showing more aggressiveness and getting to the foul line with greater frequency.
"I think he's maturing as a scorer," Bucks GM Larry Harris says. "He's figured out how to get to the free throw line. He's figured out different ways to score. He's using his mid-range game, driving to the basket, knowing when to shoot three-pointers, recognizing double teams, knowing when to go right in and suck in the defense and be a distributor. He's just maturing as a player, figuring out defenses and how to attack."
In that 57-point effort against the Jazz (who still won 113-111), Redd put those all-around skills on display. For the night he was 18 of 32 (six-of-12 from downtown) from the floor, and 15 of 17 from the foul line.
Redd's scoring output was more than the rest of his team combined, a first in Bucks franchise history. He also broke the Milwaukee franchise scoring record of 55 set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's career scoring leader.
Redd's scoring explosion wasn't a case of a player selfishly chasing glory either. He scored 42 of his points in the second half to rally the Bucks from a 21-point deficit. He nailed a clutch three-pointer with 6.9 seconds left to tie the game, before the Jazz won it on a Matt Harpring basket off a back-door play.
Afterward, Utah coach Jerry Sloan said: "You know, I've seen Michael Jordan and those guys do that, but Michael Redd, he's just sensational. I'd say tonight is right up there at the top with any of them in that situation."
Redd credits his rise this year to being more aggressive going to the hole. He says he's not settling for jumpers as much. He's attacking the basket.
Though he has been criticized in the past for having too quick a trigger, Redd is shooting a robust 49.7 percent from the floor overall, and 42.9 percent from three-point range. Both Harris and Bucks coach Terry Stotts say he generally has been getting his shots this season within the flow of the offense. "I think he's been more efficient," Harris said.
The ironic thing about Redd's increased scoring this season is that it wasn't supposed to happen. Before the season the Bucks talked about not relying so much on their star to carry the load. The idea was that Mo Williams, Andrew Bogut, Simmons and Villanueva would take some of the scoring burden off his shoulders.
But Redd is averaging 19.9 field goal attempts -- about one more than in each of the past two seasons.
What's that old saying about the best-laid plans? At least Redd is doing all he can, even if the rest of the NBA doesn't always seem to notice.
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Redd has Bucks forgetting Ray
November 29, 2006
RelatedRedd's boxscore:
42 minutes, 45 points
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michael Redd has blossomed into one of the NBA's prime-time players, though it wasn't always that way. It wasn't until the Milwaukee Bucks traded all-star Ray Allen to Seattle that Redd had a chance to play regularly.
"That was a big trade at the time because he was an established star, but they had enough confidence in me to put me into the starting lineup at the two-guard position," Redd said Tuesday night. "I learned so much from Ray and I tried to apply it so that when my chance came, I was ready. I'm still learning."
Redd scored 45 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Bucks to a 109-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Mo Williams added 22 points, helping Milwaukee snap a streak of 10 consecutive losses to the Lakers. Redd recorded two four-point plays for the Bucks, who shot 50.6 percent from the field.
"It's not so much the points for me this year," he said. "I didn't come in with the mind-set to average 30. I came in with the mind-set to win games. I'm not really worried about stats. I'm just playing basketball. You play better when you're not worrying about stats and individual accolades."
Redd, an all-star three seasons ago, reached the 30-point mark for the seventh time this season and 49th time in his seven-year NBA career. He scored 57 points on Nov. 11 against Utah, the most by any player drafted after the first round since the NBA and ABA merger that followed the 1975-76 season. The Bucks tabbed Redd in the second round of the 2000 draft out of Ohio State.
"I knew I was capable of being a first-round pick. It just didn't work out," he said. "But life is all about handling adversity. At least I was drafted. I came into training camp that first year, not guaranteed a spot on the team, and I worked my butt off and stayed positive."
Kobe Bryant scored 27 points for the Lakers, while Lamar Odom had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. The loss was only their third in the last 22 meetings with Milwaukee -- and just the fourth at home to the Bucks in 24 attempts since the start of the 1982-83 season.
"We just didn't do a good job of executing," Bryant said after the Lakers set a franchise record with 37 three-point attempts and missed 26 of them. "Redd played extremely well. He made some difficult shots. They set good screens for him and he knocked them down."
The Bucks took a 41-39 lead on a short jumper by Dan Gadzuric with 5:14 left in the first half. They didn't trail again until Sasha Vujacic -- the last player off the Lakers' bench -- intercepted Andrew Bogut's pass and converted the turnover into a breakaway layup to cap a 27-13 run and give Los Angeles a 78-77 edge with 55 seconds left in the third.
Bryant went to the bench 14 seconds later with his fourth foul, and the Bucks capitalized with an 18-4 run that opened up a 95-82 lead with 7:34 to play. Redd scored Milwaukee's first 15 points of that rally. The backbreaker came with 9:32 left, when he converted a layup into a three-point play and sank another free throw after a technical foul called by referee Monty McCutcheon against Odom.
Bryant returned to the floor with 8:46 remaining and scored eight points before Odom's layup narrowed the gap to 97-92 with 4:20 left. The Bucks built their margin back up to nine on Redd's fifth three-pointer of the game, but the Lakers clawed back within 107-102 on rookie Jordan Farmar's three-pointer with 49 seconds to go.
Redd answered with a layup, and Luke Walton hit a three at the other end to slice Milwaukee's lead to 108-105 with 18 seconds left. Redd lost the ball on the ensuing inbounds play, but former Laker Ruben Patterson forced Bryant to miss a game-tying three-point shot with five seconds on the clock -- turning into the Kobe-stopper he always claimed to be with Portland.
"That's so much over with now," Patterson said with a laugh. "I was so young then, and that was the hype every time me and Kobe played against each other. He's a great player. He was hitting threes in the fourth quarter like they were free throws, so we knew he was going to take that shot at the end. I was just trying to make him take a deep three and contest it. I played tough D on him and made him take a tough shot."
Redd powered the Bucks to a 52-47 halftime lead with 20 points, including his first four-point play less than 4{ minutes in. He drained a three directly across from the Milwaukee bench, and was awarded the free throw after Bryant made contact with him in an attempt to block the shot.
Notes: Bynum and Milwaukee F Ersan Ilyasova hold the distinction of being the youngest players ever to start a game for their respective clubs. Bynum was 19 years, four days old. Ilyasova was 19 years, six months and three days old. ... The Lakers' new team in the NBA's Development League, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, made its Staples Center debut before the regular game and beat the Bakersfield Jam 96-92.
sportsnet
November 29, 2006
RelatedRedd's boxscore:
42 minutes, 45 points
Sportsnet.ca NewsTall task for Raptors in Big D
Emery gets start vs. Florida
Zaun relieved to back with Blue Jays
Deal for Knuble, surgery for Esche
NFL fines Vick $10,000 for gesture
Zidane among finalists for FIFA award
Robinson quits English rugby post
No drug testing at British Open
Ticats take head coach search to B.C.
No doubting: Jays unveil DH Thomas
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michael Redd has blossomed into one of the NBA's prime-time players, though it wasn't always that way. It wasn't until the Milwaukee Bucks traded all-star Ray Allen to Seattle that Redd had a chance to play regularly.
"That was a big trade at the time because he was an established star, but they had enough confidence in me to put me into the starting lineup at the two-guard position," Redd said Tuesday night. "I learned so much from Ray and I tried to apply it so that when my chance came, I was ready. I'm still learning."
Redd scored 45 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Bucks to a 109-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Mo Williams added 22 points, helping Milwaukee snap a streak of 10 consecutive losses to the Lakers. Redd recorded two four-point plays for the Bucks, who shot 50.6 percent from the field.
"It's not so much the points for me this year," he said. "I didn't come in with the mind-set to average 30. I came in with the mind-set to win games. I'm not really worried about stats. I'm just playing basketball. You play better when you're not worrying about stats and individual accolades."
Redd, an all-star three seasons ago, reached the 30-point mark for the seventh time this season and 49th time in his seven-year NBA career. He scored 57 points on Nov. 11 against Utah, the most by any player drafted after the first round since the NBA and ABA merger that followed the 1975-76 season. The Bucks tabbed Redd in the second round of the 2000 draft out of Ohio State.
"I knew I was capable of being a first-round pick. It just didn't work out," he said. "But life is all about handling adversity. At least I was drafted. I came into training camp that first year, not guaranteed a spot on the team, and I worked my butt off and stayed positive."
Kobe Bryant scored 27 points for the Lakers, while Lamar Odom had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. The loss was only their third in the last 22 meetings with Milwaukee -- and just the fourth at home to the Bucks in 24 attempts since the start of the 1982-83 season.
"We just didn't do a good job of executing," Bryant said after the Lakers set a franchise record with 37 three-point attempts and missed 26 of them. "Redd played extremely well. He made some difficult shots. They set good screens for him and he knocked them down."
The Bucks took a 41-39 lead on a short jumper by Dan Gadzuric with 5:14 left in the first half. They didn't trail again until Sasha Vujacic -- the last player off the Lakers' bench -- intercepted Andrew Bogut's pass and converted the turnover into a breakaway layup to cap a 27-13 run and give Los Angeles a 78-77 edge with 55 seconds left in the third.
Bryant went to the bench 14 seconds later with his fourth foul, and the Bucks capitalized with an 18-4 run that opened up a 95-82 lead with 7:34 to play. Redd scored Milwaukee's first 15 points of that rally. The backbreaker came with 9:32 left, when he converted a layup into a three-point play and sank another free throw after a technical foul called by referee Monty McCutcheon against Odom.
Bryant returned to the floor with 8:46 remaining and scored eight points before Odom's layup narrowed the gap to 97-92 with 4:20 left. The Bucks built their margin back up to nine on Redd's fifth three-pointer of the game, but the Lakers clawed back within 107-102 on rookie Jordan Farmar's three-pointer with 49 seconds to go.
Redd answered with a layup, and Luke Walton hit a three at the other end to slice Milwaukee's lead to 108-105 with 18 seconds left. Redd lost the ball on the ensuing inbounds play, but former Laker Ruben Patterson forced Bryant to miss a game-tying three-point shot with five seconds on the clock -- turning into the Kobe-stopper he always claimed to be with Portland.
"That's so much over with now," Patterson said with a laugh. "I was so young then, and that was the hype every time me and Kobe played against each other. He's a great player. He was hitting threes in the fourth quarter like they were free throws, so we knew he was going to take that shot at the end. I was just trying to make him take a deep three and contest it. I played tough D on him and made him take a tough shot."
Redd powered the Bucks to a 52-47 halftime lead with 20 points, including his first four-point play less than 4{ minutes in. He drained a three directly across from the Milwaukee bench, and was awarded the free throw after Bryant made contact with him in an attempt to block the shot.
Notes: Bynum and Milwaukee F Ersan Ilyasova hold the distinction of being the youngest players ever to start a game for their respective clubs. Bynum was 19 years, four days old. Ilyasova was 19 years, six months and three days old. ... The Lakers' new team in the NBA's Development League, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, made its Staples Center debut before the regular game and beat the Bakersfield Jam 96-92.
sportsnet
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USAToday
Redd alert: Buck belongs with best
NOT SECOND-RATE
Michael Redd's 57 points on Nov. 11 were the most for an NBA player not drafted in the first round since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77 until Washington's Gilbert Arenas hit for 60 on Sunday. Single-game scoring highs for other non-first-rounders since the merger (with draft round):
By Mike Dodd, USA TODAY
MILWAUKEE ? Don't get him wrong, Michael Redd has no complaints about the way his NBA career has evolved.
Continued...
Redd alert: Buck belongs with best
Michael Redd's 57 points on Nov. 11 were the most for an NBA player not drafted in the first round since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77 until Washington's Gilbert Arenas hit for 60 on Sunday. Single-game scoring highs for other non-first-rounders since the merger (with draft round):
By Mike Dodd, USA TODAY
MILWAUKEE ? Don't get him wrong, Michael Redd has no complaints about the way his NBA career has evolved.
Continued...
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OregonBuckeye
Semper Fi Buckeyes
FYI, Michael was in attendance for tonight's game against Wisconsin and was interviewed by Erin Andrews. Nice to know that he's still supporting us.
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