1. Philadelphia vs. 2. Milwaukee

SCHEDULE

Tonight: at Philadelphia, 5:30

Thursday: at Philadelphia, 5:30

Saturday: at Milwaukee, 2:30

Monday: at Milwaukee, 2:30

May 30: *at Philadelphia, 6

June 1: *at Milwaukee, TBD

June 3: *at Philadelphia, TBD

* if necessary; TBD-to be determined

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STATISTICS

Season series: Both teams won two games.

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Regular season PHILA. MILW. Records 56-26 52-30 Avg. points 94.7 (15) 100.7 (2) Avg. points allowed 90.4 (5) 96.9 (21) Avg. rebounds 44.8 (4) 42.4 (15) Opp. avg. rebounds 40.9 (6) 42.7 (17) Field goal pct. .447 (12) .458 (7) Opp. field goal pct. .429 (5) .439 (15) Three-point pct. .326 (26) .379 (5) Free throw pct. .745 (18) .787 (3)

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Note: League rank in parenthesis.

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BREAKDOWN

STARTERS: Milwaukee guard Ray Allen has made 29 of 64 three-point shots in the playoffs and Glenn Robinson found his outside shooting touch in the last two playoff games. But Allen and backcourt mate Sam Cassell are not strong defenders and both have had trouble trying to stop NBA most valuable player Allen Iverson, who likely will be double-teamed. The other 76er guard, Aaron McKie, has a surprisingly quick first step and the strength to post up either Allen or Cassell. Inside, 76er forward Jumaine Jones, a second-year player forced into the starting lineup to replace George Lynch who has a broken foot, will have a tough assignment against Robinson. Edge: Bucks.

BENCH: Lynch and center Matt Geiger are unlikely to play this series and Coach Larry Brown is relying on such no-names are Rodney Buford, Raja Bell and Todd MacCulloch as well as gimpy Eric Snow, who has a bad ankle, off the bench. The Bucks get a big boost from enthusiastic, athletic Tim Thomas and Jason Caffey has been a strong rebounding addition from the bench. Edge: Bucks.

OFFENSE: The Bucks are averaging 99.4 points in the playoffs mostly because of the big three--Allen (23.8 points per game), Robinson (19.4) and Cassell (18.0). Stop one and things get tougher for the Bucks. Slow down two and things are impossible for the Bucks. Iverson averaged 31.1 points a game in the regular season and is at 32.9 pace in the playoffs. McKie, taking over as a starter for the hobbling Snow, has picked up his offensive game in the playoffs, averaging 15.6 points--more than four more than the regular season. Edge: Bucks.

DEFENSE: Under the relentless tutelage of Brown, the 76ers play relentless defense. Iverson expends as much energy on defense as he does in trying to be unguardable. Shot-blocking wizard Dikembe Mutombo makes the opposition think before driving the lane. The loss of Lynch, who played great defense against Robinson before his injury, will hurt the Sixers. The Bucks don’t always play enthusiastic defense. Edge: 76ers.

COACHING: Philadelphia’s Brown has fashioned a starting lineup out of Iverson, Mutombo and spare parts. Yet the 76ers had the best record in the East. Milwaukee’s George Karl seemed to give up after the Bucks lost three games in a row to Charlotte in Round 2. He had the body language of a loser. Edge: 76ers.

KEYS TO THE SERIES: 76ers’ Jones and how he handles the jump shooting of Robinson and whether one of Philadelphia’s forwards can make shots when one of Milwaukee’s inside defenders drops down to help guard Iverson.

THE PICK: Bucks, 4-2.