<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It's entirely understandable if Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd shudders just a little bit as he thinks back to last season's two games against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. After all, they were two of Redd's more forgettable games of the season. But the times have changed and Redd, surrounded by an improved supporting cast, will have a different mental approach when he takes the court against the Lakers tonight at the Bradley Center. While Redd is once again the Bucks' leading scorer - with an improved per-game scoring average of 25.5 points - he doesn't feel this season that he has to carry as much of the load on his own shoulders anymore. "My mind-set is different than last year," said Redd. "Instead of trying to force things, this year I'm more laid back and let the game come to me and get my teammates involved." Last season, the Bucks and the Lakers met twice during the first month of the season, with Los Angeles winning both times. In the first game, at the Staples Center, Redd made 1 of 8 shots and scored just six points in a 100-96 Lakers victory. Bryant sank 11-of-24 shots and scored 30 points to lead Los Angeles in that contest. One week later at the Bradley Center, Redd again struggled as he made just 3 of 13 shots and scored eight points in Milwaukee's 95-90 loss. Although Bryant made just 4 of 13 shots, he finished with 20 points bu adding 10 of 12 free throws. After that second victory over the Bucks last season, the Lakers' record stood at 9-6 while the Bucks were at 4-8. At this point of the season, the fortunes of the two teams have been reversed some as the Bucks will take a 9-6 record into tonight's game while the Lakers are a disappointing 7-9. And while Redd and Bryant again figure to be the primetime matchup in the game - although the Bucks could use as many as four players on Bryant - the participants prefer to take a broader view of the game. Bucks coach Terry Stotts, who may have to start Redd at small forward if Bobby Simmons isn't ready to return from a sprained ankle, conceded that it was easy to focus on a Redd-Bryant matchup since Bryant, averaging 32.1 points, began the week as the league's No. 2 scorer while Redd (25.5) was seventh. "You've got two of the top scorers and they play the same position so it's natural to look at it that way," said Stotts. "I look more at what our team has done, with our bench coming in and providing a spark. You like to look at matchups but it's a team game. Coaches always look at the team."</div> Source
