eorge Karl noticed something a little different about his Milwaukee Bucks this year. It wasn't merely the presence of newcomer Anthony Mason or the absence of Lindsey Hunter.

It was, well, an invisible tribute of sorts - and it may help explain why his team is not lapping the field in the Eastern Conference, which many figured to be the case.

''We've got a target on our backs,'' the Bucks' coach said last night upon his team's first visit to the FleetCenter. ''And I don't know if we adjusted to that yet.''