Down 0-3, Milwaukee Bucks just playing to get another game

The odds are overwhelming.

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In NBA history, no team has ever come back from trailing 3-0 in a best-of-7 series to win the series.

Only three teams have forced a Game 7 after trailing three games to none, the 1951 New York Knicks against the Rochester Royals in the NBA Finals, the 1994 Denver Nuggets against the Utah Jazz in the Western semifinals and the 2003 Portland Trail Blazers against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

And just 12 teams—most recently the Boston Celtics against the Knicks and the Rockets against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round in 2013—have even forced a Game 6 from such a precarious position.

So, no, the outlook is not at all bright for the young Milwaukee Bucks, who host the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Saturday afternoon at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

After losing the first two games at Chicago’s United Center, the Bucks returned home on Thursday night and erased a 10-point deficit in the final 2½ minutes of regulation before losing in double-overtime.

And Milwaukee wants a real victory, not just another feel-good loss.

“You can only have so many moral victories,” veteran Jared Dudley told STATS LLC. “So for us it’s prepare with the mindset we’re gonna battle and try to send it back to Chicago and play from there.”

The Bucks have had some major problems in the series:

• The Chicago backcourt
• The backboards
• Their own stagnant offense which has led to …
• … their putrid shooting.

Starting guards Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler of the Bulls have combined to average 50.7 points per game through the first three games of the series—more than any three Bucks players can boast when added together.

Rose is a sizzling 10-for-22 from 3-point range in the series, a 45.5 percent clip that belies both his 28 percent mark for the regular season and his career average of 30.4 percent.

Apr 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) shoots the ball against Chicago Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy (34) during the first quarter in game two of the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at the United Center. He leads the Bucks in scoring in their Eastern Conference first-round series at 19.7 points per game. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Throw in that Rose is averaging eight assists a game and you can see where he’s been such a handful.

Butler, meanwhile, the former Marquette standout, is Chicago’s scoring leader for the series at 26.7 points per game.

The Bucks are also being demolished on the glass, with the Bulls holding a 166-139 edge in rebounding in the series. The teams fought to a 50-50 draw on the glass in Game 3 (literally, 50 rebounds apiece), the first time Milwaukee hadn’t lost the battle.

And the offense for the Bucks has consisted of far too much dribbling and not nearly enough ball movement. Just 59 of Milwaukee’s 110 baskets in the series—54 percent—have come from an assist. Chicago’s 109 buckets have been helped by 81 assists—a 74 percent rate.

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The iso-heavy offense of the Bucks has led to a 39.1 percent shooting clip through three games, including 26.9 percent from deep.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a strong Game 3 for the Bucks with 25 points and 12 rebounds and John Henson has been terrific throughout the series, getting an unexpected 30 minutes a game and producing 11.7 points, nine rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

But Pau Gasol is averaging 14.3 boards and Joakim Noah is getting 14 as Chicago’s size and bulk inside has been pummeling the Bucks, even if neither player is scoring a lot.

Then there’s this tidbit—the Bucks have already set a franchise record in this series. Their loss in Game 3 was Milwaukee’s ninth consecutive playoff loss, breaking the record of eight in a row set from 1990-2000.

The Bucks are trying to avoid joining the group below as the ninth franchise to lose 10 consecutive postseason games:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/25/2015.

Tipoff is at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and the game will be aired nationally on TNT. With a win, the Bucks would force a Game 5 in Chicago on Monday. No time has been set for that game, should it become necessary.

All stats via Basketball-Reference.com.

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