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Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) of the Milwaukee Bucks falls and slightly injures his ankle, but continues to play in the first half of an NBA conference semifinal basketball game against the Miami Heat on Friday, September 4, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Teams as good as the Milwaukee Bucks are never swept in the NBA playoffs.
That may change on Sunday.
Milwaukee is on the brink of elimination, trailing the Miami Heat 3-0 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Heat can close it, and make a bit of history, when they look to finish a second straight sweep in these playoffs.
“The work is not done yet,” said Jimmy Butler of Miami.
The Bucks are the number one seed in the East; The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers, is also in a little trouble, although it faces a situation that is not as dire as the mess Milwaukee is in right now.
The Lakers lost Game 1 of their Western semifinal series to Houston 112-97 on Friday, with Game 2 scheduled for Sunday night.
“It is only a game. … I have to get ready for Game 2, ”Rockets point guard James Harden said. “We will have to be even better in Game 2.”
The Bucks have to be better in Game 4 or else.
They had Game 3 on their hands on Friday, leading by 14 in the third quarter and by 12 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
And then Butler happened: He scored 17 points in the fourth, the Heat outscored the Bucks 40-13 in the period and Miami won 115-100 to take a 3-0 lead.
Before Friday, teams that had lost exactly 12 points in the fourth quarter of a game this season had lost 39 of 43 times, or 91%. In the playoffs, teams leading by 12 or more points after three quarters were 131-1 since April 2016.
But the Bucks couldn’t finish and are now at the 0-3 hole, from which no NBA team has successfully climbed.
“It might as well make history while you do it, cap off a great season here,” Bucks guard George Hill said. “It is the first time in NBA history that we have played in a bubble. First time a team can go back down from 3-0. We have to trust each other, keep believing. The season is not over. “
The Bucks were 56-17 in the regular season, which translates to a .767 winning percentage, the 37th-best for a single season in NBA history. Some of the 36 teams ahead of them on that list lost in the first round of the playoffs, but none were swept.
The team with the best record that saw its playoff career end in a sweep was the 1948-49 Rochester Royals, before the shot clock and even before the NBA was a thing, then it was called the BAA. They lost 2-0 to the Minneapolis Lakers in the division finals.
The Royals were 45-15 (.750) that year. The teams with the best records that were swept in a best-of-seven series were the 1997-98 Los Angeles Lakers and 2016-17 San Antonio Spurs, both 61-21 (.744). Each was swept in the Western finals, the Lakers for Utah, the Spurs for Golden State.
If the Bucks don’t win on Sunday, they’ll get a title they didn’t want – the best team, in terms of records, will be swept anyway.
“You have to dig deep,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “You have to lean on your character, lean on your competitiveness, focus on getting a game, getting 4. That’s where our mentality should be.”
A look at the games on Sunday:
BUCKS VS. HOT
Miami leads 3-0. Game 4, 3:30 pm EDT, ABC.
– NEED TO KNOW: The Heat are trying to become the 11th team to start an 8-0 postseason and the first No. 5 seed to sweep a No. 1 seed. They could also become the lowest-seeded team in the league. Eastern Conference finals since eighth-seeded New York arrived there in 1999.
– KEEP AN EYE ON: Miami’s Duncan Robinson has 7 of his last 29 from 3-point range. The Heat are winning and their best shooter this season is far from their best form. If it starts up again, watch out.
– INJURY WATCH: Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo insisted that his right ankle (which was pinched in the first quarter on Friday) didn’t bother him, though he did wince several times in the game. Miami’s Kelly Olynyk missed Game 3 with a knee injury.
– THE PRESSURE IS ON: All members of the Bucks other than Antetokounmpo. A sweep could be catastrophic for Milwaukee’s long-term hopes of keeping the MVP for years to come.
ROCKETS VS. LAKERS
Houston leads 1-0. Game 2, 8:30 pm, ABC.
– NEED TO KNOW: LeBron James had been part of 15 consecutive conference semifinal victories prior to Friday night, but he certainly won’t be affected by a loss in Game 1. This is the 47th postseason series of his career; his teams are only 27-20 in Game 1, but 33-13 in Game 2. Simply put, he’s used to this place.
– KEEP AN EYE ON: James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 60 points for Houston, while the Lakers’ top three scorers, James, Anthony Davis and Alex Caruso, combined for 59. Davis gave the Lakers 25 points and 14 rebounds and James will. Aim for more of his 20-point Game 1 outing, but the Lakers must ask who else will step up.
– INJURY WATCH: Westbrook played 32 minutes, a strong indicator that his quadriceps injury is a thing of the past.
– THE PRESSURE IS ON: James. You need one of your statement games and you almost always take on that challenge when necessary.
gsg
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