MILWAUKEE BUCKS = NBA CHAMPIONS!!!

[COOLmac©]

that was scary going to the fourth leading by only 2. but hey great teams wins close games. great win. now you restore homecourt advantage go get em game 4

[bullsfan009]

Thanks Diogo & COOLmac (is that you in the Avatar?). Also, I had forgotten that this is NBA Live 2000, so the first round of the Playoffs is a 5 game series, not 7. So if I win game 4, that'll clinch the series! So, without further delay...

NBA Playoffs: Round 1, Game 4: Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics

MIL 108, BOS 103
Little Man Comes Up Big in Clutch- Bucks Knock Out Celtics in Game 4, Survive Paul Pierce’s 40

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS- The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks met for Game 4 of the best-of-5 opening round NBA Playoff series. Milwaukee held a 2-1 lead after a big Game 3 road victory, and now were only 1 win away from sending the Celtics packing to an early summer vacation.
Boston played like their backs were against the wall right from the get-go, controlling the boards 18-11 in the first quarter, and leading 21-20 despite shooting just 36% from the field. They forced 6 Milwaukee turnovers, and Bucks Head Coach Terry Porter wasn’t pleased at all with his team’s apparent lack of killer instinct to start the game.
That all changed in the second period, however. Shooting 54.5%, and receiving a nice boost from 3rd string PG Bryce Drew, Milwaukee jumped out to a 12-point lead with minutes remaining in the first half. Dwight Howard had a strong showing as well, registering 6 points while making all 3 of his shot attempts in a quick flurry of scoring. He had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots at halftime. The Celtics managed to cut the lead to under double figures by the end of the quarter, but Head Coach Doc Rivers was very upset at the 47-39 score that his Celtics trailed at in a must-win game, at home, no less.
Rivers must have used very motivating language in the Celtics locker room during the intermission, because his team came out smoking to start the 3rd quarter. They quickly and completely erased that earlier 12-point Bucks lead, tying the game at 60-60 with 3:57 left. And on the very next play, Boston’s PG Marcus Banks stole the ball from Bucks PG Beno Udrih, and performed a give-and-go with Ricky Davis to score and give the Celtics their first lead in what seemed to be ages for their fans, 62-60. The teams played see-saw from that point on, and Milwaukee held a less-than-convincing 74-72 lead after 3 quarters of play. In the period, Paul Pierce had drained 7 of his 9 field goal attempts, including both of his 3-pointers, for 16 points. He was far from finished, though- after his 0-for-9 fourth quarter in Game 3, “The Truth” was a man on a mission.
Pierce went ballistic in the fourth quarter, leading his Celtics in a furious offensive attack that took everything the Bucks had to keep them at bay. Clutch 65% shooting with 9 assists is what it took to possess a 99-98 lead with 2:28 left on a Howard layup conversion. Boston answered with a basket, and the Bucks came right back as Grant Hill scored to put them up 101-100 with just 1:34 left in the game.
Celtics big man Mark Blount blundered on a shot attempt, and Milwaukee’s Dwyane Wade capitalized when he banked in an 8-footer in the lane after dismissing his defender Ricky Davis with a spin move-hesitation combination that send Davis reeling. The score was 103-100 with 1:10 left, but with 1:09 left the game was tied at 103 after Pierce’s 3-pointer splashed through the net. That basket gave him 40 points for the game! Celtics fans went ape in their seats, but not for long, for the player who they had the hardest time seeing on the court was about to be the one they saw clearly in their nightmares for months to come.
Nate Robinson, the 5’9”-in-high-heels Bucks rookie point guard, just simply took over the game in the final minute. First, he responded to Pierce’s 3 by breaking down the Celts defense with his lightning quickness, getting into the paint, and absolutely skywalking to the rim for a fierce 1-handed jam. That put the Bucks up 105-103. On the very next possession, Robinson stole the ball from Banks! Boston decided to foul, so charged after the little bugger with the jitterbug quickness. Robinson knew the foul was coming, so he timed a 3-point attempt with his foul, earning himself 3 free throws! It was quite a heady play for a rookie, and he topped it off by swishing in all three free throws, no problem.
The Celtics were in a jam, down 108-103 with 35.5 seconds left. They went to Antoine Walker for a 3-point attempt, but there was Robinson again. Nate stripped the ball from Walker before he could get a shot up, and ran and played keep-away from the madly pursuing Boston defenders for as long as he could. It was enough. Time ran out on the Celtics and their season, and Milwaukee won the game and the series, 3 games to 1. They advanced to Round 2 to face the #1 seeded Miami Heat.

BUCKS NOTES
Here’s an excerpt from Bucks coach Terry Porter’s comments to the media after the game: “Well, first of all, hats off to the Celtics. They battled hard all series long, make everything tough for us. Especially Paul Pierce- he really rebounded well tonight from his Game 3 struggles: 40 points on better than 65% shooting is incredible. But I’m really proud of our guys for coming out and getting 2 straight big wins on the road in the Playoffs. That’s no easy feat. We’re going to need these kind of efforts against Miami.”

CELTICS NOTES
Here’s an excerpt from Celtics coach Doc Rivers’ comments to the media after the game: “It’s hard to reflect right now, I’m still feeling the effects of this painful loss and the end of a season, but lemme try. Give credit goes to the Bucks. They won 2 games in our building, did it the hard way. They have a really good team- their guys really get after you on defense. Also, they seem to have found a hidden gem in Melvin Ely, he really hurt us in Games 3 and also tonight. I’m telling the Heat right now: don’t take this team lightly. They have a lot of weapons, right down from the explosive Wade to the unpredictable Robinson, who wrecked everything for us at the end…It was a great season, though, I’m proud of my team, and we’re going to come back stronger next year, I guarantee.”

GAME STATS

MILWAUKEE
Ely: 18 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 6-7 FGs
Howard: 22 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast, 10-17 FGs
Hill: 19 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 8-15 FGs
Wade: 20 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 8-18 FGs
Udrih: 2 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1-3 FGs
Rush: 5 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2-6 FGs
Traylor: 0 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0-1 FGs
Robinson: 10 pts, 1 reb, 4 ast, 3-6 FGs
Divac: 4 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 2-2 FGs
Bowen: 2 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 1-1 FGs
Drew: 6 pts, 0 reb, 4 ast, 3-6 FGs
TOTALS: 44-82 FGs (53.7%), 18-19 FTs, 36 REB (10 OFF), 25 AST, 14 FL

BOSTON
Blount: 9 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 3-6 FGs
Walker: 29 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 12-24 FGs
Pierce: 40 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 18-27 FGs, 4-5 3FGs
Davis: 8 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 4-11 FGs
Banks: 10 pts, 3 reb, 13 ast, 5-14 FGs
Allen: 4 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 2-5 FGs
LaFrentz: 3 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1-9 FGs
Green: 0 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0-1 FGs
Perkins: 0 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 0-1 FGs
West: 0 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0-1 FGs
TOTALS: 45-99 FGs (45.5%), 7-15 FTs, 41 REB (18 OFF), 25 AST, 13 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bucks 20 27 27 34---108
Celtics 21 18 33 31---103
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 2-8 (Robinson 1-1, Rush 1-3, Bowen 0-1, Hill 0-1, Wade 0-1, Udrih 0-1), Boston 6-12 (Pierce 4-5, Walker 2-5, Perkins 0-1, Green 0-1). Turnovers: Milwaukee 19, Boston 10. Steals: Milwaukee 9 (Robinson 3), Boston 13 (Walker 4). Blocks: Milwaukee 12 (Howard 4), Boston 4 (Blount 2).


BUCKS WIN SERIES 3-1!

****Up Next: the #1-seeded Miami Heat

[Keo]

Wade and Howard are like AI and C-Webb in my Franchise. Keep it rolling bullsfan.

[COOLmac©]

yup bullsfan its me. i did a milestone thread check it out guys. you are all there indeed. ggot pics up too. hehehehe anyways a big win A SERIES WIN for you!!!!
next stop round two. semi-finals for the BUCKS much luck for you mate

[Diogo]

Everyone did a good job, congratulations and good luck against the Heat... you gonna need dude...

[bullsfan009]

Wade and Howard are like AI and C-Webb in my Franchise. Keep it rolling bullsfan.

Good observation, they are pretty similar. AI & Wade provide the devestation with big scoring, while C-Webb & Dwight dominate the middle. Although Howard's not at Webber's level yet, IMO.

yup bullsfan its me

you look like a movie star or something

that was a really good milestone thread, thanks for the props. You've been a really good friend & mentor, especially taught me a lot about the Bible that I didn't know...



Well, back to the Bucks. Round 2 is next, and the Miami Heat are the opponents. Here's a look Miami's playoff statistics from their first round series (just the starters):

MIAMI HEAT PLAYOFF STATISTICS (3 GAMES)
O'Neal, Shaquille: 17.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 45.6% shooting
Haslem, Udonis: 10.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 46.4% shooting
Mason, Desmond: 11.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 42.1% shooting
Terry, Jason: 18.3 ppg, 4.3 apg, 1.7 rpg, 44.2% shooting
Dooling, Keyon: 14.7 ppg, 4.0 apg, 1.0 rpg, 47.4% shooting

As you can see, they've got a well-balanced lineup. Everyone's averaging at least 10 ppg, and no one has as much as 20 ppg. Also, Shaq and Haslem really clean up the boards with over 10 rpg each. This should be a tough team...


And here's the Bucks' starters statistics from the Boston series (Round 1):

MILWAUKEE BUCKS PLAYOFF STATISTICS (4 GAMES)
Ely, Melvin: 12.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 60.6% shooting
Howard, Dwight: 17.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 43.3% shooting
Hill, Grant: 16.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 40.6% shooting
Wade, Dwyane: 28.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 9.3 apg, 55.1% shooting
Udrih, Beno: 8.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, 35.5% shooting

As you can see, Dwyane Wade's been unreal. And Melvin Ely's been great too. From Miami's perspective, I wouldn't want to have to face this Bucks team

So get ready for the Second Round!

[Keo]

Wade and Howard are like AI and C-Webb in my Franchise. Keep it rolling bullsfan.

Good observation, they are pretty similar. AI & Wade provide the devestation with big scoring, while C-Webb & Dwight dominate the middle. Although Howard's not at Webber's level yet, IMO.

You're right, Howard's not close to that level right now but he'll get around.

[COOLmac©]

Thumbs Up you look like a movie star or something Exclamation

that was a really good milestone thread, thanks for the props. You've been a really good friend & mentor, especially taught me a lot about the Bible that I didn't know...

goodness you answered here anyways thanks for the compliment. if ever you have other questions again our thread [bible] will remain open for all of us
thanks many folks have considered me looking a lot like those stars, but i brush it off. its just that studio pictures are exaggerating stuff hehehe

I like the bucks chances this year and ely is not doing bad either and putting up decent stats

[Diogo]

Hmmmmmmmmm... Tough team huh? Now they have Terry, McDyess and Mason also (You have been defeated by they in the regular season right?)... let's see how Wade and co. can handle then... Good Luck (you gonna need)

[bullsfan009]

You're right, Howard's not close to that level right now but he'll get around.

I agree- with time, he should be really good. He impressed me as a rookie out of high school...I think he had 4 games of 20+ rebounds for the Magic

I like the bucks chances this year and ely is not doing bad either and putting up decent stats

thanks, I agree

Diogo- yes, they beat me by 12 points in the regular season. Thanks for the support, you're right the Bucks are going to need it...

AND NOW, FOR GAME 1!

NBA PLAYOFFS- EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS: Round 2, Game 1

MIL 95, MIA 90
Bucks Lead Big & Hold On- Win Game 1 Despite Scare From Ex-Buck Terry in 4th

MIAMI, FLORIDA- The #1-seeded Miami Heat hosted Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals last night versus the #4 Milwaukee Bucks. These teams have developed a rivalry over the course of this season, mainly due to the blockbuster trade between them which occurred when the Heat dealt Dwyane Wade, Eddie Jones, and Qyntel Woods to the Bucks for Jason Terry, Desmond Mason, and Antonio McDyess. Not long after that deal, the Bucks fell by 12 to the Heat in an intense Game 16. Since that time, only Wade has remained with the Heat from the deal, developing into one of the league’s most dangerous players and leading Milwaukee into the 4th seed in the East, and then past the Boston Celtics in Round 1. The Heat have stuck with the Terry-Mason-McDyess trio, and along with Shaquille O’Neal in the middle, they carried Miami to the #1 Eastern Conference seed, and to a sweep of the Indiana Pacers in Round 1.
Now, by fate, chance, or just good fortune for NBA fans, these two squads meet in Round 2 of the Playoffs. One will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to play the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers-Chicago Bulls series, and one will go home to watch the next round on TV.

On to Game 1. Both teams stormed out of the gates with intense competitive fire, but it was the Heat who were able to harness that fire and produce with it. They built an 18-11 lead, and Shaquille O’Neal’s aggressive inside play had produced 8 of those points, while sending Bucks’ starting center Melvin Ely to the bench with 2 early fouls. Milwaukee never hung their heads, however, responding with a game-turning 13-0 run to end the first quarter ahead 24-18. No player scored more than 6 points for Milwaukee, but their offense was potent from its balance: every starter scored. And, although his team had been badly outrebounded 12-4 in the quarter, Bucks head coach Terry Porter was well pleased with his team for brushing aside the pressure and playing so well. The second quarter started with a Miami run that evaporated Milwaukee’s small lead, but not for long. Another balanced Bucks effort produced another big run, and Miami found themselves down by 11 points at halftime, with the score being 47-36. Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy was fuming on the sidelines , and watching his team’s body language closely to make sure they weren’t getting down on themselves.
The third quarter opened with Bucks PG Beno Udrih blocking Heat PG Keyon Dooling’s 3-point attempt into the backcourt. Dwyane Wade scooped up the ball, sprinted downcourt, and slammed down a highlight-reel 1-handed tomahawk jam to put Milwaukee ahead 49-36. Coach Van Gundy immediately called a timeout- that wasn’t the start to the second half that he envisioned. But the Bucks kept the pressure on the Heat, always threatening to blow the game wide open. Miami made sure to never let that happen, yet they also couldn’t get the lead under double figures for more than a possession at a time. With 1:26 remaining in the third, Wade threw an alley-oop from the far corner to a soaring Dwight Howard in the paint, who slammed the ball home to give the Bucks a 65-51 lead. The Heat managed to shave off 5 points off of that margin by the end of the period, and so trailed 65-56 entering the 4th quarter.
Like in the 3rd, the fourth quarter was played by the Bucks and Heat exchanging baskets while Milwaukee sat on a comfortable double-digit advantage. Eventually, both coaches became frustrated at their teams’ inability to expand or cut the lead, and the tension rose in the building as time wound down on the game clock. With 3:10 remaining, Dooling nailed a 3 for the Heat, bring them within 8, 84-76. The Heat fans desperately hoped that this was the start of their teams’ comeback rally, but those hopes were squashed a play later when Udrih responded with a 3-pointer of his own, pushing the Bucks back up again by 11.
A few possessions later, Jason Terry nailed a 3-pointer, making it 89-81 with 1:39 to go. The Bucks answered with a 2, which Terry answered with another 3. Then Milwaukee got another quick score, which Terry responded to win ANOTHER 3!Suddenly it was a 6-point game- 93-87, with under a minute to play! Miami pressed in the Bucks backcourt for a steal, but that left Grant Hill wide open downcourt. Hill strided in for a layup, and the Heat smartly went straight back to Terry. His defender, Dwyane Wade, was fully expecting a 3-point attempt, so Wade skied in the air to try and block the shot. Somehow, someway, Terry still got the shot off, and BOOM! He nailed his 4th three pointer in less than 2 minutes, and it was a 5-point contest: 95-90.
Very fortunately for Milwaukee, that was to be all that the Heat had left in their tanks in this game- all that time would allow for, anyway. The Bucks held on and won the game by that same 95-90 score. They now possess a 1-0 lead in the series, and have already stolen home court advantage.


BUCKS NOTES
As a team, the Bucks were badly outrebounded in the game. Don’t tell that to Melvin Ely, though- the starting center overcame early foul trouble to grab a game-high 13 boards…The Bucks received only 10 points from their bench…Beno Udrih was 3-for-6 on 3-pointers, and 0-for-6 on his 2s.

HEAT NOTES
“Shaq” had a big night with 24 points and 12 rebounds…But not as big as Jason Terry’s 32 points on 13-for-24 shooting, including his amazing 4 three-pointers in the last 2 minutes, and 5 overall in the fourth quarter…The Heat bench was even worse than the Bucks’, scoring just 6 total combined points in the ballgame…

GAME STATS

MILWAUKEE
Ely: 11 pts, 13 reb, 1 ast, 3-8 FGs
Howard: 23 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 11-18 FGs
Hill: 16 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 7-15 FGs
Wade: 24 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 12-19 FGs
Udrih: 11 pts, 1 reb, 9 ast, 3-12 FGs
Rush: 2 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1-3 FGs
Traylor: 2 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 1-3 FGs
Robinson: 0 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 0-5 FGs
Divac: 4 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 2-4 FGs
Bowen: 2 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 1-2 FGs
TOTALS: 41-89 FGs, 9-10 FTs, 32 REB (10 OFF), 25 AST, 8 FL

MIAMI
O'Neal: 24 pts, 12 reb, 2 ast, 10-15 FGs
Haslem: 10 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast, 5-6 FGs
Mason: 11 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 5-13 FGs
Terry: 32 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 13-24 FGs
Dooling: 7 pts, 1 reb, 10 ast, 3-13 FGs
Mourning: 0 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 0-0 FGs
McDyess: 6 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 3-5 FGs
Anderson: 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0-2 FGs
Butler: 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0-0 FGs
Jones: 0 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 0-2 FGs
TOTALS: 39-82 FGs, 5-10 FTs, 42 REB (11 OFF), 22 AST, 9 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bucks 24 23 18 30---95
Celtics 18 18 20 34---90
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 4-10 (Udrih 3-6, Hill 1-3, Robinson 0-1), Miami 7-18 (Terry 6-11, Dooling 1-6, Jones 0-1). Turnovers: Milwaukee 11, Miami 16. Steals: Milwaukee 12 (Howard 5), Miami 11 (Terry 4). Blocks: Milwaukee 10 (Wade 3), Miami 7 (Haslem 2, Anderson 2).

Highlight Pics
Can Dwyane Wade fly? Looks like it in this photo...

Dwight Howard attempts to tear down the rim on this dunk...

BUCKS LEAD SERIES 1-0

[Keo]

Good to see you putting in screenshots, I always wondered why you didn't. Nice win in Game 1, keep it rolling.

[kibaxx7]

Wow great job bullsfan! Never saw this dynasty. Great wins.

[Diogo]

Congratulations, since you have defeated the Heat in their home, you got some advantage in this serie. Let's see if you can do the same on game 2, good luck

[COOLmac©]

nice win on the road dude. love the screen shots. reminds me of my dynasty

[bullsfan009]

Good to see you putting in screenshots, I always wondered why you didn't. Nice win in Game 1, keep it rolling.

As always, thanks a bunch Sensation...

Wow great job bullsfan! Never saw this dynasty. Great wins.

Welcome, Thierry Henry, and thanks for the compliments

Congratulations, since you have defeated the Heat in their home, you got some advantage in this serie. Let's see if you can do the same on game 2, good luck

Thanks Diogo- you're right, if I can win Game 2, it'll be huge

nice win on the road dude. love the screen shots. reminds me of my dynasty

I read about what happened to your CD, that stinks man ...Maybe instead of buying '05 again, you'll just wait for '06?


And now for Game #2 everyone:

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS, GAME 2: Milwaukee Bucks @ Miami Heat

MIA 97, MIL 92
Bucks Miss Golden Opportunity- Couldn’t Pull Out “W” in Close 4th Quarter, Series Tied at 1-1

MIAMI, FLORIDA- The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Miami Heat in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference Semi-Finals playoff series on the road, stealing home court advantage from the #1 seeded team in the East. They knew that if they could take Game 2 as well, the Heat would be in serious trouble heading back to Milwaukee down 0-2. Truly, both teams really wanted to win this game, but it was the Miami Heat who really “needed” the victory.
They played that way from the opening tip-off, giving the Bucks a 10-4 deficit just minutes into the game. Shaquille O’Neal picked up right where he left off from his great Game 1 performance, sending defender Melvin Ely to the bench for the second straight game with foul trouble early on in the first quarter. O’Neal converted 8 of his 10 field goal attempts, including a few rim-rocking two-handed thunder-dunks that had the Heat fans buzzing. Overall, he scored 17 points and collected 6 rebounds in the quarter, to go along with solid performances from Udonis Haslem (8 rebounds) and Keyon Dooling (6 assists).
Miami used an 11-0 run to take a 25-13 lead, and Bucks coach Terry Porter was obliged to use a timeout to regroup his squad. Porter also made a substitution that paid immediate dividends: he replaced starting PG Beno Udrih with reserve Nate Robinson, and it was Robinson who hit a fadeaway jumper with 0.4 seconds left to bring the Bucks within 8, 29-21, by the end of the first quarter.
In the second, the Bucks fell behind by 10 points at 33-23, then cut Miami’s lead to 6 points with a quick run, only to trail again by 10 when the Heat pushed the score to 46-36. The see-sawing continued as Milwaukee scored 6 unanswered points to come within 4 with 1:00 left, 46-42. Bucks reserves Kareem Rush and Robert Traylor were playing especially well, and leading the way. Rush hit 4 of his 6 shot attempts, scoring 11 points, while “Tractor” Traylor had 6 points and 6 rebounds. Their efforts seemed wasted, however, when the Heat scored the last 5 points of the half to lead once again by 9- when it was all said and done, the Bucks had been outscored in the period 22-to-21, and trailed 51-42.
Coach Porter urged his team at halftime to treat this game as the Heat were- as a desperation game. He instructed them to match Miami’s intensity, and play like they needed the game even worse than the Heat.
Over the course of the 3rd quarter, Porter got exactly what he was hoping for. After giving up the first basket of the half and being down by 11, the Bucks went on an 8-0 run, capped by a Beno Udrih 3-pointer. All of a sudden it was a 3-point game, and this time, the Bucks didn’t give any of it back. Their best player and leader, Dwyane Wade, all of a sudden caught fire. He attacked both the rim and the boards hard, and had great success in the process, scoring 17 points in the period on 7-for-8 shooting . The Heat fans watched with mixed emotions- this was a player they used to love when he was in a Heat uniform. Now that he was putting on a highlight show against them, they were fighting mixed emotions.
Wade tied the game on an 18-footer over the outstretched reach of defender Jason Terry at 66-66. A few plays later, Wade’s offensive rebound and put-back gave the Bucks their first lead of the game, 70 to 68. Terry answered with a 3-pointer, and quarter ended with the teams tied at 73-73. Of the two coaches, Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy was definitely the one who was more nervous. He didn’t want such a pivotal game coming down to the wire- yet that was exactly where it was headed.
Neither squad could distance itself from the other from the outset of the fourth quarter. Sensing his team needed a boost, Coach Porter decided to enter the previously on-fire Rush into the lineup for the final 6:41. Wade was moved to the point, his position as a rookie with the Heat, and Beno Udrih was assigned to support the Bucks from the bench.
After Milwaukee took an 87-86 advantage with less than 4 minutes remaining, Jason Terry provided what Bucks fans came to love him for: miraculous fourth quarter heroics. He busted 2 HUGE threes in a row, putting his Heat up 91-87 with 3:19 to play. Over the next two minutes the teams exchanged baskets, and then Terry hit another clutch basket, putting Miami ahead by 6 at 95-89. On the next Bucks possession, they found Kareem Rush spotted up WIDE OPEN behind the 3-point line, but a shot that for him normally would be nothing but net, he missed.
A Grant Hill block and Rush 3-pointer on the next possession gave the Bucks a last bit of life, down 3 with 26 seconds to go, but Shaquile O’Neal ended whatever comeback hopes they had. He banked in a short shot to garner his 29th and 30th points of the game, and made it a 2-possession game with not even 1 possession of time left on the clock. This series is now all tied up 1-1, and the Bucks will travel back to Milwaukee agonizing over a huge, golden, MISSED opportunity.


BUCKS NOTES
Grant Hill had a poor game for his standards with just 10 points on 5-for-15 (33%) shoting…Wade was excellent, though, registering 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists on 60% (12-for-20) shooting…Nate Robinson’s totals in the series so far: 2 points, 1-for-9 shooting.

HEAT NOTES
After a 32-point Game 1, Terry continued to torch the Bucks with 29 more points in Game 2…Shaq was a load in the middle all game long. He had 30 points and 18 rebounds, while shooting 14-for-23 from the field. Luckily for the Bucks, he still doesn’t know how to shoot free throws: he was 2-for-6 in this game. Maybe the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy will be experimented with at some point in the series…

GAME STATS

MILWAUKEE
Ely: 6 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast, 3-6 FGs
Howard: 14 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast, 7-16 FGs
Hill: 10 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 5-15 FGs
Wade: 26 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 12-20 FGs
Udrih: 6 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 2-7 FGs
Rush: 18 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 7-13 FGs
Traylor: 6 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast, 3-7 FGs
Robinson: 2 pts, 0 reb, 2 ast, 1-4 FGs
Divac: 2 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1-3 FGs
Bowen: 0 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 0-1 FGs
Drew: 2 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 1-3 FGs
TOTALS: 42-95 FGs (44.2%), 5-8 FTs, 45 REB (22 OFF), 21 AST, 12 FL

MIAMI
O'Neal: 30 pts, 18 reb, 2 ast, 14-23 FGs
Haslem: 6 pts, 13 reb, 2 ast, 3-8 FGs
Mason: 12 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 6-13 FGs
Terry: 29 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 12-21 FGs
Dooling: 9 pts, 0 reb, 16 ast, 4-18 FGs
Mourning: 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0-0 FGs
McDyess: 4 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 2-2 FGs
Anderson: 5 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 2-4 FGs
Butler: 0 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0-2 FGs
Jones: 2 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 1-3 FGs
TOTALS: 44-94 FGs (46.8%), 5-10 FTs, 43 REB (19 OFF), 24 AST, 9 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bucks 21 21 31 19---92
Heat 29 22 22 24---97
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 3-14 (Rush 2-7, Udrih 1-5, Drew 0-2), Miami 4-13 (Terry 3-8, Anderson 1-1, Dooling 0-4). Turnovers: Milwaukee 16, Miami 14. Steals: Milwaukee 12 (Hill 4), Miami 11 (O’Neal 3). Blocks: Milwaukee 10 (3 Tied With 2), Miami 7 (Haslem 3).

Photo of the Game

The intensity was high from the opening tip in Game 2 of this Eastern Conference Semi-Finals series.

SERIES TIED 1-1

[COOLmac©]

hehehe sac-1 you became alexboom's bitch. well i dont know if he's the one deleting them or not. but he's the mod here, you go ask him

anyways shaq did some heroics and your frontline cant handle him, he scorde 30 big points and 18 smackaroons. at least you stole a game. good luck next battle

[Keo]

Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. Because I lost posts in 04 as well. How cowardish of a mod to this.

[Sac-1]

Alexboom stop deleting my freakin posts...i'lll report you...you cost me like 10 posts now and you've cost Sensation like 200 posts....all i'm trying to do is support him when he is in the playoffs and you come in and delete my posts WTFFFFFFFFF!?!?!?!

[Keo]

The # of posts doesn't matter, Sac 1. I just want an explanation. Do you not like me? Fine, but why delete my posts? Just tell me why you have a problem with me.

[COOLmac©]

hey guys stop pointing the finger on the MODS yet. go PM him and ask if he know anything about it. be civil and respectful next time. maybe its a site error or stuff

[alexboom]

No Coolmac, it's not an error. Sac1 and Sensation are two big spammers, and I'm just trying to keep the place relatively clean.

What I'd like to see is something better than your one line posts like: "good game. wow wade 56pts that's a lot. have a nice week-end".

For me this kind of posts are just pure spam, they are useless. You are posting to say nothing. If you wanna support someone's dynasty, please make an effort, and post something worthwile. Show that you read carefully what he wrote. Indeed, I would accept these kind of one line posts if only it didn't happen so often. I've been a mod for more than one year, and I almost never used the "delete" function until you arrived here.

So Sac1, stop crying after your beloved spams. Just make better posts. You can always complain to Andrew or other mods, but I've already warned them of your behaviour, and they may not share your point of view on posting.

[J@3]

I agree with alexboom on this one. Stop paying so much attention to your useless post counts, they don't matter whatsoever.

[bullsfan009]

Hello everyone, sorry but I don't have my Game 3 summary done yet. Expect for it sometime tomorrow. But I'll let you in on the game's outcome: I LOST. It was Jason Terry again with the daggers, getting me back for trading him

Anyway, it was a battle to the finish, and a very good contest actually, so hopefully you'll still enjoy reading the summary.

Until tomorrow, farewell-

[Sac-1]

I agree with alexboom on this one. Stop paying so much attention to your useless post counts, they don't matter whatsoever.

I don't care how many posts i have...all i care about that people don't delete my posts even if i'm a spammer....there are atleast 50 spammers on these forums...why only sdelete mine and Sensations?

[Keo]

No Coolmac, it's not an error. Sac1 and Sensation are two big spammers, and I'm just trying to keep the place relatively clean.

What I'd like to see is something better than your one line posts like: "good game. wow wade 56pts that's a lot. have a nice week-end".

For me this kind of posts are just pure spam, they are useless. You are posting to say nothing. If you wanna support someone's dynasty, please make an effort, and post something worthwile. Show that you read carefully what he wrote. Indeed, I would accept these kind of one line posts if only it didn't happen so often. I've been a mod for more than one year, and I almost never used the "delete" function until you arrived here.

So Sac1, stop crying after your beloved spams. Just make better posts. You can always complain to Andrew or other mods, but I've already warned them of your behaviour, and they may not share your point of view on posting.

Hey hotshot, why don't you delete this whole conversation we had so that it doesn't take up space in his Franchise thread.