Bucks vs. Heat!
Tonight, the Heat rested LeBron and had Wade and Bosh lead the rest of the team. For the Bucks, that was relatively good news.
However, even then, winning would not be easy.
"Even without James, I'd say the Bucks' chances of winning tonight are only about thirty percent."
Before the game, inside the ESPN studio, Mike Breen gave that assessment. He was not trying to put the Bucks down. The Heat really did have the ability to beat them.
In fact, as soon as the game began, the Bucks fell into a passive position.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Wade and Bosh joined forces, leading the Heat to a 13-4 run right out of the gate and putting pressure on the Bucks. By the end of the first quarter, the Heat had stretched the lead to 13 points.
Yes.
Even without LeBron, the Heat still played with the fierce offense of a true villain team.
Falling behind by 13 in the first quarter placed enormous pressure on the Bucks.
"Van Gundy, do you think... this game is already out of hand?"
During the break between quarters, Mike Breen asked. Van Gundy pondered for a moment, then said, "I don't think it's that simple. You can look at last night's game between the Grizzlies and the Hornets.
"Tonight, the Bucks definitely won't give up that easily."
"I see. Let's hope so!"
As they spoke, the second quarter began with the bench rotations.
Bucks shooting guard Delfino, who had been in poor form in the first quarter and was taken out early, came back in at the start of the second. And with the team trailing by 13...
He erupted.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Back-to-back threes.
Delfino hit two straight three-pointers, then added a good defensive possession. In transition after the stop, he assisted a teammate for another layup.
Buzz!
An 8-0 run against the Heat cut the deficit to 5.
"Beep, beep!"
The Heat were forced to call timeout.
But after the timeout, Delfino's touch was still hot, and every Bucks reserve came out fierce. During the 5-minute-and-11-second rotation stretch, they forcibly cut the deficit to 2 points.
"Wow!"
"The Bucks' bench is playing really well!"
Mike Breen could not help praising them.
On the court.
After the timeout, the Heat starters returned. In the latter half of the second quarter, Wade and Bosh pulled the lead open again. By halftime, the Heat were back up by 11.
But after the second half began, Jennings and Salmons both caught fire from the perimeter, chipping away at the deficit again and again. With both men exploding, they cut the gap back down to 5 points.
More importantly, aside from the offense, their active and stubborn defense let the fans feel just how badly the Bucks wanted the playoffs.
Everyone contributed.
Their hunger to win made every Bucks player break out tonight. Whenever the Heat pulled the lead open, they always found a way to chase it back.
The final quarter, final minute.
"Swish!"
After Jennings missed on a drive to the basket, he fought for his own rebound, pulled off a layup through the crowd under the rim, and put it in, giving the Bucks their first lead of the night.
They saw hope of winning.
And then, in that crucial opening, Bosh committed a turnover. Jennings grabbed the ball, went coast to coast in transition, and scored another layup, extending the lead to 3 points.
42.1 seconds remained.
The pressure instantly shifted onto the Heat.
"Great job, Jennings! The Bucks have a real chance to win tonight!"
"This is what the playoffs feel like. The Bucks have been amazing tonight!"
Mike Breen and Van Gundy were extremely excited.
The Bucks fans at home were just as thrilled. They led by 3, and all they had to do was survive the final 42.1 seconds to win the game.
How could they not be happy?
Only... that joy did not even last a full minute.
Wade first drove for a layup, drew a foul, and made one of two free throws. Then he stopped Jennings' drive and grabbed the rebound himself.
Final possession.
Wade slowed the tempo at the top of the arc, accelerated one step to the right wing, suddenly rose up, and launched an elegant fadeaway three.
"Swish!"
Straight through the heart.
A dagger!
The Heat took the lead!
The Bucks had only 1.6 seconds left. In the end, Jennings' rushed deep three could not save them, and the Bucks suffered a heartbreaking 1-point loss.
"Sigh..."
Mike Breen sighed in regret for the Bucks and said, "The Bucks did everything they possibly could tonight.
"But in the end, they lacked a clutch closer. They lacked a superstar like Wade."
"Yes."
Van Gundy nodded as well and agreed, "The Bucks were excellent. Tonight... they lost with honor. And with the Bucks losing, the Pacers are confirmed as the eighth seed in the East."
...
Now, the top eight teams in the East had been decided. As for the West, the top eight teams had also been set, but there was still one final question.
Between the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers, who would be eighth?
That question would be answered tomorrow night.
The next day.
In the matchup between the Trail Blazers and the Celtics, the Trail Blazers, determined to secure the better seventh seed, had everyone contributing and the entire team firing on all cylinders.
They defeated the Celtics' "Big Four."
With the win over the Celtics, the Trail Blazers locked up seventh place in the West.
That night, the final four games were also completed, and the regular season officially came to an end.
The next day.
Fans were all waiting for the NBA to officially announce the first-round playoff matchups. But before that... the league first announced several awards for April.
First up were the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month. In the East, it went back to "King James" LeBron. As for the West... even though the Suns had lost four games.
Still.
Player of the Month went to Blake Su.
With this Player of the Month award, Blake Su had now won it five straight months, completely surpassing LeBron's record of four straight months.
He became the player with the most consecutive Player of the Month awards in a single season in NBA history.
As soon as the news came out, fans could not stay calm.
"Guys, there's nothing else to say. He's just that good."
"Hey, hey, I think... the people who said Blake Su wasn't as good as LeBron can shut up now. Five months in a row. He directly surpassed LeBron!"
"Exactly."
"Seriously, Blake Su's rookie-season performance is already legendary!"
"No wonder he's the 'Monster Rookie.' I'm convinced!"
"Unreal!"
"I'm convinced too. This rookie Blake Su is one of one."
"One word: beastly. I'll only say it once."
"..."
Five straight Player of the Month awards in a single season.
With his godlike performance, Blake Su conquered the fans and silenced some of the doubts surrounding him.
At the same time, Rookie of the Month also went to Blake Su, while he continued to dominate both the rookie MVP rankings and the MVP rankings at the top spot. Without question, Blake Su once again became the center of heated discussion.
And while the fans were still buzzing.
At 1:00 p.m.
The NBA finally announced the first-round matchups for the 2010-2011 playoffs.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.