Today’s sportstat: Bucks haven’t fared well in Boston in past playoffs
The Bucks are taking their playoff show against the Celtics on the road
With two Easter Conference second-round playoff games in Milwaukee resulting in a split for the Bucks and Boston Celtics, the two teams head to Boston for the next two games.
The Bucks will need to do what the Celtics did in their two games in Milwaukee: take a least one of the two games on the road, to regain home court advantage.
Winning on the road is not always an easy path to navigate. From the start of the NBA in 1946-47 through the first two games of this year’s second round playoff contests, road teams are a combined 1,368-2,615, a winning percentage of .343, meaning road teams have won about one-third of the playoff games in league history.
Here are some interesting stats concerning playoff road games and how well the Bucks have performed on the road in the post-season and against the Celtics in Boston.
- Over the last 19 playoff seasons (2000-18), road teams are 550-1009, a .353 winning percentage, just a tad higher than the career .343 winning percentage of road teams in the playoffs noted above.
- Since 2000, the Cleveland Cavs have the best road playoff winning percentage at .526. They are followed by the Golden State Warriors at .519. Only five other teams have a winning percentage of .400 or better in road playoff games since 2000: San Antonio, the Lakers, Brooklyn, Miami and Phoenix. The Bucks rank 23rd on the list with a road playoff record of 9-28 (.243) since 2000.
- The Bucks all-time road playoff record is 43-81 (.347).
- Since 2015, the Bucks are 4-8 in road playoff games; that includes the two road playoff wins against the Detroit Pistons this season.
- Milwaukee is only 5-15 (.250) in their last 20 road playoff games.
- The longest road playoff winning streak for the Bucks is six games… the Bucks accomplished that in 1971-72.
- The Bucks have lost 12 of the last 13 road games in Boston against the Celtics.
- The last road playoff win for the Bucks versus the Celtics was on May 13, 1987, a 129-124 victory in the Boston Garden.
- Milwaukee is 5-13 all-time versus the Celtics in playoff games played in Boston.
- The Bucks won one road playoff game against the Celts in 1987, two in 1983 and two in 1974.
- The Bucks have won eight of the last 20 regular season games against the Celtics in Boston. Since the start of the 2012-13 season, the Bucks are 7-6 versus the Celtics in away games played in Boston.
What does all this mean?
If the series goes to seven games, the Bucks will have to win at least one game of the three remaining in Boston and win both remaining games in Milwaukee to win the series.
A win for the Bucks in Boston in either game Three or Game Four is crucial. A pair of losses in Boston would force the Bucks to win the final three games of the series, a formidable task.
Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp
