ST. FRANCIS, Wis. -- Teams down two games to none have rallied to win a best-of-seven NBA playoff series just 6.1 percent of the time.
But although the odds are stacked against them as the series shifts to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks feel they aren't far off from making their series against the Chicago Bulls a competitive one.
"We have to come with a different kind of focus and intensity," Bucks center John Henson said. "The sense of urgency has to be at a high level. It is Game 3 and we're down 2-0.
"It is not essentially a must-win but we know it is a game we need to get to make this a series."
The crowd at the BMO Harris Bradley Center for Game 3 on Thursday and Game 4 on Saturday is expected to be at least a 50-50 split between Milwaukee and Chicago fans.
It's something the Bucks players are used to, as such has been the case for quite some time.
The Bucks still feel as if they hold home-court advantage for the next two games, despite the fact they usually get booed when they take the court for a home game against the Bulls.
"I think we saw throughout the season that when we played them here there were a lot of Bulls fans," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "We would love to have our fans here at home, but for us we need to execute our game plan and come with the same energy and eliminate the mental mistakes to put ourselves in a position to win.
"I think it is home court still. We're staying in our own beds. We have to embrace the situation no matter how many Bulls fans come."
Milwaukee was pleased with the defensive adjustments it made from Game 1 to Game 2, but the Bucks know they have to improve offensively in order to get back into the series.
Despite committing a season-low four turnovers in Game 2, the Bucks scored just 81 points due in large part to having a season-low 13 assists.
"For us to have 13 assists is pretty unheard of and be that close in a basketball game," Bucks guard O.J. Mayo said. "We're a team built on togetherness, trusting one another to make the extra pass or an extra cut to draw an extra defender to get someone else open.
"For us to be that close with just 13 assists it definitely shows we're capable of putting together a better offensive game to get the win."
Chicago's defense has limited ball movement and forced Milwaukee to take contested mid-range jump shots. As a result, the Bucks are shooting 37.4 percent from the field and 24.2 percent from beyond the arc in the series.
"We have to make them work on the defensive end," Kidd said. "They are too good playing the zero pass or just one pass. We have to make them move from side-to-side and move the ball.
"Then it puts you puts you in a situation of someone taking a tough, contested mid-range shot, which is something we've had no success with."
The Bulls have made Giannis Antetokounmpo a non-factor in the series by collapsing on the second-year forward's drives to the basket.
A candid Antetokounmpo told reporters Wednesday that it "pisses" him off that he has not had a good game against the Bulls in his career. The 20-year-old has averaged 7.0 points and shot 31.6 percent from the field in 10 career games against Chicago.
"I think in Game 3 the thing I have to do is make my teammates better," Antetokounmpo said. "I watched the clips. They are helping a lot whenever I drive the ball. Everybody is helping, so I have to find the open guys on the court. I have to do a better job of that.
"It is hard. Whenever I drive I see a lot of bodies. I have to make opportunities for other guys."
Mayo has been an X-factor for the Bucks all season long. Milwaukee is 15-4 when he scores 15 or more points and 7-0 when he scores at least 20 points, while the Bucks are 12-17 when he scores fewer than 10 points.
The veteran guard has scored a total of 14 points in the series on 4-of-17 shooting, connecting on just one 3-pointer in five attempts.
"It is very important (for me) to help our team," Mayo said. "We're struggling scoring a bit and field goal percentage wise, creating easy shots for one another.
"It is important that I incorporate myself into the offense. We have to soften up the defense up a bit with some driving and kicking. That will open up the lane for us to play our style of basketball."
While the Bulls have won eight of nine against the Bucks and nine of 10 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee remains confident it can beat Chicago at least once over the course of a series.
"We did it one time this year, so hopefully we can do it again," Henson said.
Henson has just on request for the Bucks fans planning on attending Game 3 on Thursday night.
"I want to hear 'Let's Go Bucks' louder than 'Let's Go Bulls,' " Henson said.
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