Combined Bucks’ Semis And Doug Rader/Fran Healy Notes, Who but me?!!!

The Milwaukee Bucks, hoping to join the Phoenix Suns with a (3-7) semis record in the upcoming NBA final, took a (3-2) series lead in a semi or final for the first time in 5 such tilts last night, easing vs the now (3-15) in semis, Atlanta Hawks, in a home tilt last night.

They lost #5 of a (2-2) semi at L.A. vs the great ’72 Lakers (the Bucks were also a tremendous team that season and essentially in Lew Alcindor/Kareem’s first 5 seasons ’70 -’74) and to Toronto (Raptors) just 2 years ago. Both the Lakers, arguably the NBA’s greatest champion and the Raptors, quite the opposite 6’d the Bucks and went on to their first titles in that still current venue.

In both the ’01 semi vs the Sixers of Philly and the ’74 final vs the Celts of Boston, Milwaukee lost 35 of a (2-2) series and were beaten in game 7.

The #6 loss to the Lakers on April 22, 1972 coincided with an Astros at Giants tilt, in which Fran Healy the Giants’ catcher withstood a collision with Doug Rader, to apply the tag for an out, denying Tom Helms an rbi single.

Healy was born 2 years after Rader in 1946 and hit .250 lifetime while Rader, who once won 5 straight Gold Gloves for N.L. third baseman, hit .251 for his career.