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The NBA playoffs, when the home team leads 2:0 and comes to the first away game in the third match, is known as the ugliest game of each series.
Because of the 0:2 deficit, the team returning home desperately needs a win to turn things around, as losing the third match and falling behind 0:3 means there is no chance for a comeback.
Therefore, the third game tends to be extremely intense, with the home team pulling out all the stops on defense, compounded by biased officiating and the atmosphere created by the home crowd, posing a severe test for the away team.
If it were the 1987 Trail Blazers, they could continue to topple their opponents away from home with a 2:0 lead.
But in 1988, they had lost that focus, they needed to take a break, to catch their breath.
As for how long they would need to catch their breath, it depended on whether they could adjust their state of mind properly.
There was only one day between the third and the fourth games.
