You could picture him screaming with excitement as his team trailed by just four points at the half. And you damn near expected him to, as his team tried to keep the game close in the fourth quarter, take a cab over to the Bradley Center and make a Willis Reed-like entrance in an attempt to rescue his team.

But there was no Iverson, who remained at the hotel to rest his sore tailbone -- in an attempt to be ready for Game 4 Monday. And despite a valiant effort by his Philadelphia teammates, the Sixers were losers to the Bucks, 80-74, and now trail Milwaukee two games to one in the best-of-seven series.

The Sixers put up an intense battle, executing Larry Brown's offensive game plan to near perfection by milking the 24-second clock -- and thus shortening the game. But the man who replaced Iverson in the line-up, Eric Snow, missed 10 of his 11 shots and turned the ball over six times in a game he'd rather forget. And the man Snow was defending, Sam Cassell, scored 24 points -- including 10 in the third quarter, pulling the Bucks out of their lethargic effort.

"Sam was fantastic," said Bucks' coach George Karl. "He gave us that edge that no one else had in the second half."

Without Iverson, the Sixers were without their running attack (just six fastbreak points). They had no player who could consistently break defenders down in the halfcourt. They had no clutch performer whose shoulders they could ride when times got tough.

What did the Sixers have? Guys like Raja Bell, Kevin Ollie, Todd MacCulloch and Rodney Buford trying their best to plug the gaps. But Iverson's the reason why the Sixers were tied for the second-best record in the NBA this season. With Iverson out, Dikembe Mutombo nursing a broken finger and Snow and Aaron McKie banged up, this hardly resembles the team that dominated the Eastern Conference.

"Unfortunately, that's the way the cards have been dealt," Snow said of the timing of his team's injuries. "But we can't make excuses, we have to find a way to get it done."

It'll be difficult for a team that relies mainly on one scorer, and yet Larry Brown was proud that his team was in a two-possession game in the final minute even though two starters, Snow and Tyrone Hill, were a combined 2-for-17 from the field.

"I don't think I've ever been prouder of a group of guys than I was in this game," Brown said. "You shoot 36 percent, have no Allen and have a chance to win -- that's an accomplishment."

Meanwhile, the Bucks demonstrated the advantages of having three legitimate scorers. Ray Allen, who put on an amazing shooting display with 38 points in the Game 2 victory in Philadelphia, made just six of 18 shots and scored 20 points as McKie defended him aggressively.

But Glenn Robinson made enough shots (and scored 20 points) and Cassell made all the big shots, hitting five consecutive baskets in third quarter shortly after the Sixers had tied the game.

"I just got open, my teammates ran me off some good screens," Cassell said. "Was it my turn, with Ray not on? It's my turn every night. If this team needs me to score, I'll score. If I'm not scoring, I'm getting assists. As I go, we go."

Just as Iverson goes, Philadelphia goes, and the Sixers are hoping the day of rest will help their top scorer recover in time for Game 4 Monday. "Whether Allen plays or not, we need to step it up," Snow said. "I had simple plays to make, and I didn't execute. I need to play better, for this team to have a chance to win."

Jerry Bembry is covering the NBA playoffs for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at jerry.bembry@espnmag.com.