The Bucks and Pacers resume their bitter rivalry
Well, the 8283-game dress rehearsal is over for the Milwaukee Bucks as they face the Indiana Pacers, yet again, in round one of the NBA Playoffs. With the shocking news of Damian Lillard being cleared of his deep vein thrombosis on Thursday, the Bucks could well have a newfound jolt of energy and belief heading into Game 1 (even though he’ll be out today). In terms of recent matchups, the Bucks defeated the Pacers 3-1 in the regular season, which, interestingly enough, was the opposite of what happened last regular season. Candidly, I also don’t know how much to draw from the regular season games other than “they have nobody for Giannis.” There were a few injuries to Indiana in the earlier games, and the Bucks were without Bobby Portis for the final two. Regardless, this should be a heck of a series with lots of emotion and spice.
Where We’re At
Following a four-game losing streak that spanned from March 25 to 31, the Bucks rattled off eight straight wins. Sure, there were some easy games in there, but there were also some challenging games (such as the Heat, Timberwolves, and Pistons). Over that span, Milwaukee ranked first in offensive rating and 17th in defensive rating. That statistical makeup is not perfect, but I do think the elite offensive rating is partially indicative of Doc finding something in certain lineups that may become useful in the postseason, particularly the Giannis + bench group. As we know, the playoffs are all about adjustments and pushing the right buttons; it’ll be on Doc and the coaching staff to make the correct calls.
The Pacers also played well to end the season, winning seven of their final eight games. Of course, the same caveats apply to Indiana, who beat some bad or depleted teams to end the season. Indiana had basically the opposite statistical makeup during the same stretch I talked about above for Milwaukee, ranking 15th on offence and fifth on defence. One important note I do want to mention is that Rick Carlisle has not been scared to mix up lineups—including benching his highest-paid players—in favour of “lesser” players with different strengths. For example, Carlisle has played Obi Toppin at centre and benched Myles Turner down the stretch of a few games, including the last time the Bucks played them. Milwaukee must be ready for the different styles Indiana plays with, depending on the personnel they put out there.
Injury Report
As mentioned above, Damian Lillard (return to competition reconditioning) is out for the Bucks in the opener, as is Tyler Smith (left ankle sprain).
For the Pacers, Isaiah Jackson (right Achilles tendon tear) is out, while Ben Sheppard (left great toe sprain) is probable.
Player To Watch
It’s low-hanging fruit, but just about everything Indiana does on offence originates from Tyrese Haliburton. Milwaukee must limit Haliburton’s impact on the game. What is the plan at the point of attack? Do the Bucks pressure him high up the court and try to make him uncomfortable (while risking getting blown by), or do they wait for him to come to them a little bit? What is the plan for Brook Lopez in the drop? Given that Haliburton isn’t the fastest player, can they switch more screening actions to limit his passing ability?
And then on offence, can they do more to take advantage of him? When Tyrese is guarding guys who screen the ballhandler, how can they punish what will surely be a “show and recover” scheme? Meaning he jumps out (“shows”) to impede the ball handler’s progress monetarily to allow the ball handler’s defender to get back onto them and then runs back (“recovers”) to his original matchup.
This goes to Doc’s decision-making as well. If Haliburton can simply guard guys for whom creating off the bounce isn’t their strength (Prince, Green, and possibly even Trent), then ok, maybe he gets beaten a few times, but he’ll like his chances overall. However, if Tyrese is forced by necessity, because of the players on the floor, to guard a KPJ-type (or possibly even Rollins), that’s where Milwaukee can take advantage of him. At the same time, I have thought the Bucks this season, and Giannis in particular, have maybe gone too Haliburton-centric at certain points. They still must move the ball and run their stuff. It’s a balance.
How To Watch
ESPN and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 12:00 p.m. CDT.
Playback Streaming
We are streaming the game live on our Playback and YouTube channels. Read on to find out how you can get NBA League Pass on us!
new Playback.Embed(“playback-embed”, {
room: “brewhoop”,
style: { height: “100%”, width: “100%” },
});
Support our site! | BreakingT | ESPN+ | ESPN+ 30 For 30 | fuboTV | Disney+