With the New York Knicks prevailing at home against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday and sealing the Eastern Conference’s second seed, the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks will face the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers. This season, the Bucks finished 1-5 against the Pacers, with their only win coming at home in December. The Pacers led the NBA in scoring, averaging over 123 points per game, while the Bucks were among the league’s worst defensive teams, allowing over 116 points per game. The Bucks score more than 119 points per game, but they could be missing former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for several games, putting the scoring responsibility on Dame Lillard and Kris Middleton.
Nov 22, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) drives to the basket defended by Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
This added responsibility offensively combined with the added responsibility defensively could be a recipe for disaster for the aging Lillard and the recovering Middleton. The expectations for the Bucks have been Finals or bust since winning the title a couple years ago. After adding Dame Lillard, firing Adrian Griffin, and hiring Doc Rivers, those expectations changed to championship or bust. However, each of those three events are built-in excuses for the team to underachieve. Lillard has never been to the Finals and has struggled to make it to the conference finals throughout his career leaving many to believe he’s not a winner or he wasted his best years being loyal to a Trailblazers organization that was going in circles.
In any case, his lack of experience in big playoff games late in the season could come back to hurt the Bucks if they make a run. Yes, there were coaching changes during the season, and the club went on to win a title, but none of those coaches were Doc Rivers or had Rivers’ track record of collapses and failures. Aside from his one championship win, Rivers is best remembered for blowing 3-1 series leads and underperforming in the playoffs. The Bucks are just 17-19 under Doc this season and haven’t faced the Pacers, which may be the only bright spot coming into the first round matchup.
You couple the playoff struggles of Rivers and Lillard with the recent playoff struggles of the Bucks (losing to the Boston Celtics in the 2nd round in 2022 and losing to the Miami Heat in the 1st round in 2023) this could be history repeating itself. Make no mistake, the Bucks didn’t trade for Lillard last summer and sign Rivers mid-season to do anything but win a championship. Regardless of the narratives, anything less than hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June is a failure.
The Bucks and Pacers were involved in the now-infamous game ball incident in December, when Giannis scored a career-high 64 points and dashed to the Pacers locker room to get the game ball. Tyrese Hailburton, the Indiana Pacers’ all-star guard, told ESPN, “There will definitely be some extra juice.” Two crews from different phases of construction collide. The Pacers are a youthful up-and-coming club, whereas the Bucks are an established team with a coach (Rivers) and a co-star (Lillard) in question. This was supposed to be a championship-caliber club, but after an up and down regular season and a difficult first-round matchup, could the Bucks suffer another disappointing early exit in the 2024 NBA Playoffs?
