The Milwaukee Bucks officially know their first-round opponent. Unfortunately for them, they have to face the team they lost to last year in the Indiana Pacers, with the extra disadvantage of being the lower seed this time around.
The team will have Giannis Antetokounmpo, which should help tremendously, but they may be without Damian Lillard, which will be a huge blow to their offense.
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The defense has actually been better without Lillard in the lineup, which could help them a bit against the well-balanced scoring attack of the Pacers, but either way, this should be a tough series for them that could go the full seven games.
One NBA analyst doesn’t believe the series will go quite that far, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Lillard and his injury status.
“Indiana’s variety of offensive options (eight players averaged at least nine points and six of those eight averaged at least one three this season) and the uncertainty on Lillard’s status will be enough for the Pacers to win this first-round series for a second straight time.
Prediction: Pacers in 6”
This prediction comes from Andy Bailey, an NBA writer from Bleacher Report. His prediction is very fair, as the Pacers certainly have the depth advantage and an advantage at head coach with Rick Carlisle.
The Pacers are led by Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton, who are both multi-faceted players capable of affecting the game in multiple areas. Haliburton’s playmaking will be a huge difference-maker for the Pacers offense. If he can get everyone involved scoring-wise with his passing, the Pacers offense will be hard for the Bucks to stop.
The main factor that could throw a wrench in the Pacers’ plans to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals is Giannis, who has the talent to single-handedly win a playoff series. The Pacers have talented players, but nobody close to the level of Giannis.
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That alone could be enough to win a couple of games at least in this series. The x-factor for certain will be Lillard and his health, in which he is also capable of single-handedly taking over a game with his outside shooting.
Due to the uncertainty and lack of depth on the Bucks’ roster currently, predicting them to lose in six to a more well-balanced roster makes sense. However, a motivated Giannis and a healthy Lillard could shift things drastically in favor of the Bucks, as potentially the two best players in the series on a good day.
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