The Milwaukee Bucks have bowed out early in the last two postseasons at the hands of the same team. The Indiana Pacers have wreaked havoc on the Bucks in the playoffs, but they will be without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton this season after his Achilles injury. With that considered, the Bucks must make it a priority to take advantage and beat up on the Pacers in every matchup.
The Bucks will be close in the standings to many other teams
The Eastern Conference next season figures to be a tight race after the top couple of teams. Beyond the Knicks and Cavaliers, there are no proven teams with deep rosters. In addition to the Pacers, the perennial contender Boston Celtics are also missing their best player due to an Achilles injury.
The Bucks will likely be competing with many young and upcoming teams for a guaranteed playoff spot. This includes the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, but Indiana could also be in the mix if the rest of their roster can step up. The Pacers showed incredible depth in the playoffs last season, and got contributions from almost a dozen players as deep as the Finals.
Even without Haliburton, the Pacers still have an All-Star in Pascal Siakam to lead the scoring charge. They also have a couple of players gunning for the Most Improved Player award in Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin, who will both get much more opportunity in Haliburton’s absence. Nembhard, in particular, has shone in his playoff moments the last two postseasons, and his team will now rely on him to produce consistently in the regular season as well.
Every win matters when a team is projected to be around the play-in. The Bucks can finish anywhere from fourth seed all the way down to about eighth, so they will need to capitalize on every opportunity against less-talented teams. Even without Haliburton, it will remain to be seen whether or not the Pacers qualify in that category.
Beating the Pacers is also particularly important for the psychological benefit it gives the whole team. The whole team will be looking for revenge against the team that has knocked them out two years in a row, and did so in controversial fashion last season. And losing to them without their star player would demoralize the Bucks even more.
In a conference as wide open as this season’s East, the Bucks need every win possible against close rivals. The Pacers may end up very close to them in the final standings, and every game against them could end up being a tiebreaker for playoff position. The Bucks need to get their vengeance against the team that has haunted them in recent history.