The Milwaukee Bucks were already going to have their hands full with a difficult first-round NBA Playoff matchup against the Indiana Pacers, but their chances of pulling off the upset just got a lot smaller. According to a recent report, the Bucks' superstar guard Damian Lillard is expected to miss the start of the team's first-round series against the Pacers. There is hope that Lillard will be able to return at some point in the playoffs, but you'd have to imagine that if Milwaukee is going to upset Indiana, they're going to need him back in the lineup sooner rather than later.
With Milwaukee battling injuries last season, the Pacers beat the Bucks in the first round of the postseason. Looking to avenge last year's loss, the Bucks might need to play near-perfect basketball in order to pull off the feat.
The Milwaukee Bucks need to play perfectly to make a deep playoff run
Even though the Pacers did get off to a pretty abysmal start to the season, they've been a completely different team since December 6. Since that moment, the Pacers (41-18) have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. They also have a top-10 offense, defense, and net rating. While the Bucks have had their own hot streaks this season, they've been more inconsistent than not.
If there is any hope for the Bucks heading into the postseason, it's the fact that they did close the season on an eight-game winning streak. It still wasn't enough to help push the Bucks past the Pacers in the standings, but the hope is that it will help give this team some much-needed confidence in the series. Interestingly enough, the Bucks may feel strongly about their chances even without Lillard.
During the regular season, Milwaukee went 3-1 against the Pacers. If Lillard is able to come back at some point in this series, it could give the exact boost that the Bucks need to not only get past the Pacers but also open the door to an unlikely deep run.
Unfortunately, with how this season has gone, it's hard to have any level of confidence in the Bucks. Most would expect this injury update to feel like a death sentence for the team. And it could very well be. If the Bucks lose in the first round, which would be for a third-straight season, you'd have to assume it will point to some big changes during the summer.
What type of changes is anyone's guess. But at some point, the Bucks can't keep trotting out this roster that clearly has proven to not be good enough. So much is on the line for Milwaukee heading into this playoff run, and it's extremely unfortunate that they won't be 100 percent healthy once again.