After playing the final game of their regular season, Damian Lillard voiced his confidence that he and the Milwaukee Bucks can move past the Indiana Pacers in their upcoming first-round matchup of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
"I feel good about it," Lillard said of facing Indiana . "I think the one thing about the playoffs, especially this season, everybody can beat everybody. That's really how I feel about it. Happy that we got home court and it's a team that we familiar with. We know they like to play fast. They score a lot of points. There's only a few teams that score over 120, we one of 'em and they one of 'em. We just gotta know what their strengths are, which we know well, and we gotta try and take as many of those things away and make it a tougher game for them."
Rivalry renewed for a playoff series
After concluding the season with a 49-33 record, the Bucks are the third seed in the Eastern Conference. This meant they would face the No. 6 Pacers in the opening round of the postseason.
Milwaukee and Indiana forged a little rivalry this year. It all started when the young squad eliminated the Bucks in their semifinal clash of the 2023 In-Season Tournament last December. A week later, Giannis Antetokounmpo retaliated and dropped a 64-point masterclass against them. After this, things reached the boiling point as both teams infamously fought for the game ball , resulting in a messy stand-off.
They went head-to-head in their high-scoring affairs, but powered by All-Star floor general Tyrese Haliburton; the Pacers edged the Bucks in four of their five-game regular season series this 2023-24. Yet despite this significant margin, Dame stands optimistic that the Bucks can offer a better fight and will eventually get the last laugh.
"We've just been through a lot since then," Lillard argued . "We've had some down moments and we've come back from those moments. Then we get a new coach [Doc Rivers] and then we have a different way about us, different style of play. Just so many different things we've learned about ourselves from going through stuff."
Destined for another battle
Coincidentally, after they finished their regular season series, Malik Beasley notably predicted that Milwaukee and Indiana would cross paths again in the playoffs. And in this encounter, the Bucks guard boldly proclaimed that the Pacers could only expect an unwanted outcome approaching at their side.
"I know we're going to play them [Indy] in the playoffs, and boy, it's not going to be pretty for them," Beasley told TNT reporter Chris Haynes on a Bleacher Report live stream.
From their heated duels, crazy game ball fight, and dramatic regard with each other, it was essentially a sequel in the making for both the Bucks and the Pacers. And as the stage is now set for them for a seven-game playoff showdown, the fans couldn't be more thrilled as these teams are bringing their conflict to the next level and for the right to get closer to the NBA championship.
Related: Bill Simmons thinks Milwaukee won't strike fear into their playoff opponent: "That team can't play three games in a row that look good"
Local Milwaukee, WI
Most Popular
Comments / 0