Pacers vs. Bucks, NBA Playoffs...Let's Go!

After finishing regular season game 82, the Pacers are finally back in the playoffs with a marquis matchup against the Bucks.

Considering the NBA season as an Ironman triathlon, the Pacers have completed the 112-mile bike ride in great shape, now with a few days off in the ‘transition area’ to prepare for the 26.2-mile marathon that is the playoff portion of the season.

As I’ve mentioned before, the NBA season is often compared to a marathon that takes its toll on teams both physically and mentally, often making it a battle of survival come playoff time. Last year, all Pacers fans heard about how injuries to both the Bucks and Knicks at this time of the year, were the main reason the Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Funny, but didn’t hear anyone mention how impressive it was that the Pacers weren’t dealing with injuries after completing the 82-game season.

That’s why I started referring to the whole NBA season, from game one through the Championship series as a triathlon, instead of a marathon. The 2.4-mile swim of an Ironman triathlon compares nicely to the NBA regular season through Christmas. Plenty of peril in the water, but if you can stay in the race and get to the New Year’s Dav, then you can hop on the bike and try to make up ground or expand on a good start. The dog days of the season hit during this stretch, there are inclines in the road that take maximum effort, but also hills to coast down at times. Problems are out there on the road with potential to crash or blow a tire and put the season in peril or at least draft lottery contention.

The Pacers close the second leg in impressive fashions, with the biggest comeback of the season in a 126-118, double-OT win over the Cavs on the final day of the regular season. The regulars were long gone when the game went nuts in the fourth quarter which saw Johnny Furphy, Tony Bradley, Quenton Jackson, RayJ Dennis and Enrique Freeman all play around 25 consecutive minutes to earn the win. Bradley in particular, hasn’t played that much in quite some time and at times looked like he was exhausted bordering on hallucinating. But he and the rest of the crew battled through and earned wing No. 50 for the Pacers.

That final game and the end result are a shining example of the many, many variables a team has to adjust to throughout the regular season and then in the playoffs. For all of the game planning, what a team does when factors arise that weren’t planned for will ultimately decide their fate. Over the last few weeks of the season, the Pacers ability to adjust and react positively to negative situations and circumstances that would kill the will of a weaker teams, made hitting that 50-win mark so impressive and well-earned.

We’ll always remember the wild game-winners from Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin along the way, but there were all kinds of little plays made in those game which added up to put those game winners in play. The type of plays and team resolve that shows up in successful playoff runs.,

Now it is time to take all of that work and preparation that delivered a successful regular season to another level under the microscope of a playoff series. The Pacers face the Bucks with Game 1 tipping at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at the Fieldhouse. The Pacers earned home court advantage and it will immediately be up for grabs on Saturday.

Let the marathon portion of the NBA season begin, except in this race, there are only two teams that finish and one winner. The rest of the teams will break down and drop out either from the attrition of injuries impacting key players or by simply running into a team that is in better shape and better prepared to advance.

The Bucks will begin the series missing Damian Lillard, but they have a healthy and motivated Giannis Antetokounmpo who lit up the league over the last month of the season, posting huge numbers. This is not the same team the Pacers beat in the playoffs last season when Giannis was injured and Lillard broke down.

The starting lineup for the Bucks now has Kyle Kuzma instead of Khris Middleton which is a bonus for the Pacers on paper. However, with Taurean Prince starting, the Bucks have length in the lineup and a guy who can use his wingspan to bother Haliburton on the ball. The reserve group for the Bucks has become the real X-factor for the playoffs with Dame out, lead by the ‘Juniors’ off the bench.

Gary Trent Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. can impact the game in a hurry making shots. GTR is a problem behind the arc and KPJ plays a similar game to Bennedict Mathurin which will make that potential reserve matchup real fun to watch with both capable of adding their own chapter to the recent rivalry between these two teams which started in the In-Season tournament last year, went nutty with ‘game ball gate’ and then added more juice with the Pacers winning their playoff series to begin a run to the ECF.

The days off this week allow both teams to rest, reset and reboot while preparing for a familiar opponent. However, both sides have new wrinkles to add to the mix this year and how each team handles those wrinkles and adjusts from game-to-game will eventually determine the winner.

The Pacers are in great shape after earning the No. 4 seed in the East. They are relatively healthy with a deep roster that could go 11-deep, if needed. The starters will have to play heavy minutes, though and should be rested and ready to do so. The experience of last year, the success of this just finished regular season and the maturation of this team as a group growing together brings in added pressure to play at a high level and handle the pressure of a favorite, as opposed to the upstart underdog.

Finally…its time for the Pacers to start another run on the long hard road that is the NBA Playoffs. Let’s hope they are still running at the finish line.