This upcoming Saturday, the Indiana Pacers will host the Milwaukee Bucks to kick off this year's playoffs. The Pacers defeated the Bucks in six games during the first round last season and will hope that history repeats itself.
Last year, the Pacers made their first conference finals in a decade despite entering the postseason as the No. 6 seed in the East. Furthermore, though they got swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics, the Pacers proved they belonged by giving them their toughest challenge during their title run.
The Pacers are stronger and better this year than they were during their conference finals run. However, they still have a big challenge ahead of them, and if the latest reports are true, it might become an even bigger challenge for them.
The Pacers may soon have an even bigger challenge in front of them
Heading into the first round of the playoffs, the Pacers have a tall task ahead of them. They were 1-3 against the Bucks during the regular season, with their lone win being a one-point victory. Furthermore, the Bucks won each of their last eight games to end the season. What makes this even scarier for the Pacers is that they did it all without star guard Damian Lillard, who has been out of action since mid-March due to blood clots.
With less than a week until the start of the playoffs, there is no concrete timetable for Lillard's return. However, NBA insider Shams Charania recently provided an update on the nine-time All-Star.
According to Charania, "there is optimism" that Lillard will be cleared to return to the court during the playoffs. There is still nothing concrete beyond this, but this may not bode well for the Pacers if Lillard makes his return during the first round.
The Bucks are a good team without Lillard, but adding him back into the mix makes them even more dangerous. It is fair to assume that Indiana will be up to the challenge, but Lillard returning in the first round could make it more difficult for them to go on another deep playoff run and at least make it back to the conference finals.
There is still some time before the playoffs officially begin, so any Lillard update will likely have to wait. Regardless, this is a story that will be important for Pacers fans to follow until there is some more clarity.