The Indiana Pacers are up 3-1 in their first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks and have a chance to eliminate them with a Game 5 victory on Tuesday. If the Pacers can secure their last victory of the series, this will mark the second consecutive season they sent the Bucks home early in the first round of the playoffs.
Aside from Game 3, the Pacers have largely had control of the series against the Bucks. They are outcoaching and outplaying Milwaukee. Additionally, the Pacers are executing their game plan perfectly and have looked like the better team for most of the series. Now that they just need one more win to clinch the series, things are looking good for the Pacers. However, the series is not over just yet, and the Pacers need to look at last year's first-round matchup against the Bucks to remind themselves not to take their eyes off the prize.
The Pacers have not won the series yet
It is safe to say the Pacers will probably take care of business and win their series against the Bucks, but it is important to remember that they have not officially won just yet, which is a sentiment that fans can remember about last year's first-round series.
In last year's series against Milwaukee, the Pacers also had a 3-1 series lead. The series was a bit more competitive than it has been this year, but the Pacers still had control for the most part. In Game 5, the Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo (who missed the entire series) and Damian Lillard. Additionally, they have won each of the previous three games and were on a roll, with many expecting Game 5 to be the series-clinching victory the Pacers needed. Ultimately, the Bucks blew the Pacers out by 23 points before losing Game 6 in Indiana.
While the Pacers won the series and eventually advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, things could have turned sour for them, especially since Milwaukee got Lillard back for Game 6. Had the Bucks won that game as well, the series would have gone to a Game 7 in Milwaukee, which could have been disastrous for the Pacers.
The situation is very different this year, but the message remains the same for the Pacers--the series is not over yet. While Game 5 is not necessarily a must-win for the Pacers, they would benefit greatly from taking care of business and ending the series there instead of giving the Bucks an opportunity to get back on track and potentially pull off the upset.