Ahhh, breathe it in. Round one, game one. Playoff basketball. The moment we’ve been waiting for since Nate McMillan packed his shiny dome and no nonsense stache into a U-Haul and skipped town.

If the playoffs are all about angst, rivalry, bad blood, then who better to dip our toes back into water against than the Milwaukee Bucks? The Milwaukee “I’m taking my ball and going home” Bucks. The Milwaukee “regular season doesn’t matter” Bucks. The Milwaukee “1-4 against the Pacers” Bucks. Cry babies of the Central Division. Scourge of equipment managers everywhere.

In five games against the Bucks this year, Indiana was, by and large, able to impose its will. But resting on their laurels won't get the Pacers very far. Both teams have underwent extensive changes since they last faced each other. The Bucks have swapped Adrian Griffin for Doc Rivers, added Patrick Beverly, and... maybe lost Giannis?

The Pacers meanwhile are missing three fixtures of their early-season wing rotation in Buddy Hield, Benn Mathurin, and Bruce Brown. Of course, they've added a major piece: the Flaming Hot P-to* himself, Pascal Siakam.

*("Peeto" is closer to "Cheeto" but also reads like a label that requires you to announce yourself when you move to a new neighborhood. If you can't tell, I'm a bit drunk on the prospect of Tyrese MF Haliburton playing playoff basketball. LFG!!!)

Sorry where was I? Oh yes, the differences between the early-season Pacers and the late-season Pacers. One of the chief differences is the play of Indy's star man, Tyrese Haliburton. After suffering a hamstring strain, Haliburton's play dropped from MVP caliber to borderline All-Star. For better or worse – and for reasons both competitive and financial – he pushed himself to play as many games as possible this year and hasn't sat out since returning from injury. While his shooting touch seems to have returned, it's been clear for a while that he and his teammates (and, to be fair, the rest of the league) have been running on thin treads and were in dire need of a break as the regular season came to a close.

By avoiding the Play-In game, the Pacers were afforded just that. They've had seven days to fill up their gas tanks, change tires, and fine tune their downforce to weight ratio before trying to run the Bucks off the track.

Tyrese Haliburton is the key to the series for the Pacers. I'm confident Siakam will do what he does. The role players will have good games and bad games. What we need is for Tyrese to be the darling of the league again. For him to stake his claim as a force to be reckoned with.

And you know what? My gut says he's going to do just that. Since joining the Pacers, he's been at his best when the lights are bright. He's playing 90 miles from where he grew up – practically at home. Most importantly, based on his pregame attire, his waves are going to be on point.

Look good, feel good, play good. A recipe as classic as bacon, egg, and cheese. Spaghetti, marinara, and meatballs. Breaded tenderloin, kaiser roll, and mayo.

The Pacers are about to eat, boys, and venison is on the menu. Bon appétit.

Injuries

Other than Mathurin, the Pacers have a clean injury report.

The Bucks are still calling Giannis doubtful, but the expectation is he won't play tonight. Dame has been dealing with two injuries, an adductor strain and achilles soreness, but is not on the injury report.

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 7:00 PM ET.

TV: TNT, TruTV, Bally Sports Indiana

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

See ya in the comments!

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