INDIANAPOLIS – The results of Friday's games assured this year's Pacers playoff run will begin the same way last year's did — with a series against the Bucks.
The Pacers' loss to the Magic assured they'll be the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and the Bucks' win over the Pistons assured them of the No. 5 seed. Last year, the Bucks were the No. 3 seed and the Pacers were No. 6 so the homecourt advantage will be flipped and the series will start in Indianapolis as opposed to Milwaukee.
The two teams' rosters aren't drastically different from the last year's with the Pacers winning that series 4-2 on their way to the Eastern Conference finals. However the teams' dynamics have changed enough for the character of this year's series to be substantially different. The Bucks won three of four games between the two teams this season with the Pacers' only victory coming on a dramatic four-point play by Tyrese Haliburton in March but even since that game Milwaukee has seen significant changes.
Here's a look at how the Pacers and Bucks match up in some important areas.
Pacers vs. Bucks: Offense
The Pacers and Bucks are less explosive and less efficient than they were a year ago — at least statistically — but they still have top-15 offenses and still aren't separated by much.
Last year's Pacers averaged more points per game than all but five teams in NBA history and more than any team in the league in the past 40 years with 123.3 points per game. It was also the second-most efficient offense in the league behind the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
This year's team didn't put up video game numbers as frequently but still averaged 117.3 points per game and sits in seventh in the NBA in scoring. They're also third in field goal percentage at .489, eighth in 3-point percentage at .370, fourth in effective field goal percentage at .564 and ninth in offensive efficiency at 115.6 points per 100 possessions.
Haliburton struggled throughout the season's first month, but he's been exceptional since the All-Star break, averaging 20.6 points and 11.0 assists per game against just 1.2 turnovers. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam has been the team's rock and the best 1-on-1 isolation option. Center Myles Turner gives Haliburton a perfect ball-screen partner as a three-level shooter and forward Aaron Nesmith has been spacing the floor well since the break, shooting 45.2% from beyond the arc in that stretch.
The Bucks' offense, of course, revolves around Giannis Antetokounmpo. After missing last season's series with a calf strain, he's mostly healthy heading into postseason ...
