The accidental injury of "Brother Alphabet" has bleak the prospects of the Bucks' playoffs, and the Bucks' situation this season has been bad enough. The Bucks finished the season sluggishly, and were eventually overtaken by the Knicks to third place in the East, and the first round of the playoffs was against the Pacers.
It's hard to say if this was intentional on the part of the team.
The reality is that the Bucks avoided the 76ers and the Heat, and faced the Pacers in the first round - the Pacers beat the Bucks in the regular season, but the young and inexperienced core roster is also an objective situation. In the first game of the series, the Bucks gave the Pacers a "big gift" and defeated the Pacers in only half a game.
Why did you say that it only took half a game?
The Bucks led 69-42 in the first half, and the game lost most of the suspense at that time, and the Pacers played a 29-14 score in the third quarter, but they were still powerless in the end. The Bucks regained control in the final quarter and beat the Pacers 109-94 to get the series off to a flying start.
The Pacers are a fast-paced offensive team, and after scoring just 42 points on the offensive end at halftime, you know the Pacers are in big trouble. In fact, if it weren't for Pascal Siakam's efficiency in supporting the offense, the Pacers would have lost this game extremely ugly, but Pascal Siakam scored 36 points on 15-of-25 shooting and failed to save the team.
There is no doubt that the Pacers' performance was very disappointing and they missed a great opportunity to beat the Bucks. How did the Bucks defeat the Pacers, who had repeatedly suffered in the regular season, without "Antetokounmpo," and Damian Lillard's explosive assault stunned the Pacers.
Damian Lillard had a crazy first half — 35 points, three rebounds and two assists on 11-of-19 shooting (including 6-of-10 three-pointers) and 7-of-7 free throws. The efficient performance made the team so excited that the Bucks' official social media proudly stated, "That's why we got him." ”
Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins called it a "masterful performance."
Scored 35 points in the first half of the game, and the whole game must not be cut...... 35 points!
Damian Lillard was too eye-catching in the first half, and the Pacers were undoubtedly surprised, and the adjustment of the defensive strategy was not timely enough, which was caught by Damian Lillard and used infinitely. In the second half, the Pacers had a brief time to adjust themselves, with Damian Lillard heavily defended, but the rest of the Bucks began to push to win the game.
Since joining the Bucks, Damian Lillard has actually been questioned all season, averaging 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game in the regular season that seems reasonable, but shooting just 42.4% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range. The Bucks traded for Damian Lillard to improve the team's offense, and such a statistic obviously doesn't make the team too satisfied.
But let's also not forget that Damian Lillard is a big-hearted player.
So when it comes to the playoff stage, Damian Lillard is still highly anticipated to a certain extent, and his playoff debut played the temperament that the team needs. It's a self-redemption for Damian Lillard, but it's just the beginning of the playoffs, and the Bucks can't go any further, and what he's doing now doesn't make much sense.
(Text/Yan Wuqiang)