Bucks vs. Pacers a new rivalry?

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The last time we saw the Milwaukee Bucks on an NBA court, they did so after they left Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in disgust following a 120-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Simply put, without Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court, the Bucks were doomed from the start against their Central Division rivals, which ultimately led to them falling in the first round in six games.

The 4-2 loss to Indiana marked the second straight season the Bucks have failed to advance out of the first round, and the third straight season they have failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs after last winning the NBA title in 2021.

Last season’s playoffs against Indiana were intense and very rough, with five of the six games ending in a landslide victory of 13 points or more. In fact, only one of the six games — Game 3, where the Pacers won at home 121-118 — ended in single digits.

And now that the 2024-25 NBA season is finally here, it’s time to ask the obvious question: Should the Bucks now consider the Pacers a rival?

Let’s take a look at how much of a rivalry this showdown has grown in recent times.

Outside of Milwaukee’s playoff game that ended in misfortune, the Bucks have struggled recently against the Pacers, potentially sparking a new rivalry in the making.

In five regular-season games against Indiana last season, the Bucks appeared to have their work cut out for them as they lost four of five games, including the opening semifinal of the NBA’s regular-season tournament that prevented Milwaukee from competing with the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA’s first-ever regular-season tournament championship.

It could be said that the rivalry began to blossom at the end of their second meeting during the regular season, which turned out to be the semifinal defeat of the season tournament on December 7.

With a chance to punch a ticket to the title game of the season tournament, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton hit a 3-pointer in the final minute and mocked Damian Lillard’s “Dame Time” celebration after he made the shot to seal the Bucks’ fate.

From that point on, things only got hotter. The following week, when the two met for the third time on December 13, a heated exchange took place between Antetokounmpo and Haliburton after a 14-point Bucks victory that saw Antetokounmpo set a new career-high with 64 points.

The trade came as the Pacers took the ball away from Giannis and the Bucks after his historic night, where he broke the franchise scoring record.

The animosity continued into their first-round postseason matchup, and was especially evident in the opening minutes of Game 4, with Indiana clinging to a 2-1 series lead.

In the first 6 minutes and 59 seconds of Game 4, the referees called five technical fouls, including two against Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis. He was ejected, something the undermanned Bucks didn’t need.

There is no denying that these two teams do not like each other. The tensions have helped to revive a new rivalry in the East.

With the Bucks’ dynamic trio of Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Khris Middleton all set to enter this season healthy, the Bucks will look to be the ones to flip the script on their Central Division rivals next season.

The two teams are scheduled to meet four times during the 82-game regular season. The first meeting will be Nov. 22 in Milwaukee, followed by games in Indianapolis on Dec. 31 and March 11. The final meeting will be March 15 in Milwaukee.