Milwaukee Bucks fans started the season with high optimism and excitement after acquiring All-Star Damian Lillard.
The excitement throughout the season died down slowly, like a lit candle, and their situation just appears bleak as the playoffs are about to start.
From a consistent second seed in the first five months, the team dropped to third seed and is matched with the No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers.
They are the higher seed, but the air around the league does not feel like they are the favorites.
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It is easy to understand why.
The Milwaukee Bucks are not ready for the playoffs based on their recent performances and issues with key personnel.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo injury extent
The latest on Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury does not determine whether he will be ready for the April 21 game against the Pacers at Fiserv Forum.
Coach Doc Rivers said:
"He's doing well. He's walking around and looks good. I can say he's farther than we thought he would be, but just not ready yet."
Shams Charania also reported that the two-time MVP would likely miss a few first-round games.
Other players need to step up, but . . .
2. Damian Lillard is not entirely healthy
How can they step up when they themselves are not 100 percent healthy?
Damian Lillard missed the team's practice on Tuesday over health concerns.
Rivers said they decided to give him some rest.
"We've done all the imaging and all that stuff, so he's good, I can tell you that. But we just feel like, and our doctors, give him a little more rest," he told Bucks beat reporter Eric Nehm.
"He's still doing conditioning and things like that, but we went live a lot today and we just didn't want him out there doing any of that."
Aside from Dame, Khris Middleton remained in and out of the lineup in the last two weeks of the regular season, while Patrick Beverley recently announced that he is hobbled by a wrist injury.
3. The Pacers got their numbers
The young Pacers love playing against the Bucks. They won four of the five games they met.
Unfortunately for the Bucks, all of these games happened when Rivers was still out of the picture.
This means the coaching staff will have to rely solely on footage and adjust on the fly.
It must also be mentioned that the Pacers got better mid-season after they traded for Pascal Siakam.
4. Doc Rivers' time with the Big 3 is limited
The Big 3 of Lillard, Giannis, and Middleton have played together just eight times under Doc Rivers.
They went 3-5 in that span. One player has to leave in a few of those games due to an injury.
Rivers did not have an ample chance to test his offensive system with these three on the court.
He also does not have them complete for a practice run.
Can the Milwaukee Bucks defy the odds?
Fans can hold on to the thought, "It's the playoffs, anything can happen."
Related article: Why Giannis Antetokounmpo's Injury Sounds More Worrying This Time for the Bucks
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