Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks creating friction after multiple intense battles
MILWAUKEE — It's hard to tell exactly what creates a rivalry, and it's even harder to tell if the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks have created one.
On one hand, they've played intense, physical games already this season. There have been multiple technical fouls in each of the team's last two duels. The chippiness of every Pacers vs Bucks event has crescendoed.
There have been many big moments in the battles between the two franchises this season. When they met for the first time of the campaign back in November, Milwaukee star and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 54 points. But the Pacers did well to match the Bucks elsewhere that night, and they spoiled the Greek Freak's epic performance. Behind excellent guard play, Indiana won by two.
They next faced off a few weeks later in the In-Season Tournament Semifinals. The Bucks, who won a championship two seasons ago and are used to the big stage, were the favorites. But Indiana won fairly handily, controlling the game for much of the 48 minutes. That night, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-sealing shot and celebrated by looking at his wrist, simulating using a watch. That is the typical celebration of Bucks star Damian Lillard, though both guards were positive about the moment after the game.
Their third meeting of the season was the most dramatic. Antetokounmpo hit Haliburton with a hard foul early in the game. Aaron Nesmith wrapped up the former MVP on a layup later in the night. Bobby Portis was ejected. Tensions were high, both because of the In-Season Tournament game and because the Bucks desire to avoid a third-straight loss to the same opponent.
After the outing, a Bucks victory, there was some drama related to the game ball. Antetokounmpo claimed the Pacers took it after he scored 64 points, a Milwaukee franchise record. Later, it was reported that Indiana was unhappy with Giannis appearing to run up the score, and the Bucks star claimed that he was frustrated with the Pacers for avoiding handshakes after the game. Regardless of what specific events led to an altercation, one took place in the tunnels of Fiserv Forum. Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan was elbowed in the ribs during the fracas.
Monday night, the two teams met for the first time since that melee. "At the end of the day, it's just a part of basketball. Stuff like that happens from time to time," Pacers forward Jordan Nwora said before the game.
The Pacers were now the team hoping to avoid losing consecutive games to the same opponent, and they had a strong response. They took down the Bucks on Monday night behind a strong game from their bench. The drama level was reduced from the previous two outings, but there was still a dust up in the first quarter between Portis and Isaiah Jackson, and both Portis and T.J. McConnell received technical fouls during the game.
That's quite the list of moments between two opponents in one season. They are all fresh on the brain, too. Each one of these games has occurred in a 53-day span. It's only natural that Bucks vs Pacers games have more emotions now.
"You could definitely say these games have had a little more edge to them," Nwora said Monday. "I guess that you could say that there's a little rivalry coming about. We'll see what happens."
But is it a rivalry? Some, like Nwora, would go that far. But others wouldn't. While the In-Season Tournament provided elevated stakes, the Pacers have yet to reach the big stage. That's where a rivalry can truly be born, according to Haliburton.
"It's a division opponent, so at the end of the day [they're] going to be highly heated games. We beat them in the In-Season Tournament," Haliburton said. "I don't know if it's a rivalry because, to be honest with you, that's a team that has competed for championships for multiple years. We're on the up and up, but we haven't been there yet. A lot of respect for them as a group, I don't think I can really call it a rivalry yet."
Indiana's last true rivalry was with the Miami Heat in the early 2010s. Back then, the teams met three times in a row in the postseason, including twice in the Eastern Conference Finals. That, combined with the Heat's popularity with LeBron James on the roster, created a rivalry. Haliburton is right that the playoffs cultivate these things.
The In-Season Tournament is certainly something. It's more glitzy than the regular season, and that Pacers-Bucks meeting is the reason the two teams will meet five times in short order. That's as close to a postseason feel as the regular season can provide, but it isn't quite the same. And Milwaukee has a very recent championship to back up their success. Indiana doesn't have a postseason berth in three years.
It's obvious there's something brewing between the Bucks and the Pacers. But is it a rivalry? It might be a step below that, but above the typical relationship between division foes. If there's a word for that, it's what Milwaukee and Indiana have.
"All it takes is for some people to see that and there's a whole other flame that's lit," Nwora said of the dust up in Milwaukee earlier this season.
Both team's head coaches downplayed the dynamics of the outing on Monday. It's just another game, they said, and that is accurate over the course of a rapid 82-game season. After Wednesday, the two franchises could avoid each other until the 2024-25 season, in theory.
But whatever the case is, there is more intensity in Milwaukee vs Indiana games right now. Technical fouls are flying. Physicality is everywhere. There's something to this.
"Just two teams really competing hard," Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said.
Indiana and Milwaukee will wrap up their season series on Wednesday. Maybe there will be fireworks. Maybe someone will score 50 points or celebrate the win in a big way. Maybe none of that will happen, and this chapter between the two franchises will end in 24 hours. But at a minimum, it will be a fierce game between two talented teams. That's what fans want to see every night, and they've been blessed with tenacity and emotion in Pacers vs Bucks all season.
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