NBA Exec Says 'I Really Don't' Think Bucks Can Rally to Beat Pacers in Playoff Series

At least one NBA executive is skeptical about the Milwaukee Bucks' odds of overturning their 0-2 series deficit to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.

"I really don't ... Giannis has been Giannis, and it just still hasn't been close," the exec said to ESPN's Tim Bontemps when asked whether they believe the Bucks can come back.

Bontemps also cited a scout who thinks Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers needs to change how he deploys veteran forward Kyle Kuzma.

"Keeping Kuzma off the ball isn't going to work," the scout said. "Either have him come off the bench and have the ball when Giannis is out and start someone like Green, or don't play him at all."

Indiana beating Milwaukee wouldn't be an upset. The Pacers finished two games better than the Bucks in the regular season, and they eliminated the 2021 champions last year en route to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Still, it would be a little jarring to see a franchise with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard dumped out in the first round. That outcome could also carry some potential consequences when Antetokounmpo is only two years out from free agency once the 2025-26 season tips off.

The series is shifting to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Friday night, and Rivers has had a few days to make any adjustments based on his team's two defeats.

But it's hard to see a path forward when back-to-back double-doubles from Giannis weren't enough to lift the Bucks to victory. Lillard was rusty in his return to the court in Game 2, shooting 4-of-13 en route to a 14-point night. Kuzma, Milwaukee's big midseason addition, has registered little impact.

The Bucks might be cooked, with the biggest question now being how badly they get embarrassed by an East rival.