The Definitive Pacers vs Bucks Playoff Preview

My work at Basketball, She Wrote is typically paywalled. These video podcasts with Samson Folk, providing in-depth coverage of the playoffs, are going to be available as free trials for everyone. If you're new here and want to support independent writing about actual basketball, please consider subscribing and/or sharing it around. Alright, onto the spoken and written words about the Pacers.

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

For the first time since 2020, the Pacers are back in the playoffs. That means, as promised, the always brainy and delightfully articulate Samson Folk is joining me to breakdown the ins and outs of the looming first-round series with the Bucks, while also contributing some written work throughout the postseason run. Needless to say, get used to him and go follow him, because: 1) he's very good at what he does, and 2) he's going to be hanging out around here for awhile (or at least for as long as the Pacers manage to make things interesting).

As such, for the first of hopefully many interesting conversations, here are the relevant timestamps:

0:00 - Introductions

1:44 - Is going 4-1 against the Bucks predictive for the playoffs?  

9:03 - Potential implications from Myles Turner's success as the roll-man

10:06 - Forecasting defensive match-ups

12:42 - Brook Lopez guarding Pascal Siakam

19:09 - What type of coverage will the Bucks play against Tyrese Haliburton?

22:45 - The possibility of a weak-to-next as a unique curveball

28:25 - Nembhard, Nesmith, and Sheppard as spot-up drivers

30:52 - Nembhard initiating against Dame and guarding Dame

35:12 - Milwaukee's improvement at limiting transition frequency

39;30 - Samson issues an apology to T.J. McConnell

42:09 - The good and bad of McConnell as a security blanket

45:15 - How deep of a rotation can the Pacers play against the Bucks?

53:02 - Milwaukee's struggles with identifying weak links

55:57 - Samson picks the Pacers to win the series

56:25 - Tyrese meeting the moment on defense

59:00 - A bonus segment on ball-gate (just kidding!)

1:00:13 - Our coverage plans for the playoffs

1:01:22 - Thank you and Goodbye!