Milwaukee Bucks dream, nightmare seeding, matchup scenarios for 2025 NBA Playoffs

03/29/2025 10:10 AM

Things aren’t looking great for the Milwaukee Bucks. After bucking in a slow start to the 2024-25 season, the team resurrected their championship hopes when they conquered the NBA Cup. But forward to today, a wrench was thrown into the Bucks’ plans of becoming the first team to win the NBA Cup and NBA Championship in the same season.

Just recently, it was announced that Damian Lillard is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis. This leaves Milwaukee without their secondary star for quite some time, leaving more pressure on Giannis Antetokounmpo to carry the load. Without the nine time NBA All-Star, the Bucks have suffered a three-game losing skid. They’ve dropped to the sixth seed, potentially endangering themselves to drop to the Play-In Tournament.

Nonetheless, the season must push through and it’s up to Giannis Antetokounmpo and crew to finish the campaign strong. Let’s not forget, basketball is a 12-team sport and there have been some instances when teams found ways to win without their best players. With the playoffs just around the corner, Milwaukee must find a way to stop the bleeding and to finish the season strong in order to give themselves a chance at a decent postseason outing.

Dream scenario: Bucks secure 5th seed and get Damian Lillard back

There’s no definite timeline as to when Lillard will return to action. In fact, the Bucks’ medical staff even had their star taking blood thinners to address his condition. Nonetheless, with Lillard’s absence, the team certainly has a big hole in their offense. As a result, getting him in full health should be Milwaukee’s dream scenario.

Moreover, it would also be ideal if the Bucks can race to the fifth seed, a position they held earlier before the 42-32 Detroit Pistons caught up. While Detroit is building a solid gap against Milwaukee, it’s still possible to catch up. It’ll be an uphill climb, however, especially without the services of Lillard. Should the Bucks find a way to secure the fifth seed, the team finds itself in an ideal position to matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

Although the Pacers, led by Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, and Tyrese Haliburton will be a tough assignment, they’re still better to matchup against in the postseason compared to the likes of the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, or the Boston Celtics. In fact, the Bucks have dominated the Pacers in the regular season, winning three out of their four clashes.

Unfortunately, losing Lillard indefinitely makes this dream scenario nearly impossible, unless Giannis and crew can come up with a way to put up a herculean effort to mask their star’s absence. Furthermore, it also doesn’t help that the Pistons are having a great second half to the season, as they’re in the midst of a three game winning streak to extend their gap against the Bucks.

Nightmare scenario: Milwaukee drops to Play-In Tournament

Unlike the dream scenario, it looks like the nightmare scenario could more likely happen. For now, it’s safer to assume that Lillard won’t be returning to the team. Besides, his condition was the same one that forced the San Antonio Spurs to shut down reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season.

In the midst of a free fall, Lillard’s diagnosis couldn’t have come at a worst time for the Bucks. Their three game losing streak could grow further, potentially opening the doors for the Atlanta Hawks to steal the final seat to the playoffs without going through the Play-In Tournament. Should Milwaukee drop to the Play-In, it’d be like dropping their playoff hopes into the tiger’s den.

Assuming the Bucks fall to the seventh or eighth seed, they’ll have to tangle with a dangerous Orlando Magic, a team that bolsters several young stars led by Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. Furthermore, they could also potentially clash against dark horses the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls. However, if they survive the Play-In, the coup de grace will be an early playoff clash against either the Boston Celtics or the Cleveland Cavaliers, two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

Historically, the Bucks have had their hands full against these two Eastern Conference heavyweights. In fact, Milwaukee has been swept by both teams during the ongoing regular season, even when Lillard was still healthy. And without their secondary star, it looks like the outcome will further favor either Cleveland or Boston should they meet in the playoffs.

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