The Indiana Pacers had their worst game of the first round series in Game 5. They bounced back in Game 6 thanks to their ability to adjust.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers had a chance to close out the Milwaukee Bucks and win their first series in a decade on Tuesday when they played Game 5 in Milwaukee. The Pacers entered that outing up 3-1 in the series, and with both Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined for the Bucks , it felt like an opportunity for the blue and gold to close out the shorthanded hosts.. The Bucks changed up their defensive game plan significantly, and the Pacers struggled with those adjustments.
Other Indiana players were more direct about possible adjustments."We have to try to make that slow down... We need to keep moving, keep playing," guard Andrew Nembhard said. He added that the Pacers needed to attack earlier when they had a chance — keeping things in motion with tempo was the key in his eyes.
But it was similar enough that they tried. They continued to switch when they could, and late in the second quarter, Lopez was on Nesmith again. The alignment that turned the series on its head was back. The Pacers had to break it down. "We maybe over-thought it throughout the game last time," Nembhard said of Game 5. That wasn't happening in Game 6.
Throughout the regular season, Indiana switched things up when they needed to. They were fast when they should have focused on tempo. They leaned on their size and defense when a slight identity shift was needed. After acquiring star forward Pascal Siakam and making other trades, the team needed to re-align once again, and they did so after settling on the right starting lineup.
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