Wild seeding races
The beeftastic Central Division, the Los Angeles Lakers, and more
Mortal enemies battle for the East’s 4/5/6 seeds
Three Central Division teams with a whole lot of interstate disputes are battling it out for the middle seeds, likely setting us up for the first round’s most entertaining playoff series. Right now, the Indiana Pacers are fourth at 33-24, the Milwaukee Bucks are fifth at 33-25, and the Detroit Pistons (!!) are sixth at 33-26. There’s a big gap both above and below those three, which means that two will likely play each other in the playoffs!
If you miss the days when teams despised each other, you should be salivating. The Indiana Pacers could open a butcher’s shop with all the beef they start. Tyrese Haliburton is chirpy, and he raised some hackles in Milwaukee last season with his Dame Time celebration after a game-winner. That, of course, preceded the famous Ballgate situation in which Giannis Antetokounmpo stormed through the Pacers’ side of the arena tunnels looking for the game ball he thought he deserved after scoring 64 points.
The Pacers then dispatched the Bucks in six games last season after Antetokounmpo missed the series with injury, the lowlight of which involved then-Bucks guard Patrick Beverley pegging a spectator in the head with a basketball (which I forgot about until a recent lawsuit). Since then, a series of incidents and interviews have confirmed that these teams still aren’t fans of each other.
The Pistons and Pacers aren’t bosom buddies, either. Isaiah Stewart was ejected for a rare Flagrant 2 violation a few weeks ago after missiling into an unsuspecting Thomas Bryant’s chest, and Tim Hardaway Sr. had some choice words for Tyrese Haliburton after his son played the Pacers. (Fairly or not, the Malice at the Palace looms over any Pistons/Pacers clash, adding some historical heft to their disagreements.)
Milwaukee and Detroit bring their own flavor of enmity. Isaiah Stewart was ejected for a different Flagrant 2 (they really aren’t common, I promise) after taking Giannis down in frustration early in the season. The Bucks responded by knocking the Pistons out of the NBA Cup tournament in a sudden-death game.
There’s plenty of room for more fireworks. Although the Pacers and Pistons don’t play each other again (more’s the pity), the Bucks play both teams twice. In fact, Milwaukee’s last two games of the season are against Detroit! There’s a very real possibility that those games decide who gets home-court advantage in the first round, which might even come at their playoff opponent’s expense.
For better or worse, a physical altercation seems likely. Each team has its own (prot/ant)agonist ready to go. Beef Stew we’ve already covered; he’s the guy who pulled a Marshawn Lynch to try and fight LeBron James. Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis once hospitalized a teammate by breaking his face. The Pacers’ James Johnson is famously undefeated in kickboxing and MMA, although the veracity of those claims has never really been verified (who is going to question him?).
These are delicious rivalries with some actual postseason (or postseason-adjacent) history to add to the drama. I can’t wait for the trash talk if the Pacers play either of these teams, and the idea of what would essentially be a nine-game playoff series between Milwaukee and Detroit has me hot and bothered.
Be right back; taking a cold shower.
How high can the Los Angeles Lakers climb?
I’ll likely examine Los Angeles more closely soon, but there are several interesting things worth discussing now as the Lakers try to clamber up the standings.