The Indiana Pacers have evened things up with the Milwaukee Bucks, after tonight’s impressive 125-108 win. But it was not as easy as it looks on the stat sheet. With Giannis Antetokounmpo still out because of a calf injury, his co-star Damian Lillard has taken over the scoring responsibility for the Bucks. After posting 35 points in the first half of Sunday’s Game 1 win, Dame picked up right where he left off, scoring 26 points in the first half of Game 2. So, Tyrese Haliburton and Co. were forced to re-strategize on the fly to stop the bleeding in the second half.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told his players to swarm the Bucks like bees to honey and press them full court. Although Carlisle’s strategy did little damage in the first half, it proved crucial in the Pacers’ eventual Game 2 win. With defenders guarding Lillard full court, he could only score 8 points in the second half. The Bucks were also troubled with multiple violations in the final period, including an 8-second violation and a 5-second violation. Because the pressure from the Pacers was too much, the Bucks were having a hard time finding an open man.

Regardless of Dame’s 34 points, Milwaukee lost by 17 points in their own arena. With an average age of 29.2 years, it was extremely challenging for the Bucks to keep up with the young Pacers squad. Indiana utilized the advantage of their youth and wore down a Giannis Antetokounmpo-less squad in the second half. And the Bucks also had no answer for Pascal Siakam’s offense. The former Raptors star finished with 37 points in tonight’s win.

NBA faithful stunned after Indiana’s proactive Game 2 strategy

Fans were surprised to see the Pacers going out of their comfort zone to get a win tonight. Despite being one of the worst defensive teams in the league all season, Indiana showed up when it mattered the most. And that led the fans to express their shock on social media.

This fan was impressed with the Pacers’ strategy and claimed they played with a “Go hard or go home” mentality.

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One fan was shocked after watching Indiana play defense and hilariously questioned the world he was living in.

This netizen joked about the Bucks being too old to compete with Indiana’s full-court press strategy.

One hopeful fan claimed the Pacers were nervous in Game 1 but will eventually eliminate the Bucks!

Even Doc Rivers received blame for making no adjustments to overcome Indiana’s master plan.

Interestingly, one fan challenged Indiana to use the same strategy when Giannis returned to the lineup.

As they watched the Bucks struggle in Game 2, Milwaukee fans wished for Giannis’ early return. Now the series heads to Indiana for Games 3 and 4, and the Bucks desperately need their Greek Freak back to regain the lead. 

The latest report on him was by Doc Rivers, who revealed that Giannis had gotten onto the court for a few shots and was inching closer to a return. However, it is still uncertain if the Greek Freak will suit up on Friday.