The Milwaukee Bucks are winning their way into the playoffs with an eight-game winning streak. Wouldn’t there be smiles all around that locker room? Wrong. Doc Rivers looks more like a guy who just learned his favorite sandwich place shut its doors for good. Doc’s face, filled with frustration, uncertainty, and a slight hint of here we go again spoke for itself after a dramatic 140–133 overtime win over the Pistons on the final day of the regular season.

Why? Because the Bucks are about to face the Indiana Pacers—again—in the playoffs. And yes, last year’s first-round exit still stings. But this time around, Doc believes there’s a game-changer in the mix. Or rather, there could be… if fate would finally cut the Bucks some slack.

Doc didn’t hold back when asked about what makes this year’s matchup with Indiana different. “We have Giannis, makes it a different series,” he said, with all the weariness of a coach who’s spent too much time this season explaining what could be—if only his stars could stay on the court together.

The real tension, though, is around Damian Lillard. “Hopefully we have Dame,” Doc added. “We don’t know that. It just seems like we can’t catch a break and have them both.” That’s a raw, honest confession—and probably the same thought running through every Bucks fan’s head right now.

When the Bucks traded for Lillard, it was with one goal: championships. It’s been a waiting game, hearing reports on his medical update, rehab progress, and silent panic behind the scenes since he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his right calf on March 25.

The breakdown: Damian Lillard will be out for an indefinite amount of time as he continues treatment for DVT, a serious condition involving blood clots. He’s on blood thinners, is doing light basketball work, and is being assessed regularly.

When asked how this week might play out with Dame, Doc Rivers didn’t sugarcoat it: “Yeah, I’m not sure, honestly… I know it’s going well. It’s progressing well, but I honestly don’t know from there where it goes.” Lillard is week-to-week, and the Bucks still don’t know if he’ll be ready in time to face the Pacers. That’s not exactly the playoff pep talk fans were hoping for.

Before the diagnosis, Lillard was a beast—averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. His chemistry with Giannis Antetokounmpo was very evident, drawing comparisons to Kobe and Shaq. Add in Dame’s clutch gene and floor-stretching range, and you get why Doc looks like he’s aged five years in the five weeks without him.

The Bucks’ weird finale & what it means for Dame

In the Bucks’ final regular-season game, we got an unexpected show. With the starters sitting out to rest for the playoffs, Pat Connaughton turned into Michael Jordan-lite, dropping a career-high 43 points with 11 boards, including 10 points in overtime. Tyler Smith, Pete Nance, and Jamaree Bouyea also had career nights, and Milwaukee survived a comeback push by the Pistons (shoutout to Lindy Waters III for some absurd late-game threes).

That game locked the Bucks into the fifth seed and set up the rematch against Indiana, who finished fourth. But as encouraging as that win was, the focus quickly returned to one giant question: Will Dame be ready?

Let’s not sugarcoat it—last year’s first-round exit to the Pacers was a gut punch. Even with home-court advantage as the No. 3 seed, Milwaukee lost in six games.

Lillard balled out when he played, averaging over 31 points, including a 35-point eruption in Game 1 and 34 in Game 2. But injury troubles limited his impact, and Giannis missed the entire series. Middleton did his best to carry the load, but it wasn’t enough.

Fast forward to now, and the Bucks are once again limping into the playoffs, hoping for health miracles. Lillard’s return could be the difference between a deep run and another early flight home.

Doc Rivers is frustrated. The fans are anxious. And Damian Lillard? He’s still week-to-week with a condition that no one dares to rush with. The Bucks have the talent, the momentum, and Giannis ready to go—but the Lillard-sized question mark hanging over this team is impossible to ignore.

If Dame can return, even at 80%, Milwaukee might have the firepower to flip the script. But until then, every press conference, every test result, and every day of waiting just adds to the stress.

One thing’s for sure: this team’s playoff dreams are balancing on the health of one man. And in Milwaukee, all eyes are on Damian Lillard.