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Kyle Kuzma admits Milwaukee Bucks came up against ‘insane’ and ‘nasty’ team who shocked the entire NBA

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aikansh Chaudhary | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks’ woes continued during the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

The Milwaukee Bucks have performed below expectations over their last three postseason runs. After all, the Bucks have been eliminated in the opening round each time.

Speaking of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Bucks suffered an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.

Considering the Bucks had the dynamic duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on the roster, the early exit certainly came as a shock to most.

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Kyle Kuzma praises Indiana Pacers, admits ‘tough’ matchup

The Pacers’ 2025 playoff run won’t be forgotten by fans in a hurry. After all, the Tyrese Haliburton-led team was never expected to have a deep postseason run, let alone reach the 2025 NBA Finals.

Despite losing to the Pacers, Kyle Kuzma of the Bucks recently went out of his way to praise their conference rivals.

“It was definitely a little tough for us. Indiana was nasty. They are so good this year, they are insane. They went under the radar with a lot of people.

“I don’t think a lot of people thought they were going to be what they were, but they were,” Kuzma said on The Dawg Talk podcast.

Kuzma then pointed out that the Rick Carlisle-coached team had insane depth, which aided the Pacers’ unforgettable playoff run.

“Serious, telling you. What a run. They really showed you what the league is now. The Finals you got to have eight people, eight real killers.

“If Hali has a bad game, I don’t know what a bad game for him because of how he plays, but if he shoots it bad it doesn’t matter, Nembhard’s gonna have 19, Nesmith’s gonna have 22,” Kuzma stated.

Kyle Kuzma speaks on Myles Turner and Damian Lillard

This offseason, the Bucks finally pulled the plug on their Antetokounmpo-Lillard experiment as Dame was waived. The Bucks made the call to sign former Pacer Myles Turner to a four-year, $109m contract.

Kuzma spoke about his new teammate, stating: “It’s dope. Myles is a great player, he knows how to play ball for sure. He just knows himself.”

Lastly, the Bucks forward also reflected on Lillard’s short stint with the Bucks. Ultimately, praising him for battling through a blood clot to make himself available for the postseason.

“That ___ed us. Dame went down. He had a blood clot, I’ve never heard anybody come back from a blood clot like that, and I just felt like he didn’t really have enough time to get himself back.

“He had high hopes, we wanted to win this year, and having him come back was really good for us,” Kuzma concluded.

At the end of the day, Lillard’s stint ended in a painful manner as the Bucks star suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the playoffs.

Lillard has now signed with the Portland Trail Blazers to focus on his recovery before attempting to give another shot at lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy during his career.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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