NBA Central Division has Pacers and Cavs eager to build on momentum while Bucks hope to stay healthy

MILWAUKEE — Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers want to show their run to the Eastern Conference finals last year was no fluke.

Indiana made its first playoff appearance since 2020 last season and had the longest postseason run of any Central Division team since Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2021 title.

The fact the Pacers did that as a No. 6 seed explains why most preseason prognostications suggest they won’t make a similar run this year.

“Everybody’s been doubted one way or another, I mean our whole starting five,” said Haliburton, a third-team All-NBA guard and Olympic gold medalist. “You know, me. We have a guy who was a second-round pick. A guy that got traded from his first team, a guy who played his first couple years and got traded, and a guy who’s been talked about being traded his whole career.

“So I think everybody has different motivations and I think that just adds chips on our shoulder as a group, and I think that’s the exciting part because I think that’s the reason there was so much success and hunger last year.”

Indiana’s playoff run started with a first-round victory over the Bucks, who have finished first in the Central Division each of the last six years but haven’t been able to translate that regular-season success into the postseason lately.

They’ve exited in the opening round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons and want to make the most of their narrowing championship window as their nucleus gets older.

“No question, I think we can do it,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said. “Our guys are definitely hungry.”

While the Bucks want to put their recent playoff misfortunes behind them, the Cleveland Cavaliers are eager to pick up where they left off last year.

Cleveland went 48-34 last year to finish a game behind Milwaukee and got beyond the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since making the last of four straight Finals appearances in 2018.

The Cavaliers followed that up by signing All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to a three-year, $150.3 million contract extension.

“We believe in our group,” Mitchell said. “I believe in us. That’s why I re-signed here. I think for us, now it’s on us to go out there and execute.”

A look at each team in the Central Division in predicted order of finish:

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks believe they should be better off from having some time to work together after going through so much upheaval last year, from acquiring Damian Lillard just before training camp to firing Adrian Griffin and hiring Doc Rivers as coach at midseason.

This remains a formidable team when everyone’s healthy, but that hasn’t been the case very often lately. Counting the playoffs, the Bucks had Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Lillard all available for only five of their final 39 games last season.

Antetokounmpo has missed all or part of the Bucks’ last two playoff series due to injuries, so keeping the two-time MVP healthy is paramount. The Bucks are hoping the offseason additions of veteran free agents Gary Trent Jr., Delon Wright and Taurean Prince can boost the depth of their top-heavy roster.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Turns out, Mitchell really does like it in Cleveland.

The All-Star guard’s decision to sign a long-term contract extension this summer should keep the Cavs among the Eastern Conference’s elite for the next few seasons.

If forward Evan Mobley further develops his offensive game, the Cavs will be a problem and an NBA title contender. The pressure is on new coach Kenny Atkinson, who spent the past three seasons on Steve Kerr’s staff in Golden State. He takes over for J.B. Bickerstaff, who guided the club through a massive rebuild that began when LeBron James left six years ago for the Lakers.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers figured things went so well with last season’s surprising run to the Eastern Conference finals, they brought back their entire starting five and all but two players from the bench.

Haliburton, the reigning league champion in assists, will again anchor one an offense that flirted with breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record. He’ll be paired with Pascal Siakam, who managed to spend a whole offseason working out with his Pacers teammates after arriving in a January trade that might have sparked their postseason success.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls come into the season with a different look and major question marks. The biggest question involves Zach LaVine and his future.

Chicago broke up its core after missing the playoffs for the second year in a row and sixth time in seven seasons. Six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan wound up in Sacramento through a three-team, sign-and-trade. Alex Caruso got dealt to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey in a swap of guards.

But LaVine remains a Bull, at least for now.

The two-time All-Star had season-ending foot surgery in February and is in the middle of a five-year, $215.16 million contract extension he signed after 2021-22 season.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are desperately hoping to take steps toward relevance after a disappointing season in which they tied an NBA record by losing 28 straight games within a single season.

Detroit revamped its leadership group for the latest rebuilding effort, hiring Trajan Langdon as president of basketball operations and Bickerstaff as coach to replace the fired Troy Weaver and Monty Williams.

Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick overall in 2021, signed a $224 million, five-year contract extension to stay with a team that added some veterans in the offseason to join Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey. The Pistons signed Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley, acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. from Dallas in a trade and selected Ron Holland of the G League Ignite with the No. 5 pick in the NBA draft.

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AP Sports Writers Larry Lage, Michael Marot, Andrew Seligman and Tom Withers contributed to this report.