Matt Velazquez

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Bucks spent the regular season making it clear they were the best team in the NBA. They compiled the best record, the top net rating and the best point differential while also winning the season series against all 14 of their Eastern Conference foes.

However, there are still questions about the Bucks heading into Game 1 of their first-round playoff series at 6 p.m. Sunday against the Detroit Pistons. The bulk of those questions have to do with injuries, which plagued the Bucks over the final month of the season as most of the roster missed time with various ailments.

At practice Friday – the team's first challenging session in weeks after dealing with all those injuries down the stretch – the Bucks got some positive news as forward Nikola Mirotic rejoined the team on the court. Mirotic has been sidelined for the past 11 games after fracturing and spraining his left thumb on the face of Los Angeles Lakers center Moritz Wagner on March 19.

"He was able to go through the whole practice," said coach Mike Budenholzer, who noted Mirotic's shooting is looking more fluid. "We scrimmaged a little bit; not a ton. He went through every thing live. We’ll evaluate him tomorrow; today was a big step, to go through a practice, especially scrimmage and contact.

"We’re hopeful that he’ll come through good tomorrow. If he continues to progress, (we're) hopeful that he’ll be available for Game 1."

Mirotic only logged 14 games with the Bucks after coming to Milwaukee in a deal made at the trade deadline that, coincidentally, needed the cooperation of the Pistons to get done. The Bucks sent Thon Maker to Detroit in return for Stanley Johnson, who they flipped with Jason Smith to the New Orleans for Mirotic.

NOTES:Bucks aren't feeling any added pressure for playoffs

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SCHEDULE:Bucks-Pistons first round series

Mirotic was hampered by a calf injury when he arrived in Milwaukee and didn't play until after the all-star break. He then averaged 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds while making 35.6% of his three-pointers in 14 games before breaking his thumb.

While Mirotic didn't have much time to build chemistry with his new teammates, Bucks all-stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton both downplayed that minimal experience.

"I don't think it really matters," Middleton said Friday. "It's just if Niko's going to be in shape and going to be in rhythm and knock down shots. We need him to. But he was out there today and looked good in his first practice. He's still trying to get his wind but he's much farther along than I thought he'd be. As soon as we can get him out there, it'd be great."

The Bucks will open the series without guards Tony Snell (left ankle sprain) and Malcolm Brogdon (right foot plantar fascia tear). Snell was on hand for Friday's session but did not participate though he is progressing toward a potential return in the middle of the series, according to Budenholzer.

Brogdon, though, remains on a timeline that has him out until the second round. He was more active than Snell during the portion of practice open to the media, jumping rope the full length of the court with assistant coach Josh Longstaff, working out in the weight room and doing some dribbling and shooting work.

Injuries are certainly a factor for the Bucks going into the postseason, but the sore left knee of Detroit all-star Blake Griffin's knee is clouding the matchup even more. Griffin – an all-NBA candidate who averaged a career-high 24.5 points per game along with 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists – missed four of Detroit's final seven games and according to Pistons coach Dwane Casey is still considered to be day-to-day.

The Bucks are in the difficult position of preparing for two different versions of the Pistons.

“He’s such a focal point when he plays," Budenholzer said. "He’s very unique as a big guy where the ball is in his hands a ton. He’s the ball handler in pick-and-rolls, whether it’s (Andre) Drummond setting the screen or it’s a small guy is coming and screening for him. You have to be prepared for him playing in the post, whether it be on the block or the wings or goes to the elbows.

“As far as playing without him here recently, they’ve put a little more shooting out there, maybe played a little bit faster, a little more random. Ish Smith, whenever he checks in, they play faster.”

How the injuries shake out, particularly Griffin's, could influence the tenor of the series. The Bucks' health likely won't dictate whether they win the series or not – even with its current injuries Milwaukee remains the heavy favorite – but getting players back in rhythm could make a sizable difference in later rounds.

The Bucks aren't looking ahead by any stretch of the imagination, though. As much as they've accomplished, they know they still haven't proven anything yet. You can't shake 18 years of playoff failures before the playoffs even start. The same goes for questions about whether the regular season truly points to future success.

“They got a point," Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe said when asked about people who might say the Bucks haven't proven anything yet. "We got put out in the first round last year. We still got stuff to prove. We can’t get caught up in that. We know what we got to do as a team; we’ve got to take care of business.”