THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!

CUE THE DAMN MUSIC:

I mean you’ve got to give Eddy J Lemberger a ring, right?? He drops this absolute BANGER on May 19th, the Bucks proceed to go on an epic run to their first title since 1971. Coincidence? There’s no such thing.

Folks, let me tell you something, I think this is as happy as I’ve ever been about one of our teams. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED the two Super Bowl teams I’ve been able to see in my lifetime, but this hits different. And I think it’s because of how many years of terrible Bucks teams I’ve watched since 1992. Year after year, crap after crap, with maybe a year or two of respite (and heartbreak) mixed in. Actually, to connect this back to the Packers, the feeling I have right now must be exactly what people in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s felt when the Packers won it all in 1996. I’ve said many times: I’ve lived a privileged football fan life. I learned what football was just as the Favre/Holmgren Era and the Barry Alveraz Era were starting. I’ve known nothing but championship caliber football. But fans who were my current age back in 1996, they SUFFERED. They watched 25+ years of inept football. So when the Badgers won the Rose Bowl in 1993, and the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1996, it probably meant a lot more to them than it did to me as a kid.

But for the diehards like me that have suffered through year after year of horrible front office decisions and a terrible on-the-court product, what a release last night was. When the clock got under 1:30, and it was becoming apparent that ‘it’ was going to happen, I couldn’t believe it. When I saw ‘Milwaukee Bucks 2020-21 NBA Champions’ on the screen, I couldn’t fathom it. I still can’t.

Now certainly this was a total team effort. Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, and PJ Tucker were the ultimate role players. They’ll never pay for a PBR again in Milwaukee for the rest of time. Jrue Holiday, for as awful as he was on offensive at times last night, was the missing piece that this team needed in 2019. But this comes down to two players: Giannis and Khris Middleton. Check out this team photo from 2013:

The only two players left. They went from winning 15 games all regular season, to winning 16 games in the playoffs. Incredible. Related: I sneaky miss those red jerseys.

But I think the Giannis/Khris narrative is what makes this title sweeter than a title won by a ‘Super Team.’ Giannis was an 18 year old playing in the second tier of the Greek League when he was drafted. Middleton was a throw in player in the Brandon Jennings (BUCKS IN 6!)/Brandon Knight deal. He was in the G League for early parts of his career. But they went to work. And worked, and worked and worked. They fought with each other at first, then slowly developed a comradery, and now they’re doing karate in the garage together. And as that happened, the team started getting better. They started winning games, they made the playoffs! They lost to the Bulls in the first round, the Raptors in the first round, the Celtics in the first round. They had their spirit tested when they gave away a 2-0 series lead in the ECF to Toronto in 2019. They were on pace for 70 wins in 2020 and then totally imploded on themselves in the bubble during a pandemic.

And then this year. Nobody was sure what to expect, especially with a Super Team in Brooklyn. They spent the regular season mostly winning games, but primarily experimenting with different schemes that they could use to reverse their fortunes in the playoffs. They exorcised the Miami demons from 2020 with a clean sweep. They rose from the dead and a 2-0 series deficit against Kevin Durant. They won Game 7 on the road in overtime! They gave away Game 1 of the ECF against Atlanta, recovered to win two straight, and just as things were looking solid, Giannis’ knee just about bent at a 90 degree angle the opposite way. Without Giannis, they won two games in a row, and somehow, someway, Giannis didn’t suffer any structural damage to his knee. Miraculously, he came back to play for Game 1, and proceeded to go on one of the more dominant Finals runs in NBA history. They grinded and grinded and grinded over 8 years together, and finally reached the top of the mountain. Obviously I would have taken a Bucks title any way I could get it, but the way this team spent years together learning and working, makes it even sweeter. Giannis on Super Teams:

He’s just the best. A player with supreme talent, who works his ass off on both ends of the court, is humble, introspective, loyal, self deprecating, and FUN! And at 26 years old, he’s a 2x MVP, Finals MVP, Champion, 1x DPOY, 5 time All Star. He’s already a Hall of Famer. And he dropped a 50 burger in a championship clinching game! 50! How did this poverty franchise that I’ve been rooting for my entire life get a player like this. A true unicorn.

So does this break the Wisconsin Sports Curse of the last decade?!?!

I won’t post the graphic that I posted a few months ago that broke down all of the NLCS appearances, and NFC Championship Game appearances, Final Four appearances, etc., that have all turned sour since 2011. Finally we had a team break through! It doesn’t feel real.

One more thing, on a personal note: I couldn’t help but think of my dad last night. Many of you know, we lost him suddenly last summer. Watching Wisconsin sports, and bonding over them, was a big part of our relationship. The Packers were our primary ‘thing’ we watched together, but from about 1996-2002 we watched just about every Bucks game together. Now I don’t think that I’m unique in this regard, middle school isn’t a picnic for anyone really, but I had my struggles during that period of my life (12 years old through about 15 years old). One thing I always looked forward to: Bucks gameday. I’d get home from school, we’d have dinner as a family, and then my sister and my mom would watch whatever they were watching, and my dad and I would retire to the basement to watch a Bucks game. In fact, the first major sporting event I ever attended was a Bucks game with my dad. Here I am before we left:

The Vin Baker Grimace-purple baby! I’ll never forget that night. The Bucks played Alonzo Mourning and the Heat and lost 106-100. We had a blast. I would have given anything to be able to call him, or watch the game with him last night. Bucks games weren’t something he watched religiously anymore, but I think he would have liked this team a lot.

So, parade tomorrow??

It happened. I can’t believe it happened!

PS: LOVE this exchange with Bobby and Pat: