But the way the Bucks got there made it all the more special.
Saturday night in Atlanta against the Hawks was unforgettable, the Bucks gutting it out, 118-107, winning the Eastern Conference Finals 4 games to 2.
And it was magical in Milwaukee, on a pleasantly warm, beautiful night with thousands of fans crammed into Deer District and roaring with every shot and every turn of the game that played out on a giant video screen.
By the end, it was a city of joy, the crowd chanting Milwaukee! Milwaukee! and then roaring some more as fireworks lit up the night sky.
We re going to finish everything, we re going all the way, said Teraira Giles of Milwaukee.
Kathy Kardok and Robert Ruck came in from Denver to experience Bucks fever. They were visiting Ruck s sister who lives in Milwaukee. I ve been watching it on TV for so long and now we re actually here, Kardok said as all three danced to music before the tip-off.
Milwaukee natives Aja Chestine and Tomica Brown weren t just drawn to the big game, but savored the communal spirit. It feels great to see all races, all genders just coming together and supporting the city, said Chestine, who owns a public relations agency. I love to see us all getting along and enjoying each other s company.
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This one is for Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and P.J. Tucker, and the big man in the middle, Brook Lopez.
It s for Giannis Antetokounmpo who couldn t play because of a hyperextended left knee and all the others who filled in.
And it s for the fans who watched every dramatic turn.
Especially those either old enough or so well-versed in Milwaukee Bucks lore to remember that championship season in 1971, the run to the final in 1974, the heart-breaker in 2001 and all those lean years that bedeviled and defined a franchise.
After all this time, the Bucks are back in the NBA Finals.
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