The city of Milwaukee holds a special place in my heart. As a kid growing up in Milwaukee we would travel to other places, and the one thing that sticks out in my mind when we would return home would be the smell when you arrived in Milwaukee. The city would often times stink but it was a unique stench. The smell was made up by a blue-collar city that was producing beer, loading up animals at the stock yards, Jones Island and many other manufacturing facilities. The city often receives criticism for that stench but to me that smell meant home.
The Milwaukee Bucks also hold a special place in my heart. I remember going to watch the Bucks in the Mecca arena with my grandpa as a young child. The Bradley Center was built when I was nine years old. There were many years of my life where the Bucks were terrible. Then in the early 2000’s things began to change with the big three in Milwaukee. As the Bucks became relevant in the NBA there was still continuous heartache and frustration. It was just evident that the Bucks would let me down in some way even as I invested so much emotionally in watching the rise and then the guaranteed fall. Last night that all changed. The Milwaukee Bucks won a championship!
This year’s version of the Bucks has been truly special to watch. As I have watched this team compete throughout this season, I have been in awe how much the personality of the team models the personality of Milwaukee. The similarities of the players and the city are built along the traits of humility, hard work, fun, and constant bashing because neither is shiny, trendy or cosmopolitan.
Giannis is Milwaukee as he represents the humility and fun side of the city. Giannis struggled at the free throw line and as an MVP he would sometimes airball a free throw. Everyone seemed to lose their minds over his struggles at the free throw line. The only person that did not seem to be bothered by this was Giannis himself. Giannis would simply get back on the charity stripe and try again. Even with these struggles Giannis would show up and compete. He would put up unbelievable stats but would give credit to his teammates. He chose to stay in Milwaukee and build a team to win a championship rather than jump to a super team. He broke the mold of what it entails to be successful in the league today by bringing a championship to Milwaukee. While doing all of this he remained humble and had fun. His friendship with Khris Middleton has been amazing to watch as Giannis was the most excited person to see Middleton succeed in this championship run. There is a constant mantra that you need a Batman and Robin to win in the NBA. The thing that is different about this team and Giannis is that the Batman could be a different person on different nights and everyone was fine with that. The humility that Giannis displays is a fundamental piece of the city of Milwaukee as well.
P.J. Tucker and Bobby Portis are the rough and tough side of Milwaukee. In the series against New Jersey Tucker was tasked with guarding Kevin Durant. Tucker was physical, rough and tough while defending Durant even as he was giving up forty plus points. Tucker just kept coming back and getting back up after being defeated by the incredible offensive skill set of Kevin Durant. Milwaukee is a rough and tough place at times and there is not a lot of room for the weak. The city is built on hard work and toughness. P.J. Tucker and Bobby Portis embodied this and brought a toughness that the Bucks haven’t had in previous years.
This year the Bucks brought in Jrue Holliday and he made a significant impact on this team in both his play and his leadership. While Holliday is an absolute pit bull, he has a tremendous intellect. Holliday has donated significant money to help Black business owners in Milwaukee. His wife is involved in many philanthropic causes in the city as her impact is also felt in the community. Jrue Holliday is what the city of Milwaukee aspires to be. He embodies the commitment to social causes and the generosity that is found by so many in Milwaukee.
Khris Middleton is often referred to as the number two to Giannis. Middleton receives constant criticism that he is not a legit number two and the Bucks will never win it all with him as Robin. I have heard that Middleton is definitely no Pippen. In this title run there were moments where Middleton became the Robin. He seemed to become the closer in games as the ball often ended up in his hands when it mattered most at the end of games. Even with the constant criticism Middleton never seemed to become rattled. The constant comparisons to more attractive number two players in the league and history never impacted Middleton and he silenced the critics when it mattered the most. The city of Milwaukee receives constant criticism because it is not Chicago. Milwaukee is always number two compared to Chicago but the city always shines and summer in Milwaukee is amazing. While Milwaukee may not have the same amenities as the bigger cities it does not seem to care. Milwaukee, like Middleton, just keeps doing what it does and does not try to be something else. Middleton and Milwaukee take the criticism but keep shining when it matters the most.
This championship run was monumental. Last night my almost three-year-old son stayed up late to watch the game with us, and he was yelling and dancing at almost 11:00 p.m. It is a moment that I will never forget. The perfect team for a perfect city. The team showed up and so did the city. There were over 65,000 fans packed into the Deer District outside of the arena. Giannis put the franchise and the city on his back, and today we all woke up as champions. It was perfect harmony between a team and a city that have truly become one. As I have watched the Bucks this year there were moments where they flat out stunk just like Milwaukee. Even with that stench you still had to love them for what they are, and today they are World Champions.
It’s true that the Bucks exorcised countless Milwaukee demons last night. In watching this group of players overcome so much to emerge on top, the difference between this team and past Bucks squads (including those with Khris and Giannis) became evident. You are right to note that a huge part of that was the contributions of newcomers Holiday, Tucker and Portis. But also apparent was the culmination of the slow and steady maturation of our Dynamic Duo. As a fan who just witnessed the first ever title in his hometown, I have renewed respect for what it REALLY takes to succeed. The hard work, mental toughness, endless preparation, persistence during hard times and, perhaps most underrated, the inner strength to be willing to rely on help from those in your corner were all ramped up to the nth degree and are what set the 2021 Bucks apart from all the near-misses of yesteryear. For better or worse, we can now accept that fate has nothing to do with it.
The city of Milwaukee now knows what a championship unit looks like and what it takes to be a champion. We would be wise to follow these players’ example in our own lives, both individually and communally.
First game I watched all year. Perhaps I was a good luck charm.