The Bucks! The Bucks! I am SO excited for the 2015-16 Milwaukee Bucks basketball season. Although I am always excited about Bucks basketball, this is probably the most excitement I have had since that 2000-01 season (and we all know that the Eastern Conference Finals were fixed that year). I really wish I could attend tonight’s season opener in person (Pat, I want a towel). It feels like yesterday that I attended last season’s home opener on Halloween night…the energy that night in the BC was amazing! The bars afterward in MKE…let’s just say never go as Jordy Nelson for Halloween.
Here are a few things that I am looking forward to this Bucks season…
- New uniforms (it was about time…the Christmas colors had grown stale)…plus alternate black uniforms (I would liked to have seen throwback uniforms of some kind, but maybe in time…the new owners seem to know what they’re doing).
- New court design (while I liked the last design, the new design is even better and fresher)…plus the NBA’s first alternate court to be used during the four alternate jersey dates. Very cool idea!
- New players…Greg Monroe, Greivis Vasquez, Chris Copeland, and the Rook…Rashad Vaughn (I can’t wait to see these four in action).
- New announcers…GUS (need I say more) and Marques Johnson. While I wish Paschke and McGlocklin were completely out of the picture…this is a good start (at least Moncrief is gone).
- New arena…while a shovel hasn’t hit the ground yet and it likely won’t be ready until the 2018-19 season…this is definitely something to look forward to. Hopefully the Bucks will be at their peak when the new arena opens.
I am really going to miss attending Bucks games this year (remember, I saw 26 games (it really was amazing) during the worst season in franchise history in 2013-14…and I saw 9 of the 15 overall wins). I will now have to wait until December 18th to check out the Bucks in person. On that date, the Bucks travel to Oakland to take on the World Champion, Golden State Warriors (a team I won’t mind being forced to watch in the Bay Area…they are so fun to watch). Also, if things work out, I would like to head to Sacramento in February to see the Bucks take on the Kings. And hopefully, the Bucks will live up to expectations, and I will be able to take in a couple of key games in March when I am back in Wisconsin for…Spring Break. Either way, I’ll be watching the Bucks all season long thanks to the Fox Sports GO app…it will be my lifesaver (special shoutout to my parents for letting me steal their TWC password).
Obviously with this new season, there are new expectations. The Bucks will not sneak up on anyone this season…they will be the hunted at times. With that being said, I am predicting a 4-6 seed in the Eastern Conference (44-48 wins) and the Bucks WILL win a playoff series for the first time since 2001. I still believe the Bucks are a season or two (maybe three) away from really contending in the East. Remember, the Bucks are still Green and Growing!
So…#FearTheDeer and #OwnTheFuture
As for my NBA Finals prediction (I know you all care)…I am going to go out on a limb and predict Cleveland over Golden State. Come on LeBron, do it for Cleveland…end the championship drought for the city of Cleveland (50+ years has been long enough).