As part of their 50th anniversary, the Milwaukee Bucks will be playing in the famed MECCA for Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics. To commemorate the occasion, we’ll take a look at the last time they took the court in that building almost 30 years ago.
The last time the Milwaukee Bucks set foot on the famed Robert Indiana-designed floor in the MECCA arena, it was Friday, May 6, 1988.
On the brink of elimination, the Bucks were able to stay alive in their first round series against the Atlanta Hawks in a 105-99 win, thanks to a full contribution from their starting lineup that consisted of Sidney Moncrief, Paul Pressey, Larry Krystkowiak, Terry Cummings and Jack Sikma (the starting five scored 90 of the 105 points the Bucks scored that night).
Unfortunately, the Bucks fell to the Hawks in the series-deciding Game 5 two days later, which brought a close to their first home and set the stage for their impending arrival to what’s now known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
As everyone likely knows by now, the Bucks will be returning to their first stomping grounds for their matchup against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, night almost 30 years after their last appearance, as part of the team’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The organization hasn’t cut any corners for what will be a special night in the currently named UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, which will include a replica of the floor that made Milwaukee famous.
To celebrate this occasion, let’s take a special stroll down memory lane and look at what was on the minds of everyone around the country when the Bucks last played at the MECCA.
No.1 Album
Nobody puts the Bucks in the corner, except the 30 years of suffering that followed the team’s MECCA bow. The soundtrack to that exit was the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing, which was the No. 1 album in the U.S. at the time.
Mustache Mania
At the time the Bucks walked off the MECCA court, everyone was still riveted by the series finale of the Tom Selleck-led vehicle, Magnum P.I., which ended five days earlier (don’t worry, no spoilers will be revealed here).
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Price of Gas
Any look into the past seems to inevitably leads to comparing what the dramatic difference was in the cost of one gallon of gasoline from then to current day. In this instance, a gallon of gas cost 91 cents in 1986.
A solid day for the Brew Crew
While the Bucks were fighting to keep their season alive, the Milwaukee Brewers were in a battle of their own as they defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-0 in Kansas City.
Current Bucks players born
It should come as no surprise, considering how young of a team this current Bucks squad is, that only three current players on the team were alive at the time of the team’s last game at the MECCA. Those three players are Jason Terry, Mirza Teletovic and DeAndre Liggins.
One famous birth
One current player in the association was celebrating a special day of his own as sharpshooter Ryan Anderson was born on the very day the Bucks last took the floor in the MECCA.
That’s only the tip of the iceberg of seeing what life was like during that time, but hopefully you could immerse into the culture that was the spring of 1988 after reading these assorted facts.
And who knows, we may be looking into the past thirty years from now to honor a special day in Bucks history based on what they could achieve this season.