Toronto Raptors won Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. They beat the Golden State Warriors with some of the same things we saw them do to the Milwaukee Bucks over the last two weeks when they won four straight games. It felt like watching deja vu. Game 1 of the NBA Finals hurt a lot of Bucks fans last night. They felt this should have been the Fiserv Forum, and Jurassic Park should have been the Deer District. Instead, the WISN news crew did a hokey thing about how no one is there tonight (No fucking shit, right?). There was no pain watching the Raptors tonight. I thought about the Bucks for a second, but it’s a marathon with this team, not a sprint.

Milwaukee Bucks are going to be in the NBA Finals. I’m not trying to speak this into existence, rather, I have faith that Giannis Antetokounmpo can bring this team to the mountain top or damn close. As some have pointed out, Golden State getting to the 2015 NBA Finals was a bit fluky, and with Tony Allen going down, it really felt like Memphis could have made it to the Finals. This felt like a year early. I said on my podcast yesterday, the Eastern Conference Finals was the goal when this team starting to really cook this season. Raptors are deep and playoff experience-laden, yet it is harder for me to get on board with things being painful for Bucks fans.

Now if this is the Philadelphia Sixers, I am probably gutted. Why? Joel Embiid runs his fucking mouth. Ben Simmons gets a ton of hype. And all we would hear is how ‘The Process’ worked, even if that’s bullshit. Philly and Milwaukee have a real, tangible rivalry. Toronto and Milwaukee do not. There is some hate, yet it’s not like Philly. Bucks fans hate Sixers fans and vice versa. Sure, I saw a fight between Raptors and Bucks fans after Game 1, but those dudes were being dumbasses. There isn’t much ill will towards the two teams, and honestly, that makes things easier. It is not anything like 2011.

2011 World Series was the worst fucking thing ever. The Milwaukee Brewers didn’t have a huge window. They brought in Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and Prince Fielder in the last year of his deal. Brewers were the best team in the National League, and St. Louis Cardinals came on hot late in the year. Cardinals beat Philadelphia in Round 1, and they faced Milwaukee. These two teams went back and forth yet St. Louis came out on top. That hurt so much. Seeing a true rival beating you to get to the World Series then win it in a dramatic seven-game series was the worst pain.

If Milwaukee’s window was ready to close, my pain would feel like a machete to the stomach. But right now, the window is still wide open with it closing just slightly. This is only the beginning, Bucks fans.

Charlie.