Everyone knows that there is such a thing as so-called "appointment television." Those are shows that fans stop whatever else they are doing in order to watch.

"American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars" come to mind. Maybe "60 Minutes." Perhaps "Wipeout."

Tonight starts two weeks of what should certainly be "appointment television in Milwaukee."

It's the beginning of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Every game will be on at night on ABC.

Here's what you get out of this television program: Beauty. Grace. Violence. Drama. Speed. Intelligence. Arguments. Uniqueness. Humor. Despair. Strength.

And I would add one more crucial word that applies especially to Milwaukee viewers.

Potential.

Watch this series and you will see all that the NBA can be and is.  I hope it will go a long way toward making the right decision about the Milwaukee Bucks.

Everybody knows that we will soon be engaged in a serious discussion about building a new arena for the Bucks. There is a body of opinion out there that says "Good riddance. Let them move."

Unfortunately we can't counter that argument just by calling it "stupid and short sighted," which it is. The best way to expose these people to common sense is to make it mandatory that they watch the NBA Finals.

I don't know a sport that I haven't watched in my life, with the possible exceptions of Frisbee golf, roller blade racing or Wii Bowling. And nothing in the world of sports compares to an arena rocking during an NBA game. Nothing.

The roar and chanting during the Heat's late game run to pull away from the Celtics in their seventh game could be heard, perhaps even without microphones. And I've had the discussion with enough professional athletes to know that they actually believe the roar of the crowd is helpful and stimulating to the players.

As the finals get underway tonight it will be easy to see what the NBA can be. And it will be easy to understand the potential that exists in Milwaukee for this kind of excitement, this kind of national attention.

And as you sit in your easy chair, watching the best athletes in the world fly around the hardwood, fill your heart with hope that your hometown team may someday make the finals. Dream a little bit and smile over that dream.

We are going to make this whole process so difficult that people will end up screaming at each other. That's the way these things work. But it's really not that tough. Not at all.

That one-tenth of a cent sales tax we have for Miller Park will expire in 2017. I bet most people don't even notice it when they buy toilet paper or a new watch or a pair of tennis shoes. Let Herb Kohl make his donation and then let's allow that tax to pay for the rest. Simple.

Other major sports have their attractions – the strategy of baseball; the violence and force of football.

But in the NBA, where The Finals are appointment viewing, you have the carnival ride of all sports. You know. A thrill a minute.