By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Jun 20, 2021 at 10:01 AM Photography: Milwaukee Bucks

I had this crazy dream last night. So it was Game 7 between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets, and somehow the Bucks ... won? On the road, too! Giannis hit not one but two threes, and at some point near the end of the game, Kevin Durant even airballed a three – which is when I was like, "OK, brain, you're really going wild with this one." But what a lovely fantasy ... 

(*checks ESPN.com*)

WAIT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WAS REAL!?

Somehow, despite the basketball gods and Milwaukee's own offensive ineptitude and Kevin Durant's heroic performance and everything the past several decades of Wisconsin sports fandom would tell you, the Bucks won a huge game, beating the Brooklyn Nets, 115-111, in an overtime thriller that Milwaukee fans – and basketball fans, in general – will remember forever. The Bucks now head off to the Eastern Conference Finals – their first trip since 2019 – where they await the winner of Sunday's Hawks-76ers bout. Wait, there's at least another whole series after this now?! But ... I'm so happy!

Let's celebrate a little bit longer by laughing in fate's face, looking back at some of the most memorable moments from the Bucks' massive Game 7 victory in Brooklyn and looking forward to getting back on the court with an NBA Finals trip on the line. 

1. Bucks fans going bananas

The game may have been out on the East Coast, but Bucks fans brought all of the excitement and then some to Deer District on Saturday night, loading up the plaza area with anxious fans making enough noise to travel all the way to Brooklyn. There was a lot to proud of Milwaukee for last night – and the live shots to a loaded Deer District, cheering and ecstatic, was near the top of that list. 

2. Hard-earned free throws

The Giannis free throw adventure continued Saturday night, as the Brooklyn faithful heckled the hell out of the Bucks' star each time he took the line and busted out his painfully elongated rhythm. He airballed two free throws on the night, much to the delight of the Nets crowd, but he actually went 8-of-14 from the line – not great, but clutch when he needed to be.

The nice thing is, in the next round, the Bucks will either face the Hawks and get home court advantage (which means at least one game less of this harranguing) or they'll take on the Sixers, whose star has his own (arguably worse) issues from the line so they've got nothing to pester about. 

3. NO! YES!

The true Bucks fan experience is shrieking in pain and agony as our incredible two-time MVP line up a three-pointer, only to lose our minds in joy as he manages to bank in it. Giannis ended up hitting two miraculous threes on Saturday night, so thank the heavens for that. (Out of six attempts, though – but much like any coach's attempt to get Giannis off the three-point line, we'll just ignore that.)

4. Holiday arrives just in time

Jrue Holiday had yet another bad game – 13 points on putrid 5-of-23 shooting – in a pretty bad series that unfortunately hasn't shown him to be the upgrade he certainly is. But while he struggled most of Saturday night, his jumper showed up right on time for the Bucks as Holiday put in a three and a nice baseline jumper just when Milwaukee needed it in the fourth quarter with the Nets threatening to pull away. It was a rough night for Holiday, but without those key shots – not to mention his clutch defense on Durant near the end of the game – we'd be having a lot less fun today. 

5. Brook's brainfart

I imagined all sorts of ways for the basketball gods to break our hearts in Game 7. Maybe Giannis would get hurt midway through the game? Or another epic collapse topped by a Nets buzzer-beater? Or perhaps a 50-point beatdown that would make us question everything? But never in my wildest negative nightmares did I predict "Brook Lopez pulls a J.R. Smith, forgetting how much time is left on the clock and therefore handing the ball back to the Nets with just enough time for Brooklyn to hurt me." Impressive and inventive work, basketball gods. Well done. 

6. Tied by a toe

Kevin Durant hitting a clutch shot to crush Bucks' fans hearts and dreams? Not surprising. No, what was shocking about this moment is that Durant failed to get his big toe behind the three-point arc, merely sending the game to overtime rather than sending the Bucks home for the season. And thankfully, Milwaukee took advantage of this strange oversight in fate's long-running plot to murder Bucks fans' souls.

7. Redemption

Brook Lopez had to do something to make up for the fact that he might've J.R. Smithed the Bucks out of a ECF trip. Blocking Kevin Durant during a key moment in overtime? Yeah, that'll do the trick.

8. Same

Look, it's a photo of my face for approximately three whole damn hours on Saturday!

The Bucks were playing for Bud's coaching life on Saturday night, as it wasn't a question of if Milwaukee's coach would be fired in case of a loss, but how soon after the game he would be fired. Would they give him the night, or would the Bucks brass fire him right after the clock hit triple zeroes? Thanks to last night, we'll never know. (Though even after the victory, the Bucks could win the NBA Finals this season, and I still wouldn't be sure Coach Bud's coming back.)

9. Middleton rises to the top

Much like Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton didn't have his best performance on Saturday night – 23 points on 9-of-26 shooting including two-of-seven from deep – but he showed up right on time for the Bucks, hitting some key jumpers at critical times, including this shot that would give Milwaukee a lead they wouldn't give back.

10. It's a miracle

I've been a Bucks long enough to know that when the opposing team's star player is eyeing up a game-winning shot, things are going to end poorly for Milwaukee. And yet ... 

How did that not go down? How did it not even draw rim?! Were the sports gods asleep at the wheel for a moment!? WHAT IS THIS SENSATION I SUDDENLY FEEL!? IS THIS HAPPINESS!?

11. Elation

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

12. Two greats

Win or lose, these two guys put on one heck of a show for the past seven games, one for the record books – literally. Giannis and Durant marked only the third time in NBA history that two players on opposing teams both put up 40 points in a Game 7. What a performance. 

And somehow, for the Bucks, there's more after this. I still don't entirely believe it. 

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.