The Bucks open their 2015-16 campaign tonight against the New York Knicks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Incredibly, it’s the first time they’ve played a season opener at home since 1984, when they beat the Bulls, 108-106, on Oct. 27 of that year.
That was 31 seasons ago, when things were a lot different – not just for the team but also for the city. Those Bucks were coached by Don Nelson, who would go on to win the league’s Coach of the Year award, and were led by Sidney Moncrief and Terry Cummings, both of whom were named to the All-NBA Second Team. That team played in the MECCA Arena, finished in first place in the Eastern Conference Central Division with a 59-23 record and eventually got eliminated in the conference semifinals by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Compare that to the 2015-16 version, which is coached by Jason Kidd (who was 11 in 1984) and led by 20-year-olds Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker – neither of whom would be born for another decade. These Bucks no longer play in the MECCA, which is now called the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, but rather in the BMO Harris Bradley Center – at least for a little bit longer. They are projected to compete for a postseason spot and perhaps finish as one of the top six teams in the conference. Meanwhile, the current 76ers are far from being a playoff team.
So, what else was different in 1984? Well, plenty – but unfortunately, "Back to the Future" didn’t come out until the following year, so we can’t get in our DeLorean to go back and look.
Nevertheless, here’s a brief comparison between some Milwaukee things in 1984 and 2015.
Bradley Center
1984: Not yet planned or even donated by Jane Bradley Pettit
2015: Slated for replacement in 2018, to be demolished soon after
Milwaukee Brewers
1984: Finished seventh in the American League East Division with a record of 67-94, traded young catcher Ned Yost to the Rangers before the season
2015: Finished fourth in the National League Central Division with a record of 68-94, watched former manager Ned Yost guide the Royals to their second World Series in a row
Green Bay Packers
1984: Coached by Forrest Gregg, quarterbacked by Lynn Dickey and had a 1-7 record on Oct. 28
2015: Coached by Mike McCarthy, quarterbacked by Aaron Rodgers and have a 6-0 record on Oct. 28
Milwaukee Wave
1984: Founded and began first year of play as a member of the American Indoor Soccer Association
2015: Oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in North America and a member of the Major Arena Soccer League
ComedySportz
1984: Founded by local comedian Dick Chudnow and began its first year of competitive laugh-making
2015: Still operating as a national improvisational comedy organization
Henry Maier
1984: Mayor
2015: Festival grounds
Homicides
1984: 47 reported in the City of Milwaukee, according to Wisconsin Bureau of Justice statistics
2015: 128 reported thus far in the City of Milwaukee, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel statistics
Tax rate
1984: 5.51 (state and county rate)
2015: 5.60 (5.50 state and county rate, plus 0.1 percent stadium tax)
Milwaukee’s Best
1984: First introduced by Miller Brewing Company as an affordable beer "brewed for a man's taste"
2015: Still brewed for some reason, but for a taste not suitable even for high schoolers in a basement
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
