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Why Bucks vs Raptors Is A Very Important Game

Sometimes it’s just another game...but sometimes it’s about exorcising demons.

By Mitchell Maurer

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Eastern Conference Finals - Milwaukee Bucks v Toronto Raptors Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Happy Halloween, everyone! If you’re just joining the Milwaukee Bucks bandwagon now, welcome to the party. Now that you’re here, an important fact you should know is that the 2018-19 Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors were a gut punch of epic proportions. It wasn’t just that the Bucks lost to the eventual NBA Champions, or that Giannis Antetokounmpo was effectively neutralized while Kawhi Leonard willed his team to victory, or that Fred VanVleet caught lightning in a bottle and drenched the Bucks from downtown.

The Bucks were there, up 2-0, and they lost four straight to the Raptors and got eliminated. It hurt, a lot. It’s the kind of pain that sticks with you as a sports fan, and unlike most things in life the best cure for it is vengeance.

Lucky for us, the Bucks get a chance at vengeance on Saturday, November 2nd, when the Toronto Raptors come back to town. If you can make it to the game, you should. The Bucks will be returning for a one-game stop in between six road games, so this Saturday is your last chance to see them in-person for a while!

I know that if I was in Wisconsin this week, this would be a game I would want to catch. So if you want to be at Fiserv Forum to be a part of Milwaukee’s attempt to put last season’s disappointment firmly in the rearview mirror, get your tickets at StubHub through this link.

One of the team’s goals (both according to us and, well, most people) is to make it to the NBA Finals. The Bucks are good enough for that goal to be realistic! But while the long-term goal remains the same, in the short term it would be a huge boost to the franchise and fanbase alike if the Bucks can vanquish the Raptors at home, even if Kawhi is in California now. Sure, the Raptors are weaker now, but the demon of last year’s playoff exit needs to be exorcised all the same.

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