Bucks Will Paint Cream City Green

With the NBA playoffs set to start Saturday, the first-place Milwaukee Bucks — owners of the best record in the NBA — are ready to paint the town green.

The team will even have a rolling billboard throughout the playoffs, which begin April 13 and continue until the NBA championship series scheduled for early June. The Hop, Milwaukee’s streetcar system, will cover one of its five vehicles in a Milwaukee Bucks-themed vinyl wrap.

According to an announcement on NBA.com, the vehicle will be clad in the Bucks’ green, cream and blue colors as well as action shots of the players. The floor of the vehicle will have a replica of the team’s court installed, complete with life-sized player footprints. A social media contest is planned.

The Kansas City Chiefs football team pulled off a similar vehicle wrap last fall in support of the NFL’s team playoff appearance. Oklahoma City recently wrapped its streetcar to celebrate the Oklahoma City Thunder going to the NBA playoffs. Watch the video of the graphics installation.

But what about that $10 million, 12-year Potawatomi Hotel & Casino sponsorship deal? Fear not, the vehicle will still sport Potawatomi’s brand. The streetcar is free to ride due to a federal grant and Potawatomi’s sponsorship. The city is pursuing an extension to the arena.

But The Hop won’t be the only bandwagon to hop on. The team announced it intends to dye the Milwaukee River green as it runs through Downtown on Friday, similar to what is done in Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day. It will also decorate a number of skywalks.

BMO Harris, the team’s “official bank,” will cover the windows of its office tower so they spell out “Fear the Deer” starting Thursday evening.

Fiserv Forum, which opened last August, has also been covered in graphics featuring the team’s starting lineup of Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

You’ll be able to look at those graphics if you’re able to pull your eyes away from the 40-foot-high screen the team will install in the plaza. Fans will be able to watch every Bucks playoff game on the massive screen, home or away, as well as in the beer garden that connects the arena to N. Old World Third St. The party starts two hours before every home game and one hour before every road game.

The team also teased on Twitter that a new version of the “Light It Up” song and video could be coming. The song, first made popular during the team’s deep playoff runs almost 20 years ago, features highlights of the team’s stars and a catchy chorus.

The playoff schedule will be released following the conclusion of the NBA season on Wednesday night. The team’s first-round opponent is dependent on the outcome of tonight’s games.

The Bucks secured the NBA’s best record and home-court advantage throughout the four playoff rounds on April 4th. The team, led by most valuable player candidate Antetokounmpo, enters its final game with 60 wins and 21 losses.

In advance of the playoffs the team has been installing a number of new Fiserv Forum signs on the arena, celebrating the opening of businesses in the entertainment block and demolishing the Bradley Center.

The best team song of all time!?! pic.twitter.com/5auOM16KFD

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 10, 2019

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