Move over Milwaukee. I'm riding the rollicking Bucks bandwagon

Jerome “Buck Man” West waves a Bucks flag in the Deer District outside Fiserv Forum before Wednesday's Eastern Conference finals game against the Toronto Raptors.

On Wednesday night, I attended my first Milwaukee Bucks game at the Fiserv Forum. Not of the playoffs. The whole season.

I didn't just jump on the bandwagon. I had to chase it down, beg it to stop and agree to wash it later.

But, like many of you, I'm aboard now and enjoying the wild ride. Our Bucks are in the Eastern Conference Finals on the way to the NBA Finals. Can I get a woot or two?

At the beginning of the season, I would have struggled to name a player besides Giannis. Now I can rattle off at least half a dozen, though I mix up Brogdon and Bledsoe. And, OK, I accidentally said Khris Stapleton the other day.

One of these days I'm going to buy some actual Bucks gear, maybe antlers. I wore a plain old green shirt to the game Wednesday and avoided any clothing in Toronto Raptors red.

It doesn't take much to get pulled into all the side stories to the Bucks' amazing run. Like everywhere Charles Barkley likes to eat in Milwaukee. Or why it's important to dislike Paul Pierce. Or the correct way to mean mug.

When Herb Kohl sold the Bucks in 2014, I may have said some uncharitable things about the New York billionaire hedge-fund investors who took over ownership. But let me say now that these guys have built a winning team

and an amazing new arena (with taxpayer help, of course) and the entertainment "deer district" out front.

There are half a dozen new tavern restaurants on the entertainment block and humongous outdoor viewing screens. The energy before, during and after these playoff games, even the ones played elsewhere, is electric. People are everywhere, which isn't something you say often about downtown Milwaukee, especially on a weeknight.

It's mostly open-air space without a roof over your head. You get a roofie maybe, but not a roof. Fear the mule!

It's not quite legal here yet, but you definitely smell weed out there on the plaza. Don't worry, it's medicinal. You can get so tense watching these do-or-die playoff games that fans likely are using it to reduce anxiety.

It's easy to meet Bucks fanatics. I ran into a guy who is now calling himself Jerome "Buck Man" West. He was standing outside the arena, waving a Bucks and Coors Light flag and trying to get in the background of live TV shots.

He said he won tickets on The Hop streetcar to one of the playoff games against the pushover Celtics. He loves the Bucks and their new indoor-outdoor home.

"They're enthused. They're hungry. That makes me hungry. It's catching. That's why everybody is out here whether they're going in or not," he said.

You almost hate to actually go into the Fiserv for the game because it means you're leaving the rockin' party outside. But I did finally enter with a media pass that didn't come with an actual seat. It was more like walkaround privileges.

Each fan at Fiserv was given a T-shirt and a wristband that glowed in a variety of colors, apparently controlled and synchronized by the Bucks. It was a cool effect when the arena lights were dimmed and the place glittered with thousands of individual stars.

The noise level during these playoff games is intense, both inside and outside the arena. It's all the excitement of World Cup soccer, except there's like 100 times more scoring.

The Bucks battled tirelessly to the victorious end, though I have to say it was also impressive when Bango, during one of the many timeout contests, made a half-court shot with his back to the basket.

Drink it in, Wisconsin sports fans. The Bucks are hot. The Brewers are hot. The Packers, well, we'll see what the new coach can do.

"The vibe is wild," said Brandon Ramey, a 23-yearold fan who high-fived me late in the game as the Bucks began to pull ahead.

"I mean it. I've never loved my city more." Contact Jim Stingl at (414) 224-2017 or jstingl@jrn.com. Follow him at Facebook or on Twitter @columnboy.