In the early 2000s, no team drove Orlando made like Milwaukee. Yes, hard to believe. But at one time the Bucks were perhaps the Magic's biggest rival.
That thought seems so silly now with Milwaukee's struggles toward relevancy. But back in the day, the Bucks rolled with Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassel. It was deadly trio that got Milwaukee some playoff glory... although no titles and really nothing more than a blip on the general NBA historical radar screen.
But for some reason, George Karl's team was maddeningly difficult for Doc Rivers, Tracy McGrady and Darrell Armstrong to solve.
The rivalry truly gained footing in 2002 when Karl said in an interview with Esquire that several long-time assistant coaches were being overlooked in favor of former players like then-Magic coach Doc Rivers or then-Nets coach Byron Scott.
The outrage in Orlando was so great that they played the Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back when Karl took the floor during a 101-91 win in 2002 -- that effectively broke the curse and was one of the most fun games I have ever been to.
What hurt even more was the fact Milwaukee won 10 consecutive regular season games from 1999-2002. And let's go further back and mention the Bucks won just two of the first 14 meetings -- and those early 90s Bucks teams were no where near as good as those late 90s Bucks teams.
The rivalry truly began when the Bucks knocked the heart and hustle team out of surprising Playoff contention with a 85-83 win in Orlando on the penultimate game of the season.
The rivalry really came to a head when the seventh-seeded Magic faced the second-seeded Bucks in the 2001 Playoffs. This was Tracy McGrady's first foray into the postseason as a member of the Magic.
Milwaukee were the clear favorites entering the series and Orlando was honestly looking for one game in the best of five series. The Bucks took the first two games in the Bradley Center as expected. But Tracy McGrady turned in one of his patented postseason performances.
The Orlando Sentinel's headline read: T-Mactacular!
McGrady scored 42 points in the overtime win to snap an 11-game losing streak to the Bucks. It was a cathartic win at the TD Waterhouse Centre.
Milwaukee still won the series in four, closing out on the Orlando floor a few nights later.
That win seemed to make all the suffering worth it.
The losing continued somewhat. Orlando won just eight times in 27 meetings between 1999 and the beginning of 2006. It will forever be Milwaukee Madness for Orlando.
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