Milwaukee Bucks fans had endured a long wait before getting the chance to see their team play a competitive game in their new state-of-the-art home building, but as they filed out of Fiserv Forum on Friday night there was little doubt that it had all been worth it.
As the new arena acted as a noisy and vibrant backdrop, the new-look Bucks delivered a performance filled with life and likely to generate some noise around the wider NBA too.
The Pacers could have been far from an ideal opponent for the Bucks’ home opener, as a plucky Eastern Conference upstart with all of the talent required to spoil any potential party atmosphere.