Nick Lawrence and his family visited Chicago from Milwaukee for a weekend away.
Then he and his son promptly split from the group to watch Bucks-Bulls Game 4 at a local bar.
"So I was like, where can we watch this game and cheer for the Bucks without getting beatin' up. So here we are," said Lawrence.
Nick and his son Ben, 12, a bona fide Bucks super fan — he's got the signed swag to prove it — found Will's Northwoods Inn.
The Wisconsin sports bar on Racine Avenue had about two dozen other Bucks fans to keep them company on Sunday afternoon for the early playoff game.
The Wisconsin theme is heavy. Packer and Badger memorabilia fills the walls. There's an entire chandelier made out of deer antlers. One portrait shows a boy embracing a doe.
Ben struggled to remain on his stool throughout the game, challenging foul calls and cheering three-point makes. Nick said Ben is erecting a "shrine" to Giannis at his mom's house.
"We're building like a mini Fiserv Forum. It will have a mini hoop and full-size Bobby and Giannis posters," said Ben. "It's going to be crazy, and we're going to watch Bucks games there."
He'll likely have plenty more chances this postseason. The Bucks are now just one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Bucks looked solid in Sunday's win, but the Bulls did narrow their deficit to just three points early in the third quarter.
"I was nervous because we weren't hitting any shots," said Ben. "But then we pulled through, started hitting them, and that's probably what saved our game."
Another Bucks fan at the bar, Adam, remained unsettled until the Bucks had grabbed a 20-point lead with about 2.5 minutes remaining.
"That's just kind of how I roll," he said. "I just want to make sure we're really, really good before I can actually start to celebrate."
The series returns to Milwaukee on Wednesday for Game 5.
