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When the Boston Celtics take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, the latter will feature a special tribute to the franchise in honor of their 50th anniversary season on Thursday.
Instead of the game being played at the Bradley Center it will take place at the University of Wisconsin's Milwaukee Panther arena, which was commonly known as the MECCA (Milwaukee Exposition, Convention Center and Arena) during the 20 years in which the Bucks called it home from 1968–88.
This has positioned both teams to play on a constructed brand-new replica floor like the original, which is yet to receive NBA approval concerning player safety.
Despite that, Celtics All-Star guard Kyrie Irving has his reservations about the situation.
https://twitter.com/SInow/status/923622161159507968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2F2017%2F10%2F26%2Fkyrie-irving-milwaukee-bucks-mecca-throwback-court
“I'm all about safety. We will see how it is on my knees and see how it is on everyone's bodies. I know this is a pretty older court and freshly painted as well. I'm just going to do my assessment and go from there…Took me three steps to realize this is not the same court I'm not used to playing on so we will see what's up.”
Although it's a newly-built floor, this is an entirely different feel for the players that could cause them to be uneasy. This is especially the case for Irving given his well-document injury history with knee problems that have caused him to miss a significant amount of time.
Meanwhile, his teammate Al Horford expressed much excitement about the opportunity to play on the replica court.
Al Horford just walked into shootaround at the MECCA and immediately started smiling and taking pictures of the bright court. pic.twitter.com/0MX1CV87Fy
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) October 26, 2017
Ultimately, this is something that will only take place if it is deemed safe after the Bucks and Celtics take the floor on Thursday night.
