Bucks 'Return to the Mecca' for Thursday's retro tilt with Celtics

Game-day operations teams rely on plenty of tricks to drum up interest for midweek games throughout the season. But while everyone enjoys a free bobblehead, few franchises can offer fans the fully immersive experience of time travel.

The Milwaukee Bucks will do just that Thursday night against the visiting Boston Celtics, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. will forsake the modern conveniences of their permanent home at BMO Harris Bradley Center to celebrate the team's 50th season at its old haunt, the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, better known to Bucks fans as "the MECCA."

First opened in 1950, the MECCA has a rich NBA history. It first housed the Milwaukee Hawks from 1951 until the franchise's relocation to St. Louis in 1955, and then served as the Bucks' home base from their inaugural season in 1968 until 1988.

Local fans witnessed a young Kareem Abdul-Jabar, then Lew Alcindor, power the Bucks to home-court victories at the MECCA in Games 1 and 3 of the 1971 Finals, en route to a sweep of the Baltimore Bullets and the franchise's lone NBA championship.

Today, the MECCA offers between 10,000 and 13,000 thousand seats - well below the lowest seating capacity of any current NBA arena. At least the intimate environment will give those in attendance a close look at the reproduction of the building's iconic court design.

As announced back in August, the Bucks will also be debuting their new Classic Edition jerseys Thursday night - an updated take on the team's vintage red, green, and white color scheme:

For the sake of tradition, both teams should agree to refrain from taking 3-point shots.