This is only tangentially related to Pat Connaughton and his performance tonight, but is anyone feeling a sort of Bucks melancholy right now, or is it just me? I don’t know what it is (well, I have some theories), but I just find myself not being very excited to watch the Bucks right now. What’s going on here, now that they’re finally a good team I can barely find the motivation to watch them play with the Cavaliers for three quarters before putting the boot on their throat?
The problem, I think, is the “finally a good team” part. This is uncharted territory for me, seeing the Bucks be a championship contender kinda. And with being a championship contender comes that horrible thing called “expectations”. Before, I never really expected the Bucks to win any particular game, even against the worst teams. Now, there are expectations. They’re supposed to win. They’re supposed to be dominant. Players have to play up to their contracts. And it’s all way too much pressure for a simple man like me.
Another problem is that all my fave Bucks players hardly get to play because all the “good” players are taking all the minutes. Connaughton is pretty much the sole exception, which is great, because he’s great and I love my little Irish leprechaun, but where’s D.J. Wilson? Where’s Donte DiVincenzo? Where’s Dragan Bender? I don’t like the nepotism shown with the Thanasis Antetokounmpo signing, but where is he? They’re all either in suits or sitting in warmups waiting in vain for their name to be called.
I swear I preferred the role-playered-to-heck/scrubbed-into-oblivion Bucks teams of the past to what they’re putting on the court these days. There is definitely something wrong with me.