Milwaukee Bucks Trivia: Game 5

The Wane and Wax of Planet Pat, and Boo to the Bucks Stealing My Concept

Amidst the drudgery that is this Bucks season, today I’d like to ruminate on the road that Pat Connaughton travelled from hate to love among Bucks faithful.

Until somewhat recently, Planet Pat was in a solid nadir. He signed a pricy contract that was boneheadedly constructed by the Bucks brass. He flew by one too many times on opponents’ threes. He gentrified an already gentrifying city. And yet he has emerged today as one of the favored Bucks both on and off the court. Why?

A simple explanation is that he has played well. He justified the questionable contract last regular season, and he had the good fortune of being the only Buck that could buy a three during the championship run (Bryn Forbes outscoring Jimmy Butler in the first round notwithstanding – never forget). Pat also had the luck to have abysmal expectations, which did not require setting the world on fire to overcome.

He has also played consistently. Whenever Pat checks in, you know that he will be a three-point threat, an average defender, and a solid rebounder. Plus, given his multi-year tenure in Milwaukee, he has gelled with Giannis and others to develop effective two-man games on offense and positioning on both ends of the court. Further, it should be noted that he doesn’t have much competition for his role, as we have learned all too well this season. This has been the case in past seasons as well.

But I would like to emphasize something that is less discussed (until Andrew beat me to it in a recent recap): the extent to which Pat has tangibly improved his driving ability. Reducing the fly-by’s on defense is relatively straightforward, more of a product of patience rather than talent. But his newfound drives are not. Countless times this season, when the half-court offense has stalled, Connaughton has finagled his way through bigger bodies and shown remarkable touch to finish at the rim. When Giannis, Khris, and Jrue are too stationary for our liking (or are injured), Pat’s drives get us out of a fix and are incredibly deflating for opposing teams. This addition to his toolkit has made him a multidimensional offensive player, one that we have come to appreciate rather than denigrate. (Even if he is still gentrifying Milwaukee).

Before we set sail into trivia-land, I’d also like to send a warning across the bow of the Bucks for copping my idea – thank you to Gabe for bringing this farce to my attention.

I am 100% pro-trivia. But Bucks Trivia Live is clearly a rip-off of Milwaukee Bucks Trivia (and calls to mind the Judean People’s Front). And Kahoot? What are we, fifth graders? And way to use a platform that rewards speed over accuracy; note the victory of JOB over Byron and Leslie despite getting fewer correct answers. That’s not how we at Milwaukee Bucks Trivia roll. We welcome the Byrons and Leslies of the word that can deduce correct answers no matter the time to do so, and follow the Bucks’ opinion of JOB.

Without further ado, good luck on today’s trivia! The answers are in the comments below.

Question #1

Question #2

Question #3

Question #4

Question #5