An anecdotal send-off for an all-time Bucks role player
July 11th, 2021. That’s the day when Pat Connaughton cemented his place in Milwaukee Bucks history and knocked down a shot that will be etched into my brain forever.
Take a moment and think back to Game 3 of the 2021 Finals. The Bucks were back in Milwaukee after dropping two games in Phoenix, facing the crunch of a potential 0-3 deficit. It was perhaps the single biggest game the team had ever played up to that point. Rally towels inscribed with the slogan “History in the Making” lined every seat in Fiserv Forum. Tens of thousands of fans converged on the stadium that night, hoping to witness that history, and I was one of them.
In the summer of 2021, I was 15 years old heading into my sophomore year of high school (sorry if that makes you feel old). I was new to the writing scene, having started my personal blog and written my first article just several months prior, but I was just as passionate about the NBA and the Bucks as I am right now. When my team made their storybook run all the way to the Finals, my dad and I knew we had to get to a game. We absolutely picked the right one to attend.
The Bucks came out in Game 3 and played like champions. They scraped together run after run, cooling off Phoenix every time they picked up steam. A massive 21-6 charge in the third quarter from the Bucks had the roof of Fiserv about to blow. Me, my dad, and some 16,000 other fans were going crazy in the stands. It was at the end of that fateful period where Pat Connaughton had his magic moment.
Cam Payne missed a driving layup while being guarded by Connaughton with about 20 seconds left. Giannis collected the rebound and slowed things down so the Bucks could get the final shot. He brought the ball to the top of the key, and Pat ran to set him a screen with seven seconds remaining. Then, our role-playing hero popped behind the arc, caught a pass as his defender tripped on his own feet, and squared up to knock down what I’ll always remember as his version of “The Shot”.
I can still feel the elation that followed whenever I replay that shot in my head. I probably high-fived five or six fellow Bucks faithful that were sitting in nearby seats. On the broadcast, Mike Breen delivered his iconic “BANG” call, but then he let his microphone breathe, and you can hear even in the above clip just how loud it got in Fiserv Forum. Yes, I was sitting in an upper-level seat, but at that moment, 15-year-old me felt like I was on the court celebrating with the team. The game wasn’t over, let alone the series, but watching that shot felt like being on top of the world.
So, whenever I think of Pat Connaughton, I’ll think about all the times he got hit in the face, all of his wild fly-by closeouts, his incredible post-championship 2021-22 campaign, and much, much more. However, before anything, I’ll always remember “The Shot” I got to witness in person. That one play sums up what Connaughton meant to Milwaukee during his seven years in the city. He’s a true champion, and Bucks history can’t be told without him.
On behalf of every Bucks fan, thank you, Pat. You deserve nothing but the best in Charlotte and beyond.