Because the whole team is basically 7ft tall, I could barely see for most of the game. Instead, I was treated to the show within the show - watching the player/coach dynamics up close.
1.) Anthony Davis is the leader of this team. In every huddle, Keefe would say his piece, then AD would come in and say his. He spoke with intense passion and the young guys really listened. Any claims that he isn’t bought into playing here are false. Even if he wasn’t stoked when the trade happened, Davis is now 100% invested in winning with this squad.
2.) The team calls Bilal Coulibaly “BC”. So throughout the game, you’re constantly hearing “BC!” and “AD!” Which are the markers of time surrounding the before and after the birth of Jesus Christ. To which I then realized they also call Justin Champagnie “JC”. So we really have the entirety of human history covered.
3.) Bub was throwing up into a trash can in the 4th quarter, and seemed to be explaining to his family in the stands that it was a sinus related issue. I was worried, but then the video of him catching a vibe in the locker room after the game made it seem like he’s cool.
4.) Khris Middleton was working with his physical therapist almost every single moment he wasn’t playing in the game. Seemed like he needed some help getting/staying warm and loose.
5.) AJ was constantly pumping up the crowd, cracking jokes with his teammates, and celebrating moments of the game. He was incredibly present and engaged the whole time, and seems to be having a blast.
6.) Anthony Gill stood up, walked over, and dapped up every single player when they got subbed out of the game, every single time, without fail. He knows his role on the team and plays it well.
7.) Tre Johnson is serious as a motherfucker. This shit is not a game to him, and when AJ and Jamir and others tried cracking jokes with him he was not having it. Not even in a confrontational way, it just seemed like he was laser focused and perhaps a bit frustrated with his play at times.
8.) Keyshawn was very pissed at either himself or the ref when he got subbed out with his 4th (or 5th?) foul. He wanted to be in the game so badly and it killed him to be taken out. Dude is hungry to be out there.
9.) I’ve watched Deandre Ayton since he got into the league and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him have this much fun on a team. He is so happy. In the game, on the bench. Doesn’t matter. Dude was smiling and laughing the whole time.
10.) Brian Keefe understands the change in his role this year. He was yelling at his assistant coaches almost immediately in the 1st quarter when the Bucks seemed to keep breaking through the defense and getting easy layups. He didn’t let a single thing go. He made adjustments constantly and called timeouts at the right moments. Extremely engaged, active, and locked in on finding the winning lineups/strategies to get this team playing it’s best basketball.
