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Hoop Dreams and High Expectations: When Does Pressure Actually Matter?

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We explore the different types of pressure in basketball and identify the true contending teams in the WNBA for the 2025 season.

• Basketball pressure is earned through past performance and proving oneself
• The New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces, and Minnesota Lynx are the only true contending teams
• Teams like the Fever, Dream, Mercury, and Storm still need to prove themselves
• Three distinct types of pressure exist: basketball pressure, social media pressure, and casual fan expectations
• Social media pressure creates narratives like Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers to drive viewership
• Casual fan expectations often misunderstand basketball roles and specialization
• The Fever have potential but face cohesion and injury challenges

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Speaker 1:

What's up everybody. It's your favorite show's favorite show. Get a Bucket. I'm your host, trey, and as usual, I hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day.

Speaker 1:

Today we're going to talk about, well, pressure in basketball. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show trying to get the ratings up a little bit. You know, just a little bit. Like I said, ladies and gentlemen, today we're going to talk about stress in basketball. Where did this conversation even pop up? Well, before I talk about that, I just got to say the talking points for today. Y'all see the jerseys. We talking about the sparks, right? So we got to talk about the contending WNBA teams. I ain't going to go too, too in-depth, just say who they are right and then also the varying types of pressure in basketball. But this conversation does spark off because Dewana Bonner from the WNBA that's right, she's on the Indiana Fever right now Quite a hooper Right In the in the WNBA history. Well, she said this about pressure. I don't know where the pressure comes from, because we haven't proved anything yet. I think people just the media kind of run with it honestly and kind of create the pressure comes from because we haven't proved anything yet. I think people just the media kind of run with it honestly and kind of create the pressure. But for us, I don't feel like we are the hunted. We are the hunty kind of mentality because the roster can look really good on paper but it's going to be the work that we put in and we we know that. Now she's saying this because, well, a lot of people, including myself, were putting them on a pedestal. We have high expectations of the Indiana Fever this season. A lot of people were saying they're going to win the championship. Oh, they got Kaitlin Clark, she got new teammates. Now they're definitely going to win the championship this season. I hear that, I hear that thought process, but that is what brings pressure.

Speaker 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, let's go ahead and bring up the standings real quick. I got to talk about who I think are the contending teams. So, as you can see, we do have a couple of teams on screen. These are in order. Currently, for the 2025 season, my contending teams are these teams, and it's only three of them. You got the New York Liberty. You got the Las Vegas Aces. You got the Los Angeles Sparks. It's the Minnesota Lynx. Those are the three contending teams in the NBA. On WNBA, ladies and gentlemen, those are the three contending teams in the WNBA. Now we do have three teams. I say that can prove it, maybe even four, but I'm going to say three right now. Right now it might even look like two, but I still think three, possible four.

Speaker 1:

Here's the teams though the Atlanta Dream they still have to prove it. The Phoenix Mercury they still have to prove. The Indiana Fever they still have to prove it. And the Seattle Storm they still have to prove. Now, when we talk about pressure, ladies and gentlemen, again, as you can see, I said, the Liberty, the Lynx and the Aces all are contending teams Now. The Dream, the Mercury, the Storm and the fever, they all have to prove it. But if you notice, though, for example, the Aces, they solid for me, they cool, they like fifth right now, though it's still early in the season, but they fifth. So, clearly, you're going to have some teams that are ahead of my contending teams, but these teams the dream, the mercury, the fever they still have to prove that they can beat those contending teams. But these teams the Dream, the Mercury, the Fever they still have to prove that they can beat those contending teams. Ladies and gentlemen, just because they're playing well, just because they have a decent season right now, does not mean that they're better, because the playoffs is a little bit different than the regular season. There's a little bit more pressure in the playoffs than there is the regular season. So we got basketball pressure. That's what I'm talking about right now. That's why I say those teams are contending teams, because they've proven it to not just ourselves, the viewers, but the basketball players too. Like Nafisa Collier, Asia Wilson, brianna Stewart They've proven it. Chelsea Gray, jackie Young, sabrina Ionescu, john Quayle Jones. Like players like that, caleb, like they've proven themselves. Courtney Williams like they've proven themselves Right now when we talk about the fever, for example, caitlin Clark Right for me, she didn't really have pressure her rookie year, she ain't playing the W.

Speaker 1:

But when we say things like she's the best player, well, that starts to add a little bit of pressure. But that's not basketball pressure, because, again, she has not proven anything yet. The Fever acquisitions they have played together or not played together, but they played in the WNBA. So they might have a little bit more pressure on them than Caitlin Clark does. Here's the thing though Social media pressure, ladies and gentlemen. See, I'm talking about basketball pressure. Social media pressure Is what I'm referring to when we're talking about Caitlin Clark's pressure, because, again, the social media and even the stands to a degree they kind of blend in a little bit. But the social media hype that we try to draw for some of these players helps with this pressure Narrative driven Paige versus Kaitlyn Clark.

Speaker 1:

I've talked about it before. That's pressure there, because the media looks to hype up that to improve the WNBA's viewership, right? Uh, history a large part has to do with narratives too. For example, again, using Paige and Caitlin Clark, they have history number one picks, similar statures, right, you could say similar-ish games. There's definitely differences, but there are similarities as well too. We got the same draft class, or the same recruiting class, almost same draft class, like wonderful storylines that social media wants to use. Or how about even within their own teams, who's the best player? Right, like social media pressure. That's different than basketball pressure Because, again, social media pressure, they're trying to draw narratives. Basketball pressure they trying to hoop.

Speaker 1:

Now the casual fan pressure. This is really expectations. But it's still pressure though, because again we have expectations, ladies and gentlemen, like we're looking for those funny moments, folks getting crows, getting a tough jump shot, sean. That's the casual fan pressure, which I call expectations. Again, basketball pressure is more earned. Social media pressure is more for the elevation of the program or the entity, and then casual fan pressure is more about expectations.

Speaker 1:

So, again, like Angel Reese sucks because she can't shoot threes. Well, keep in mind too, she has been doing not the best job at the field goal percentage. I'll give you all that Like 33% at the beginning of the season was not the best. We need to increase that to at least 48% angle at least. But her not being able to shoot threes, that's a casual fan pressure. Everybody does not need to be able to shoot threes. Or how about your guards not getting a whole bunch of rebounds? Guards don't need to rebound, they need to focus on assist to turnover ratio.

Speaker 1:

Basketball is about roles, but because of the casual fan pressures, expectation folks don't really care about that. So stuff kind of gets lost in the soul. If I'm an athlete, I'm paying attention to the basketball pressure, maybe a little bit on the social media pressure, because that might impact things like legacy. But if I'm an athlete, I'm not given too. You know what's about the casual fan pressure Because, again, that's based on expectations, but a lot of times people don't study the game enough to really have good expectations. So again, ladies and gentlemen, y'all heard my different types of pressure.

Speaker 1:

Y'all heard the contending teams and now y'all understand why I say there's only three contending teams in the WNBA. Y'all understand why I say there's only three contending teams in the WNBA. We have the New York Liberty, we have the Las Vegas Aces and we have the Minnesota Lynx and again DeJuan Abander. I do get your confusion, but then again I understand where it comes from. The Fever do like I do expect y'all to make the playoffs. I understand Kaitlin was injured. I get that. Y'all dealing with some cohesion issues too. You have other injuries outside of Kaitlin Clark on your squad. I get that. I do think you have enough talent, especially if y'all are healthy, to win a title. There's a world where the Fever could win a title.

Speaker 1:

Do I put other teams ahead of them right now? Yes, again, on paper is different than in reality. Everything's got to mix well, egos and all but the expectations based on what we've seen. I do understand people. You know what I mean. Creating that stress, like stress, be a little. Stress can get strict, I can get a little tricky. Hell, I got on my do-rag right now just because I'm stressed you know what I'm saying Like I don't want y'all to see the hair day like now. I'm just trying to keep it.

Speaker 1:

The theatrics I'm saying maybe, maybe my sparks to see, you can see my ensemble. I'm in all black ladies. Can we follow along and start killing the rest of the league please, not physically, but on the court, specifically the scoreboard. I'd appreciate it. But that's my pressure on them. Am I media, I guess? Now, I guess I ain't a hooper, At least not in the WNBA. I wouldn't say I'm a casual either. But yeah, media, I guess we can draw a little narrative. So maybe that's a narrative we can draw for the Sparks, since we acquired so many daggone people. But see, now I'm sounding like a fan Casual, not really. We'll talk about it.

Speaker 1:

I'm curious actually when do you guys typically rank among the basketball pressure, do you? I don't know what that was actually. I'm trying to figure out what that was in the background. Anyways, is yours purely basketball pressure, which? If so, I'd love to hear from you. And then, if you're the social media pressure, I'd love to hear from you, and then, if you're the casual fan pressure, depending on the type, I might be able to bypass that one, but let me know in the comment section below and reach out. I'd greatly appreciate it. But, ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude the end of the episode. So again, y'all heard the episode, y'all heard the finals, y'all heard my contending teams and y'all heard my definition of the pressures, or the definition of the varying pressures. Appreciate y'all for listening. Definitely keep continuing to follow and support not just myself but the WNBA as well, but also make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. Hope you all are having a good one. Take care.