I don’t think people realize (or remember, which is weird as it wasn’t long ago) how tough it is to go from a team playing for a top 5 pick to one that contends.
These games, while frustrating, are good for the long term development of the team. It’s tough to have perspective in the moment, but going through these games is way better than coasting down the stretch with a bunch of guys who don’t care.
No one learns from a loss where everyone just mails it in. Sometimes a season goes off the rails for completely unexpected reasons, like what happened in Vegas the year before they won the cup.
I’m way more positive now than I ever was during any of the Benning years, there’s still lots of reasons to have faith if you look for it.