Uncertainty after Bucks couldn’t take Heat
The consensus among Milwaukee’s Eastern Conference rivals was that, bestcase scenario, the Heat would push the Bucks to six games. Jimmy Butler and his crew would play hard, challenge Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates, and perhaps leave a mark before bowing out.
The Celtics, 76ers, and Knicks were banking on the Bucks having to exert effort in that series before moving on to the second round. The Heat did more damage than that. They stunned the Bucks in five games, a byproduct of Antetokounmpo’s lower-back injury, the brilliance of Butler, and poor decisions by Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer.
Budenholzer was fired Thursday, two years after leading the Bucks to the championship. But with Antetokounmpo in his prime, and the Bucks favorites to win another title, being bounced in the first round by a team that had to fight to even reach the playoffs was too much for management to overlook.
The Bucks are now in transition. All-Star Khris Middleton is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent. Brook Lopez, who resurrected his career in Milwaukee, will be a free agent. Antetokounmpo has two years left on his contract, but he made a handful of references to coaching decisions as to why the Bucks lost the series.
One of the main issues with Budenholzer was his failure to make adjustments. The Bucks allowed Butler, Miami’s primary scorer, and even more so after Tyler Herro broke his hand in Game 1, to average 37.6 points in the series, on nearly 60 percent shooting overall and 44.4 percent from the 3point line.
Budenholzer used former Defensive Player of the Year Jrue Holiday on Butler, but to little success. Butler was too big. Antetokounmpo said after Game 5 that he would have preferred to defend Butler more, but that it was the “coach’s decision.”
That was an indictment on Budenholzer, and so was the Bucks’ refusal to call a timeout in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter of Game 5, and at the end of overtime. The Bucks had 0.5 seconds left in regulation after Butler hit the tying basket, and passed on advancing the ball to midcourt. In OT, the Bucks had a chance to tie on the final play, but Budenholzer allowed his players to police themselves, and they never got off a shot. Budenholzer was removed as Hawks coach for many of the same reasons. He’s a quality coach with an impressive résumé, but some believe he underachieved during his five-year tenure in Milwaukee, especially with Antetokounmpo winning two MVP awards. The Bucks lost in the Eastern Conference finals to Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors in 2019 despite taking a 2-0 lead.
In the bubble, the heavily favored Bucks were eliminated by the Heat in the conference semifinals. A year later, Milwaukee rode the play of Antetokounmpo to come back from an 0-2 deficit against the Suns and win the championship.
Hampered by the absence of Middleton, the Bucks lost to the Celtics in the conference semifinals last year.
With Middleton healthy, the Bucks were primed for a deep playoff run this season until Antetokounmpo injured his back in Game 1.
Of course, it’s not all Budenholzer’s fault. Antetokounmpo missed 13 free throws in Game 5 against Miami. Overall, Holiday struggled offensively. And acquisitions Jae Crowder and Joe Ingles were ineffective. Crowder played 41 minutes in the entire series, including a DNP coach’s decision in Game 5. He openly complained about his usage.
Coaches such as Steve Kerr and Doc Rivers were not surprised by Budenholzer’s firing, but they were disappointed. NBA coaches are hired to be fired. There is pressure to win every year, especially when you have superstars in their prime.
Players can’t be fired. And the Bucks are thinking long term with this move. Why would they retain a coach if Antetokounmpo thinks the team can do better?
Rivers was fired by the Clippers after they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Nuggets in the bubble. The Clippers needed a scapegoat and they weren’t going to trade Paul George or Leonard.
“We’re going to be the guy you look at when anything goes wrong,” Rivers said. “That’s just the way it is. It’s part of our jobs. Listen, Bud got fired and his team [won] 69 percent [of his games]. They won the Finals two years ago. It’s just part of our jobs.
“It’s easier [to make coaches the scapegoats]. I’ve had games, and I won’t say the team, our guys had the best shots they had analytically for the whole season and we lost. And now I’m here. That’s just the way it is, and you know what’s funny? We still sign on to do it.”
Budenholzer could become a prime candidate with the Raptors and Pistons looking for experienced head coaches. Or more likely he will take a year off, rejuvenate, and then look for a job next summer. Coaches who win championships will always receive second, third, and fourth chances.
“I love what I do and we’re still going to keep signing on, because it’s awesome,” said Rivers, who is coaching his fourth NBA team, the 76ers. “When you hear all the stuff about [Budenholzer], clearly there are so many people smarter than Bud, going by what everybody says. I know that’s not true. But it doesn’t matter.”