Head coach Mike Budenholzer has led the Bucks to a 271-120 regular season record in his five seasons at the helm, which is the best mark in the NBA over that span.
Under Budenholzer, the Bucks won their first championship in 50 years in 2020/21. Milwaukee once again had the best record in the league this season at 58-24.
However, Budenholzer’s late-game decision-making in the team’s first-round loss to the Heat has been called into question. He didn’t use a timeout in the middle of a 13-0 run by the Heat at the end of Game 4.
He also didn’t use his final timeout to advance the ball with the game tied with 0.5 seconds left at the end of regulation in Game 5, or use one at the end of overtime with 11 seconds left down two points — both possessions culminated in the Bucks failing to get a shot off.
As Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes, Budenholzer also continued to use Jrue Holiday to defend Jimmy Butler in the final two games with Giannis Antetokounmpo back in the lineup, even though putting the two-time MVP on Butler is partly how the Bucks swept the Heat in the playoffs two years ago. Butler was great all series, but particularly in Games 4 and 5, when he averaged 49.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block on .590/.333/.741 shooting in 43.4 minutes.
“Out of respect, you gotta let the coach make that adjustment,” Antetokounmpo said of guarding Butler. “We have our best defender on him. There are conversations with Jrue. Whenever he gets tired, I can take him, but he’s so competitive. He plays so hard. He wants to take the challenge. But at the end of the day, I wish I could guard him more, for sure.”
When Nehm asked Budenholzer if he viewed the season as a failure, he framed it in slightly different terms.
“This team has incredibly high expectations,” Budenholzer said. “(General manager) Jon Horst has put together an amazing roster. The ownership has done what they’re supposed to do. We made a push, we were the No. 1 seed, but all that matters is the playoffs.
“And so, I think we’re just disappointed. I would not use that word (failure). We’re disappointed, we’re frustrated. It hurts. But I said it all year, we love this team, we love these guys, I believe in ’em, we believe in ’em, we didn’t get it done tonight. So, to me, disappointed, hurt, frustrated, I think is more characteristic of how we feel about tonight.”
People around the league think Budenholzer will eventually be fired following the five-game series, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who said on his podcast that he believes that’s the most likely outcome.
“There’s some losses for which there’s just no going back,” Lowe said (hat tip to RealGM). “You cannot come back the same team. And the Bucks cannot come back the same team from this. I don’t know how it will go…
“League insiders, you don’t really have to be an insider, but league insiders are extremely skeptical that Mike Budenholzer can return as head coach of the Bucks after this. He has, according to [Adrian Wojnarowski], his last extension which happened after they won the title runs through the ’24/25 season, so he has two years left. I just don’t see any coming back from it. It’s just logic.
“I think the league insiders are going to be right. I just don’t see any other way.”
After sprinting off the court into the tunnel following the game, Edwards allegedly picked up a folding chair and swung it, hitting a female security guard and a second female employee, per Shapiro. Both women were reportedly injured and asked to file charges, though neither injury was serious.
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