Milwaukee Bucks: Mike Budenholzer did himself no favors in Game 5 loss
There’s an old adage that what can go wrong will go wrong and it certainly sums the mood surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks once the postseason hits.
Playoff heartbreak has set in once again following the Bucks’ second half collapse Tuesday night that ended in a 114-108 Game 5 victory in favor of the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets. This was a game in which the Bucks held a 17-point lead at the 7:09 mark of the third quarter and they easily put together their best offensive performance of the series so far.
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Yet, the Bucks let their lead slip through their fingers in ways that have been an overarching theme over the Mike Budenholzer era. Stop me if you’ve heard this story before.
Whispers have only grown louder about Budenholzer’s future in Milwaukee as the playoff disappointments have piled up on his playoff resume. As the Bucks and Bud vowed to do things differently throughout the regular season and leading into the postseason, the mandate of avoiding a playoff thud was atop of the list of what Budenholzer had to do to ensure his time in Milwaukee last beyond this season.
The Athletic’s Eric Nehm’s provided further detail about the kind of conversations that were being had over the offseason with Budenholzer in his appearance on the ‘Weitzman Can’t Jump’ podcast Yaron Weitzman:
"“There was a lot of conversation when I talked with people around the (Bucks) that this can’t happen again. You can’t do the same things, you can’t lose the same way every single game. You have to be willing to do different things…I think a big part of that was making Bud realize that it can’t happen like this again. Not to say win or you’re out. That wasn’t the edict from ownership, but I think the edict from ownership was if you lose, you can’t do it like that.”"
Mike Budenholzer’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks is clouded with uncertainty
Of course, if Budenholzer wanted to avoid a playoff thud to guarantee that he at least sees out the length of his contract in Milwaukee that expires next year, collapses like the Bucks endured in Game 5 just can’t happen under any circumstances.
Yes, the Bucks found themselves on the other end of a masterful performance from Nets superstar Kevin Durant, who finished with 49 points on 23 shots. Durant sparked the Nets with 31 points over the second half, along with the lethal 3-point shooting of Jeff Green, who finished with 27 points and seven threes.
Still, the Bucks did very little to stop it, even for as Durant’s brilliance showed all throughout and as he tore through the Bucks’ staple drop coverage. Shots like these came all too easy, even for one of the most gifted scorers and shotmakers we’ve seen in NBA history.
Seeing Durant and the Nets pull the rug out from under the Bucks’ feet as they had a hand in their demise ran akin to putting their foot off the gas pedal after having built a comfortable lead. And when it was overdue for the Bucks to put their foot back down on the pedal, it was far too late for the Bucks to stop the wheels in motion when it came time to slow down the Nets’ monumental comeback.
All of this reinforces why Budenholzer is in the position he and his staff are in this season in Milwaukee. Budenholzer certainly made the bed he now lies in and any doubt the organization has towards Budenholzer’s future has certainly been validated following Game 5. Eliminating any seed of doubt that he’s still the right man for the future is something that Budenholzer has failed to do so throughout the Bucks’ series with the Nets.
Next. How Jrue Holiday earned his third All-Defensive nod. dark
Now the Bucks have nothing left to lose going into Game 6 Thursday night at Fiserv Forum. For Budenholzer, he has to answer the doubt that surrounds him and his ability to guide the Bucks with their backs against the wall and fighting for their playoff lives in a series that is still winnable. Stop me if you’ve have heard this story before.