The Milwaukee Bucks are officially heading to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years.
It has certainly been a thrilling 11-game stretch to get to this point in the NBA Playoffs, leaving behind some memories that will be etched into the history books forever. In round one, the Bucks earned redemption over the Miami Heat, who defeated them last postseason in five games, by sweeping them this time around. Round two against the Brooklyn Nets proved more difficult as it went down to the closing moments in Game 7, but Milwaukee eventually came out on top.
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Now, the Bucks will aim to add to their impressive playoff run with another battle against the Atlanta Hawks set to take center stage in the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, there are undoubtedly several questions left in the aftermath of the Bucks’ Game 7 overtime victory against the Nets that still loom large. With that being said, here are three questions for the Bucks before the ECF begin this coming Wednesday.
Has Mike Budenholzer solidified his future with the Milwaukee Bucks moving forward?
It is no secret that Mike Budenholzer has been placed under a microscope from the moment this season began. Milwaukee’s head coach has been condemned for his efforts on the sidelines in each of the past two postseasons with the team, and it seemed clear that the third strike would be his final if it came down to it.
However, following series wins over both the Heat and the Nets, it appears rumors are floating around about Budenholzer’s future with the team. As reported by ESPN senior insider Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday’s edition of NBA Countdown, there is some sense of belief that the coach has potentially earned some security in his job moving forward. Transcribed by RealGM:
"“Mike Budenholzer knew coming into this season that his future in Milwaukee would be judged by his postseason performance,” said Adrian Wojnarowski on NBA Countdown on Sunday. “He’s gone through Miami and now he’s gone through the Brooklyn Nets into the Eastern Conference Finals. I’m told that has gone a long way in securing Mike Budenholzer’s future in Milwaukee. He has one year left on his contract.”"
As surprising as this rumor might sound, given everything heard in the weeks leading up to this, it makes sense at this point in time. Bud and the Bucks just battled through consecutive series against top-notch opponents and stamped their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. Rumors about his job being on the line were sure to die down to some extent. Before this series concluded, and it appeared that the Bucks were in trouble, rumors hit the wire that former head coaches like Rick Carlisle and Mike D’Antoni were keeping an eye on the vacancy had Milwaukee lost.
Those rumors will submerge for the time being with the Bucks gutting out the series win and advancing. Yet, Budenholzer’s job security should be far from locked in despite what the team has accomplished at this point. There is still much more work to be done, and everyone might not be sold on Budenholzer just yet.