Bucks fire Mike Budenholzer as coach after early playoff exit

MILWAUKEE(AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have fired coach Mike Budenholzer justover a week after their stunning first-round playoff loss to theMiami Heat spoiled a season in which they owned the NBA’s bestrecord.

Budenholzer’souster comes just two years after he directed the Bucks totheirfirstNBA title in half a century. The move also comes three weeksafter the NBA finalized Cleveland Browns owner JimmyHaslam’spurchaseof a 25% stake in the team.

“The decisionto make this change was very difficult,” Bucks general manager JonHorst said Thursday in a statement announcing the move. “Bud helpedlead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ firsttitle in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We aregrateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helpedcreate in Milwaukee.

“This is anopportunity for us to refocus and re-energize our efforts as wecontinue building toward our next championship season.”

The Bucksposted the most combined regular-season and playoff wins of anyteam during Budenholzer’s tenure and had the league’s bestregular-season record in three of his five seasons on the job.Heposted a 271-120regular-season record and 39-26 playoff mark in Milwaukee.

With a rosterfeaturing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Budenholzer’s Buckssoared to heights the franchise hadn’t reached since KareemAbdul-Jabbar was wearing a Milwaukee uniform in the early1970s.

But with thenotable exception of that 2021 championship season, the Buckscouldn’t match their regular-season success in the postseason.

The Bucksdidn’t reach the NBA Finals during any of the three seasons inwhich they had the league’s No. 1 playoff seed. They had a 2-0 leadover Toronto in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals before losingfour straight. Theylost4-1 in the second roundto the Miami Heat in the 2020 Eastsemifinals at the Walt Disney World playoff bubble.

This year’s playoff exitwas particularly devastating.

The Buckssuffered fourth-quarter collapses in each of their last two gamesandlost4-1 to the eighth-seeded Heat.They were just the sixthNo. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in the opening round, and theonly No. 1 seed that failed to win more than one playoff game.

“There’s aton of disappointment when your season ends, no matter how ithappens,” Budenholzer said afterward. “It’s a hard feeling. It’s adisappointing feeling.”

Milwaukeeowned a 12-point lead at Miami in Game 4 before getting outscored30-13 over the last six minutes of a119-114lossin which the Heat’s Jimmy Butler scored 56 points.They were up 16 at home to start the fourth quarter of Game 5, butlost 128-126 in overtime after Butler madea tying basket with half asecond leftin regulation.

Budenholzer,53, acknowledged the Bucks should have called a timeout afterButler’s tying basket, giving them a chance to make a buzzer beaterthat could have prevented overtime. The Bucks also declined to calla timeout when they got the ball back while trailing by two pointsin the closing seconds of overtime, and they weren’t able toattempt a shot before the game ended.

Antetokounmposaid after the game the Bucks didn’t make enough adjustments in howthey defended Butler, who averaged 37.6 points in the series.

Antetokounmpo,whowas playing with a bruised lower back,said he would haveliked more opportunities to guard Butler.

The removalof Budenholzer comes as the Bucks enter a critical offseason. BrookLopez, a finalist for the NBA defensive player of the year awardthis season, is a free agent. Three-time All-Star Khris Middletoncould become a free agent as well if he doesn’t pick up his $40.4million player option for 2023-24.

Budenholzer’steams had some bad luck with injuries during the postseason.

Middletonsprainedhis left medial collateral ligamentin Game 2 of anopening-round series with the Chicago Bulls last year and missedthe rest of the playoffs as the Bucks ended uplosingtheir second-round matchupwith the Boston Celtics inseven games.

Antetokounmposprained his ankle in Game 4 against Miami in 2020 and missed therest of that series, though the Bucks already trailed 3-0 when hegot hurt. Antetokounmpo exited Game 1 of this year’s Heat serieswith the back issue that caused him to miss Games 2 and 3. TheBuckswonthe 2021 titleeven though a hyperextended knee preventedAntetokounmpo from playing the final two games of the EasternConference finals with the Atlanta Hawks.

It’s worthnoting the Bucks also benefited from injuries to opponents duringtheir 2021 title run.

James Hardenmissed nearly all of the first three games and Kyrie Irving sat outthe last three games of the Brooklyn Nets’ second-round loss toMilwaukee that year. Atlanta’s Trae Young missed two games of the2021 East finals with a bone bruise in his right foot.

Budenholzercame to Milwaukee after going 213-197 in five seasons with Atlanta.He was an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs from 1996-2013and was on Gregg Popovich’s staff for four championship seasons(1999, 2003, 2005, 2007).