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Shocking! Milwaukee Bucks fire head coach after first-round playoff exit

May 05, 2023 ,

Milwaukee Bucks have parted ways with their head coach Mike Budenholzer following their elimination from the first round of the NBA playoffs by Miami Heat. The announcement was made on Thursday by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Bucks were the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference but suffered a shocking defeat against the eighth-seeded Heat. The series was marred by the tragic death of Budenholzer's brother in a car crash just before Game 4.

Budenholzer served as the head coach of the Bucks for five seasons, during which the team finished first in the Eastern Conference three times. However, the team's postseason success did not always match their regular-season performance, except for their 2020-21 NBA championship. The Bucks failed to advance beyond the East semifinals twice and blew a 2-0 series lead to the Toronto Raptors in the 2018-19 Eastern Conference finals.

During his tenure with the Bucks, Budenholzer had a regular-season record of 271-120 and a postseason record of 39-26. He was criticized for his inability to adjust his schemes and was repeatedly out-coached. His poor decision-making against the Heat in the 2023 postseason sealed his fate, which had been in question for some time. General manager Jon Horst was said to be supportive of Budenholzer, but former Bucks owner Marc Lasry reportedly wanted him gone during the 2021 postseason run.

Budenholzer had previously served as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks for five seasons, where he had an overall record of 230-219. He was also an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs from 1996 to 2013. He won the Coach of the Year award in his first season with the Bucks and also in the 2014-15 season with the Hawks.

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