"I wish I could guard him more"- Giannis Antetokounmpo is not happy with Mike Budenholzer as Jimmy Butler sends him home again
Mike Budenholzer's biggest concern in the Miami Heat versus Milwaukee Bucks series was how his superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will fare with an injured back.
"The Greek Freak" bruised his lower back after a hard fall in Game 1 of their series.
Antetokounmpo played just 11 minutes in the series opener and then missed the next two games. With Milwaukee down 1-2 in the series and Game 4 in Miami, the Bucks had to play the two-time NBA MVP.
Budenholzer largely kept Giannis Antetokounmpo off Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler on defense to save him from foul trouble and to spare his back. Here's Antetokounmpo on his coach's decision to take it easy on him on defense:
"Out of respect, you gotta let the coach make that adjustment. ... At the end of the day, I wish I could guard him more."
Jrue Holiday was Mike Budenholzer's primary Jimmy Butler defender. Antetokounmpo was given the role of a "rover" whose main task was to provide consistent help defense.
"Jimmy Buckets" was simply on fire throughout the series and it didn't really matter who was shadowing him. Per Brady Hawk, this was Butler's efficiency against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jimmy Butler’s shooting %’s against different Bucks defenders:
Jrue Holiday- 57%
Giannis Antetokounmpo- 86%
Khris Middleton- 50%
Brook Lopez- 63%
Wes Matthews- 50%
Bobby Portis- 86%
Jae Crowder- 67%
Grayson Allen- 57%
Ingles/Connaughton- 50%
Dude was giving EVERYONE buckets
Giannis Antetokounmpo also opened up on Mike Budenholzer's lack of adjustments on the defensive end to contain Miami's bruising forward:
“Double -team him more, try to make him pass the ball. Maybe switch the matchup for a little bit, give Jrue a break. I don't think as a team we made the right [adjustment] or we didn't make as many adjustments as we could have against him.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo says the Bucks didn’t make the right adjustments vs Jimmy Butler
“Double -team him more, try to make him pass the ball. Maybe switch the matchup for a little bit, give Jrue a break. I don't think as a team we made the right [adjustment] or we didn't make… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/P7Jk45Yof0
The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the top defensive teams in the NBA during the regular season. The Miami Heat, without Tyler Herro for most of the series, were forced to rely on Jimmy Butler even more. And yet, Milwaukee were still almost helpless to limit his output.
Butler averaged 37.6 PPG, the best in the playoffs, on 59.7% shooting, including 44.4% from behind the arc. He exploded for 56 points in Game 5 and then followed it up with 42 to close out the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates couldn't do much to stop him throughout the series.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks might have a new coach next season
Mike Budenholzer made several terrible calls in the last two games of the series between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks. He refused to call a timeout in Game 4 when the Heat started cutting down Milwaukee's once 14-point lead. The Bucks still had three timeouts left at that time.
Budenholzer made another egregious mistake right after Jimmy Butler scored the game-tying basket in Game 5. Miami guard Max Strus had this to say about the Bucks' failure to call a timeout:
"Honestly, we were all questioning it...Spo came into the huddle and he was like 'they didn't call a timeout, what are they doing?'"
"Honestly, we were all questioning it...Spo came into the huddle and he was like 'they didn't call a timeout, what are they doing?'" – Max Strus on what it felt like as the Heat realized Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer wasn't going to call a timeout at the end of regulation. https://t.co/8UTH7UbUrm
Without a timeout, the Bucks had to advance the ball from the backcourt. Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't even cross the halfcourt line before time expired.
Also read: Watch: Jimmy Butler hits miraculous shot to send Game 5 into overtime