The aftermath of the upset was great. The relationship with manager Mike Budenholzer (54), who gave Milwaukee its first championship in 50 years, was sorted out.
On the 5th (Korean time), local media including ‘ESPN’ reported, “The Milwaukee Bucks fired coach Budenholzer, who failed to advance to the second round of the playoffs.” It was a super strong choice with two years until the expiration of his contract and a remaining annual salary of 16 million dollars (approximately 21.2 billion won).
“It was a difficult decision,” Milwaukee general manager John Host said. Coach Budenholzer took the lead in continuing to grow the team, leading Milwaukee to ㅋㅋㅋ벳 its first championship in 50 years. I would like to thank coach Budenholzer for creating a culture where Milwaukee can become a strong team based on his leadership. We must continue to develop to win. This decision will be an invigorating turning point.”
Coach Budenholzer, who coached the Atlanta Hawks until 2018, took over the Milwaukee baton from the 2018-2019 season without a break. Coach Budenholzer finished with a career regular-league record of 271-120 with a .693 winning percentage for Milwaukee, including leading the team to first place in the Eastern Conference three times during his all-season tenure. Milwaukee ranked first in overall win rate during this period.
Coach Buden Holzer, who was named Coach of the Year for the 2018-2019 season, the first season after taking over as head coach, led Milwaukee to the playoffs every season. Also, in the 2021 NBA Finals, Milwaukee won its first championship in 50 years and rose to the ranks of the masters.
However, in the 2023 playoffs, they suffered a shocking upset. Milwaukee ranked first in the NBA overall winning percentage (58-24, winning percentage .707) and climbed to the first seed in the Eastern Conference. ended the season behind. It was the sixth time in history that the No. 1 seed surrendered the series to the No. 8 seed.
The game management was also on the cutting board. Milwaukee did not use the operation time at the crucial moment at the end of the 5th game, when it was on the verge of being eliminated with only 1 win and 3 losses. The matchup against Jimmy Butler was also ineffective. It was the background that Milwaukee sacked coach Budenholzer.
On the other hand, coach Budenholzer became the fourth command tower ever to not lead the team next season even after recording the highest win rate. Prior to manager Budenholzer, there were Mike Brown (Cleveland) in 2009, Phil Jackson (Chicago) in 1997, and Pat Riley (LA Lakers) in 1989.