Should the Milwaukee Bucks fire head coach Mike Budenholzer?

The Milwaukee Bucks were shockingly eliminated by the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Bucks are just the sixth No. 1 seed to get knocked out by an eight seed.

Another championship opportunity was wasted during the Giannis Antetokounmpo era.

The Heat defeated the Bucks because Jimmy Butler elevated his game to an elite level, as we saw in the 2020 playoffs. Miami also had no problem knocking down shots, and the Bucks had no issue allowing it to happen. The Heat had the better mindset throughout the series.

That is why the Milwaukee Bucks are watching the rest of the playoffs at home.

Although, the coaching during the series is another reason why the Bucks were eliminated.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer did not have his best game on the bench in Game 5. He challenged an offensive foul being called on Giannis in the first quarter and lost.

He went the rest of the game without a challenge.

When Miami tied the game with 0.5 seconds left in regulation, Budenholzer did not call a timeout to advance the ball up to half-court. Also, Brook Lopez, one of the best shot-blockers and who is really good at altering shots, was on the bench.

He then did not call timeout on the Bucks’ final possession in overtime, and Milwaukee could not even get a final shot off.

It was the second-consecutive game the Milwaukee Bucks blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

The players must execute down the stretch, but Coach Bud did not do the team any favors with his game management.

He did not have Giannis guarding Butler much in the series. Butler absolutely torched the rest of the Bucks’ defense.

Although, Giannis needs to be more assertive and tell Budenholzer he is taking on Butler. Giannis is a two-time MVP and former NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He is also the face of the franchise, so he has enough sway to demand defending Butler.

This is now the third time the Bucks were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and failed to advance to the NBA Finals. It is the second time the Heat have eliminated the Bucks when they were the top seed during Budenholzer’s tenure.

The shocking elimination has led many to start calling for Bud’s firing. It is another playoff appearance without a championship. One of the reasons for that is because Budenholzer got outcoached.

Maybe Erik Spoelstra just has Budenholzer’s number. Bud sure has a problem making obvious adjustments. It has frustrated fans for years.

He was coaching despite going through a personal tragedy after his brother passed away during the Heat series. That had to weigh heavily on his mind, so it might be good to have a little sensitivity toward Bud.

Some time to let emotions clear might be the best course of action, especially with what Budenholzer is personally going through. Immediately firing him without taking this kind of situation into account would look insensitive at best and, at worst, cruel.

Then again, someone might eventually have to take the fall for missing a golden opportunity to add some more hardware to the trophy case.

The Milwaukee Bucks cannot afford to squander Antetokounmpo’s prime years. To top it off, this was probably the last time the Bucks’ core five players that helped win the 2021 title are together.

Khris Middleton can opt out this offseason. Brook Lopez is a free agent and is 35. Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis are under contract, but Holiday is going to be 33 next season.

There will be adjustments to the team this offseason, and it could begin with a change at head coach.