“We feel good; they feel good. I am in a good place. Obviously, if there is a team that can beat a team 4-0, and beat them, it can be us,” Antetokounmpo said. “We just got to believe in ourselves, watch the tape, play hard. We can’t do it game by game but play by play, position by position. We have to believe in ourselves, we can do it.”
With the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded Bucks trailing the Heat 3-0 in the conference semifinals, Milwaukee’s usage – or lack thereof – of the reigning MVP has become a major storyline during the series.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo did hurt his ankle in the first quarter on Friday and played a total of 34 minutes in the loss, the Greek Freak feels he had more to contribute.
“I feel great,” Antetokounmpo said, per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. “I could play more.”
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer even stirred some controversy when asked about the lack of playing time for Antetokounmpo and the team’s other scoring weapon, Khris Middleton.
“If you’re going as hard as these guys are in a playoff game, 35-36 [minutes], I think that’s pushing the ceiling,” Budenholzer said.
Facing a 3-0 deficit, the Bucks are on the verge of a disappointing early exit from the postseason for a second straight year after having the NBA’s best regular-season record.
Heat superstar Jimmy Butler has had a strong series and has served as somewhat of a disrupter, especially after Antetokounmpo — the 2019/20 NBA Defensive Player of the Year — did not guard him. It’s one of many storylines that has encompassed the Bucks’ disappointing postseason, but the Greece native is confident the Bucks can overcome the challenge and advance.
I’m curious what the HoopRumors community thinks of Budenholzer. Is he legitimately a high-quality coach, or just blessed with elite talent? I was impressed with his work leading an overachieving Atlanta squad, but it seems his teams always fold in the spotlight. What’s your take?
He cannot make adjustments.
Agree …. real competition takes winging it on the fly. You got to adjust.
Good coach but doubling down on the minutes thing is insanity.
He is a great regular season coach who makes adjustments at a snail’s pace. Also, the idea of playing your MVP less than a minimum of 40 minutes when you are down 2-0 in the series is crazy. Saying that, Giannis has to prove he isn’t a regular season player either.
Winning in the regular season is easy, especially when your team is playing in the eastern conference. All you have to do is look at Giannis and the Bucks. They had the best record in the NBA the last two years and the MVP, yet the closest they came to making the Finals was last season when they were 2-0 against Toronto in the ECF before losing in six. Of course the Raptors won the Finals last year, but they beat a completely depleted Warriors team. It’s doubtful the Heat will get that lucky if they reach the Finals too.
I’d cut him some slck. Sure, he’s made his fair shares of mistakes, but let’s not forget he’s facing a top playoff coach in Spo and a very well assembled team, with JB being on par with the Greek Freak as best player on the series and a supporting cast stronger than that of the Bucks.
Go to NY if you wanna play 42 mins under Thibs
He’d be playing 42 minutes a night under Thibs even in a meaningless January game lol
I like Bud as a coach but he needs to go to playoff school because he has had the best team in the East 3 times and never made it to the Finals. The last two with Bucks he has had the MVP/DPOY. Maybe if he can get Larry Sanders back, who is being paid $1.8 mill for the next two years, that will finally bring the Championship back to Milwaukee!
The big question is whether getting swept by MIA is a learning experience or is it a blow that causes the team to lose confidence in their ability to win it all? I think that it is a blow that Bud really needs to address it a la Phil Jackson. They should all write down on a piece of paper what they didn’t do in order to win and then put it on a billboard next to their practice facility so they drive past it every time they go to work!
How is he gonna win MVP just for Mikey to say that 35 minutes is too much? IN A PLAYOFF GAME?? DOWN 0-2?????
That’s crazy right. He’s not even using Giannis right. They got three players looking at him all the time.
Jordan averaged 42 mpg during the playoffs when he was 26. If Giannis plays more he will probably be in more foul trouble.
Giannis is strictly a regular season MVP, not a Finals MVP.
Counting that Giannis plays an outrageously low 31 MPG in the RS, he should at least play 42-45 MPG in the playoffs. Really disappointed in coach Bud about this one!
Coach Bud is a great coach but as been said he dies not adjust . He should shorten the rotation in the playoffs paying only George hill , Krover , Williams from the bench and maybe v.
Also Bledso is missing in this series . I don’t thing he meshes well with the Greek freak . I would trade him and see what I can get .