It’s only Game 1, so maybe Mike Budenholzer is waiting to change how he does things as this series goes along. An NBA playoff series can be moves and countermoves as it goes longer, and you don’t want to give away everything in the beginning — so we have to allow for that. But we’ve seen Budenholzer for a few years now. We’re not even sure he knows he’s allowed to try new things. So it’s more likely he’s just gotten caught in the headlights again. See, that’s a deer joke, because it’s the Bucks. #FeartheDeer. I’m working on levels you don’t understand.
I don’t know how many screens-and-rolls Chris Paul and Devin Booker have to run unharmed before the Bucks try something else, like maybe whatever it would take to get the ball out of their hands as they went nuclear in the third quarter. 704? Switching didn’t work, and drop coverages didn’t work. Or maybe an offensive plan that’s more than Khris Middleton hitting miracle shots. But then again, some Bucks fans have probably been asking for that for awhile.
Which makes it hilarious that Budenholzer was Jason Kidd’s replacement. Like, the Bucks thought this was an upgrade. And then the Mavericks thought Kidd was good enough to take over a team that Luka Dončić might already be considering leaving. Like, they went below Budenholzer. It’s almost like the Mavericks were in the NHL.
Anyway, it was a miracle Giannis played at all and so forth. Long series. Anything could happen. Except the Suns basically have two coaches in Monty Williams on the bench and Chris Paul on the floor. Do the Bucks have one?
Catch-of-the-day
Let’s round it off with the best catch you’ll see in baseball all year:
That’s through the rain, on a wet field, and into the mud. Eat shit, Jim Edmonds.