We’ve already talked about it a lot, but the Bucks’ choice to almost not take a double take on Jimmy Butler in the first round of the last playoffs was extremely criticized.
It must be said that even if it was Jrue Holiday, one of the best outside defenders opposite, the leader of Miami was boiling hot in this series, completed with 37.6 points on average, at 60% shooting success including 44% 3-pointers! Absolutely monstrous efficiency figures over the five matches of the duel…
“Looking back, I think it was fun. I play to compete against the best players. I defend to face the best, whatever the position or situation. When I was in it, it was hot. I was getting my butt kicked. And then he started trashtalking, I think during the last match. And indeed, that’s what competitors do, and Jimmy Butler is the ultimate competitor. But we hate defeat. And I hate losing”explained the playmaker last May.
But Jrue Holiday assured that he ultimately had no real regrets.
“I made the decisions I made in those moments, and I stick to them. I did with my strength. On many of Jimmy’s successful actions, there was nothing that could be done. And there was nothing anyone could have done about it. Brook Lopez, LeBron James or Michael Jordan… No matter who would have been on him, Jimmy was just playing on another level.”
“We didn’t do it, it was a decision taken as a team, as a group, and we have to live with the result”
Questioned by JJ Redick, Khris Middleton gave an extremely similar speech when asked to comment on the Bucks’ choice not to come to the aid of Jimmy Butler during the series.
“It’s hard to contain (such a hot player). Especially if we don’t double up on him on defense. We talked about it but we didn’t do it. That wasn’t the plan, we wanted to use Jrue because we have enormous confidence in Jrue based on everything he has done, and what he can do. We trust all our teammates, so when they say this is what they want to do… Especially a guy like Jrue, you have to listen to him.” explains the All-Star.
We therefore understand that Jrue Holiday wanted to defend on Jimmy Butler in one-on-one and did not want a two-handed hold to make the opposing superstar release the ball. A choice that Mike Budenholzer, fired following the elimination, and the Bucks perhaps regret today, even if Khris Middleton is fatalistic.
“In this series, some of Jimmy’s shots… They were on fire. They didn’t shoot like that in the regular season and, in our series, they took the shots at the right time. With a guy like Jrue, you can’t say much, because Jrue defends at an incredible level, and Jimmy was just scoring despite that. The only thing we could have changed to change the way Jimmy played was to do two takes. We didn’t do it, it was a decision taken as a team, as a group, and we have to live with the result.”
