Former owner Marc Lasry talks about Bucks' playoff loss, Giannis and coaches on ESPN podcast
While the Milwaukee Bucks were finalizing a a deal to hire new coach Adrian Griffin last week, former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry was a special guest on ESPN's Hoop Collective podcast with Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps and Tim McMahon.
They began the show by discussing a week that Bucks fans (and owners) would likely rather forget.
We're talking about the playoffs.
Playoffs? You mean the opening series in the NBA postseason where the top-seeded Bucks were shocked by the Miami Heat . Those playoffs? Are you kidding me?
Yes, Lasry gave his view of the Bucks' shocking Game 5 loss at Fiserv Forum, but he also spoke about his decision to hire former Bucks coach Jason Kidd after he bought the team with Wes Edens in 2014, and ownership agreeing to stick with Mike Budenholzer after the Bucks lost to the Heat in the first round of the playoffs in 2020 in the bubble in Orlando.
Lasry also spoke about how hard it is to win an NBA championship in a small market and why keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo was so important for Milwaukee.
Here are a few of Lasry's comments during the opening 30 minutes of the podcast that was released on June 3 before Game 2 of the NBA Finals:
What was it like to watch the Bucks lose Game 5?
"I was very surprised at what happened. I think the Bucks were up by 14, everything looked really good and then, all of the sudden, everything just fell apart. I think all we needed to do was score a few baskets and then that didn't happen. And then all you saw was Jimmy (Butler) yelling and screaming and telling everybody he was going to score.
"Even when you lose the first game, you thought you would win. Even with Giannis hurt, you thought you would win. It's always surprising and it's what's makes basketball so great or any sport so great is that the unimaginable seems to happen more often than not. And we are always surprised at it, but it happens. You got to tip your hat off ... Jimmy Butler played phenomenal ... a lot of it is a matter of luck, somebody getting hot, somebody getting cold."
On the similarities between Giannis and Nikola Jokic being loyal to their franchises
"Everybody in Denver loves the Joker and everybody in Milwaukee loves Giannis because he's been there from the very beginning and Jokic has been there from the very beginning. Khris (Middleton) came a year after he had been in the league so he's been there from the very beginning.
"For us, we built it and it's organic, but it's really, really hard to do in a small city, because it's really hard to get a big-name free agent to decide to come to Milwaukee.
"Getting Giannis to stay was huge, because they have so many opportunities to go elsewhere and Jokic, he had no interest in (leaving Denver). I think part of that is you feel like you are growing up in that city and you love it. And then there becomes this desire to win for the city and to do things that other people have not done. And I think that's exactly what you are seeing in Denver."
On deciding to keep Mike Budenholzer after losing to the Miami Heat in the bubble in 2020
"I thought being in the bubble was just weird and Giannis got hurt. I didn't blame Bud for that. There was a lot of stuff going on and we thought we had a really good team. We were willing to wait and keep on developing. If you are the owner, you have to be patient and you have to believe and I think we believed that wasn't Bud's fault. It was more the situation of where we were and I think it turned out to be the right decision at the time."
On hiring (and firing) Jason Kidd
“I had known Jason as a player. I knew Jason when he played with the Nets, and we’ve just become very good friends, and I thought he would bring a lot of credibility to Milwaukee that you had a Hall of Fame guard coming in, Hall of Fame player.
"He’s a great guy and I thought he’d be a really good coach. He could teach the younger guys. He actually, he was great ... I mean, the problem with Jason is he demands a lot. He really does. He doesn’t understand why people can’t do the things that he does, right? And I think that’s kind of hard, and I think, after four years, I think it was time for us to make a change.”
On the Game 7 win over the Brooklyn Nets that fueled their 2021 NBA championship run
"I remember thinking we got this and then (Kevin) Durant's got the ball and he's ready to shoot and he shoots and I was sitting with my son and I actually couldn't look to see if he made it because you know if he makes it, you're out. So I figure I'm gonna look to the side and the fans will tell me what happened. And then you hear everybody go crazy so I thought we lost ... and then his foot was on the line ... life comes back into you."
To watch and listen to the full Lasry interview, click below.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marc Lasry talks about Bucks' playoff loss, Giannis on ESPN podcast
