The news just keeps on flowing in the NBA world. NBA. Here are the latest details:
Antetokounmpo Grateful to Budenholzer
Milwaukee Bucks franchise player Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a message on his Instagram account Tuesday thanking Mike Budenholzer for his five seasons as Milwaukee's head coach along with photos of the two hugging after winning the 2021 NBA Finals.
Budenholzer was fired by Milwaukee last week after the Bucks' first-round loss to the Miami Heat. They entered the playoffs as the top overall seed in the NBA, but lost to the eighth-ranked team in the East in five games, becoming just the sixth No. 1 ranked team in NBA history to lose to a No. 8 team.
Antetokounmpo finished third in MVP voting after averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists this season. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the best record in the league before missing two games, and part of a third, due to a back injury in Milwaukee's surprising first-round loss to the Heat.
Walker the Unexpected Hero
Lonnie Walker IV, turning in a fourth-period offensive performance that no Lakers player matched since Kobe Bryant did it before he was born, took Game 4 of Los Angeles' second-round series against the Golden State Warriors.
Walker scored all 15 of his points in the fourth period. He became the first Lakers player to come off the bench with 15 points or more in the fourth period of a playoff game since Bryant did exactly that 26 years ago and led the Lakers to a 104-101 victory Monday night, putting his team 3-1 in the series and one win away from sealing its berth in the Western Conference Finals.
Walker hit 6-of-9 in the final quarter, matching the Warriors' team-wide field goal shooting (6-of-17). No shot was more important than his jump shot stopped with Stephen Curry scoring it with 1:53 to go that put the Lakers up 100-99, a lead they would not relinquish.
What was expected: reports @wojespn that Mike Budenholzer was FIRED and will no longer be Milwaukee Bucks head coach.
Who will have the task of commanding Giannis Antetokounmpo's team in this new stage of the project? pic.twitter.com/37SqPGv6ed
- Leandro Carranza (@leocarranza99) May 4, 2023
Knicks on the verge of going home
The New York Knicks are on the brink of facing elimination after losing 109-101 to the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the series. After the game, New York star Julius Randle expressed his thoughts on the situation.
Randle indicated that perhaps the other team (Miami) has more desire to win. In particular, Randle's concern is to motivate his team to win the series.
The road is uphill as the Knicks must win three in a row if they are to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. While there are no impossibilities in the world, there are often times, situations that are unlikely. Game 5 will be an important hurdle to overcome.
