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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RAPTORS VS. BUCKS

May 22, 2019

Mike Budenholzer

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Practice Day, Canada

Q. Bud, after what happened yesterday, will you be making any changes to your starting lineup?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: We're going to continue to evaluate it. Nico [Nikola Mirotic] has been great. Starting lineup has been good. We've watched some film together. We'll have the shootaround and we'll think about it.

Q. You said last night that this was one of the rare occasions defensively that you really didn't think your team executed, but there was a lot more I guess double-teaming or help defense than we've seen in the past. Is that an issue that contributed to the three-point shooting for the Raptors, and is that something you were trying to do or just something that happened as the game went on?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: Defensively, we were not good last night. Give Toronto credit. As far as specifically double teams or more double teams, and that led to more three-point shooting, no, that doesn't stand out to me on the film or stand out as an issue.

I think we just in a lot of fundamental areas weren't into it as we needed to be and Toronto was very good, very effective and they made us pay for not being as good as we needed to be defensively.

Q. I know you talk about how you only pay attention to yourselves and what you guys are doing as a team but there's been a lot of chatter about some of the courtside fans in Toronto, specifically Drake. I wonder if you notice that during the game? Do you ever find courtside fans distracting or if that plays in at all?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: No, I mean, you know, you can't help but occasionally see Drake just going into timeouts or in and out of timeouts, whether he's encouraging or cheering for Toronto. You know, trying to talk to referees. To say I don't see it at all would be inaccurate, but to say I give it much or any thought, you know, it's kind of same answer, same mantra. I just tend to ignore and focus on our team, focus on whatever it is we need to be doing.

Q. I understand Giannis and Bled [Eric Bledsoe] got First Team All Defensive Honors today. I mean, what have you seen from these guys all season, and obviously you believed that they were First Team All Defensive Players, but what can you say about the defensive effort they have had and perhaps you can take it into Game 5?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: It's just a huge compliment and testament to those two individuals, what they bring to the game defensively is just off the charts. And to be honored and recognized as First-Team All Defense, just very, very pleased, very proud of them. Happy for them.

You know, I think as a team and as an organization that wants to have an identity as a great defensive team, it takes great individual talent to make that happen, and Eric Bledsoe and Giannis, they are such talented defenders and talented individuals. Incredibly fortunate to coach them and have an opportunity to watch them guard and defend and be disruptive every night.

Q. I was at the arena earlier today and I saw a lot of Bench Mob tee shirts. Your bench plays such a big role in your success. Obviously didn't play as well last game. What are you hoping to see from them in this game back at home?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: I hope think play well. I guess I can articulate it more or better. They need to play well. I think our whole team, whether it be the bench or the starters, needs to be better defensively. I think there's things offensively where the bench can, you know, just like the rest of us, we have to execute a little bit better. We have to space better. We have to move the ball better, drive it better. Those guys are all part of that.

You know, this series, the benches have been critical and very influential and credit to Toronto's bench, particularly last night. They really stepped up and had a huge game, and we need that from our group.

Q. Since you've gotten a chance to take a look at the film, what is, I guess, one thing that you're kind of -- you've kind of circled from last night defensively that you guys didn't do well? It just seemed like the Raptors put up such a big number that there's maybe multiple things, but maybe there's one thing that you have in mind that you circled from last night.
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: Yeah, I just think individually, we've got to be better, and it's not -- you know, this league is hard. There's a lot of great individual offensive players, guys that are effective and can do things, and we've got to just be significantly better individually. Everybody's got to kind of take a lot of pride in their individual defense, and you know, we've done that all year. We've got to really call on our individual defense, our individual pride, to be significantly better, and that's where it always start. That's at the top of the list.

Q. I would follow, with Kawhi have you found that you want something different in the coverage, maybe you're helping too much? I know we talked about it a little after the game. Curious what you thought now that you've had a chance to look at the film.
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: I think individually on Kawhi, that defense has actually probably been -- has stood out as something that's been continued probably for all four games. It's been solid and good. The degree to which we're helping around that, creating maybe more opportunities, I do think we can be better, but I think there's other situations that are, you know, probably even creating more problems. That are I think just making us feel like we need to be better, you know, more so than even how we're guarding Kawhi individually or even how we're guarding as a team.

Q. I know this is a seven-game series, but does tomorrow, considering the fact that you guys haven't trailed in any playoff series thus far, does it feel like a must-win for you?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: I mean, every game's important. You know, you want to win. You have high expectation, high standards. But you know, fortunate enough to be in a lot of playoff series. It's always the first of four.

You want to be the team that gets to four, and you've got to find a way to get there, and that's always been the mindset of myself, teams that I've been with, and I think that's the right way to approach this series is you've got to get to four.

Q. Does it feel any different losing two playoff games in a row? I know that may seem like a silly question to ask, but this is all things that this team is going through for the first time. So how do you feel your team is handling that?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: Yeah, I mean, I think when you pair it up with the fact that the group really I think only lost two games in a row here, I'll give you a break, I don't think it's a silly question.

I think it's probably a good learning experience. It's continued growth for our group. And embracing how the playoffs work, the challenges of it, continuing to push ourselves to be better, and give Toronto credit. They were very, very good for two games in Toronto, so we have to kind of learn and grow from it and be ready to come home and take our turn at being great.

Q. Giannis last night mentioned getting this team back to having fun and enjoying playing basketball. I was just wondering if you noticed, maybe after Game 3, or one or two games in general, have you felt that the team, maybe they are feeling a little bit of pressure with the situation and being two games away from the Finals, how do you sort of assess the group's mood, and are they feeling as relaxed as they appeared to be all season?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: I think they are. I think you get into a battle, and we've been behind, you know, both Game 3 and Game 4 probably more of the game than we've been ahead. And so when you're trailing or you're not leading, it never feels as good. You know, it looked like our team was having a lot of fun in Game 2 and were up by a lot of points and the bench is playing well and everybody is making a lot of shots and people are looking loose, and it's the same group.

I think all of us, including Giannis, including myself, I think when you don't win and you start looking at things, it's just different, and our group will learn from it. I don't sense the tightness and those things. So when you're losing, you're frustrated and not happy, and you shouldn't be.

Q. There was a report online that Giannis' agency Tweeted out something about the crowd control in Toronto, Drake, etc. Are you aware, or have you initiated any discussion with your management about speaking to the league about addressing that problem up there?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: No. I'm not aware. I haven't checked in with our organization. I do think there's a lot of things that coaches have got to do, and there's others things, Jon Horst and the front office and those guys, they are on top of all that kind of stuff. They do a really good job for us, and I think if it needs to be addressed from an organizational standpoint, it will be and they will share it with me. But as of now, there's nothing for me, there's nothing I know of from our organization.

And certainly the fans and owners and employees, and there's so many lines; I guess Drake crosses all of them and ticks a lot of boxes. The NBA is usually on top of that stuff.

Q. You don't think there's anything out-of-bounds developing up there; the idea being the celebrity fan is being given special treatment, special privilege, in terms of encroaching on the court?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: No, I mean, I will say, again, I see it in some timeouts, but I don't know of any person that's attending the game that isn't a participant in the game a coach -- I'm sorry, a player or a coach, that has access to the court.

I don't know how much he's on the court. It sounds like you guys are saying it's more than I realize. There's certainly no place for fans and, you know, whatever it is exactly that Drake is for the Toronto Raptors. You know, to be on the court, there's boundaries and lines for a reason, and like I said, the league is usually pretty good at being on top of stuff like that.

Q. Does Milwaukee have an answer? Can you do a 10-day [contract] with Spike Lee or Jack Nicholson?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: No, I don't think we have (laughing). I don't think we have a 10-day. Maybe we can get Christian Yelich to come over here and swing the bat as they go to their timeout or something like that.

Thanks guys.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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