In case you didn't know, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer is one of a few select individuals in the NBA today that hails from the Gregg Popovich coaching school. That is, coach Bud once had the privilege of working alongside the great Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs.
Now that Budenholzer is about to kick off his first NBA Finals stint, it's only natural for us to think that he has turned to his mentor for some advice, especially considering how many times coach Pop has been in this exact situation throughout his decorated coaching career. Being that he is Gregg Popovich, however, the legendary Spurs coach actually had a very on-brand message for Budenholzer right at the eve of the Bucks' Finals series against the Phoenix Suns (h/t Mark Medina of USA Today):
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who was a Spurs assistant, joked Gregg Popovich has simply told him "you have to figure it out on your own" than relying on him for any Finals advice.
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 5, 2021
That's pretty much exactly what we would expect from coach Pop. Even Budenholzer himself would have probably seen this coming. Then again, the Bucks coach has proven that he's more than capable of leading the Bucks to their first championship in what now feels like an eternity. After all, he's learned from the very best.
For what it's worth, Suns head coach Monty Williams also has a bit of history with coach Pop. While Williams did not serve as an assistant to Popovich in San Antonio, he actually played under Pop for three seasons with the Spurs. As you may have already realized by now, Gregg Popovich clearly has his fingerprints all over what should be an epic Finals series between the Bucks and the Suns.
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