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MILWAUKEE – When are we going to see a Khris Middleton game?
From the Deer District to the Bluffs of Lake Michigan, it’s the lingering question in the city since the Bucks returned to Milwaukee against the Phoenix Suns 2-0 in the 2021 NBA Finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo will put his in the paint , and the defense can be counted on to make life difficult on the Suns offense on the half court.
But it doesn’t matter whether the Bucks can cover the field defensively or protect the rim or get a fiery lift from a PJ Tucker, Bobby Portis or Pat Connaughton, the margin of success for the Bucks in recent seasons has often. Middleton summer. The Bucks have a two-time MVP at Antetokounmpo, but in a tractor pull like the one that took place at the Fiserv Forum in Game 4, Middleton’s shot in the half court is essential to formula and identity. Bucks.
Middleton didn’t put in his most effective performance on Wednesday night, but it was the most illustrious of his career – a Middleton game, indeed. He scored 40 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, with 10 in the final 2:07 of the Bucks’ 109-103 comeback win to put the series at 2-2.
“Khris is not afraid, and he never has,” said Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday. “Being one of the guys who kept him in my career, knowing what he’s done, hitting big shots, making big plays, he’s never been afraid of the moment. So put him in that situation is sort of perfect. “
The division of labor in Milwaukee between the Bucks’ two most prolific players doesn’t exactly follow the league’s traditional pecking order. Antetokounmpo is a New School player whose physical skills fuel virtually everything the Bucks do offensively and defensively. In contrast, Middleton offers a practically retrograde game in the modern NBA. He thrives in midrange and fabricates opportunities out of thin air with his rhythmic dribbling.
Middleton’s ability to create against a defined defense when the gears creak in the closing minutes of crucial games means it is he, rather than Antetokounmpo, whose hands are often on the controls. This was the case in Game 4, a difficult affair in which only Phoenix goalkeeper Devin Booker among the game’s all-star stars could establish an offensive flow. The Bucks failed to find consistent opportunities for Antetokounmpo to attack, while Holiday struggled with his shot from both distance and to the edge. Middleton tried a big volume of shots in the first three quarters but never shot better than 50% from the field at any time of the night.
A tense fourth quarter for the Bucks begged the creation of Middleton’s shot. After a foul by Tucker on a 3-point attempt by Jae Crowder that gave Phoenix three free throws and a 5-point lead to Phoenix with just over six minutes to go, Middleton harnessed that creativity and took on the role of more. close for the Bucks. Time and time again, he’s picked up transfers from Antetokounmpo and found his way to the basket or a layer of space to throw one of his patented jumpers.
“That’s what he’s doing on the home stretch,” Antetokounmpo said. “We want him to have the ball. We want him to be the decider. We know he’s going to take some big hits, and tonight he’s been amazing.”
In the final 30 seconds of the game, Middleton finally sealed the Bucks victory with a solid finish against Booker at the break, then scored 37-40 points on two pair of free throws as the Bucks tied the series.
“Towards the end of the fourth quarter, we just made sets that got me into my places,” said Middleton. “After that I just have to do some readings – whether to shoot, whether to find an open guy, Giannis on a roll. It’s just about reading the defense at this point. Luckily. luckily I did get a few hits. “
A second-round pick that was effectively a throw-in to Milwaukee in a deal for Brandon Knight in 2013 after a forgettable rookie season with the Detroit Pistons, Middleton maintained a humility that belies his competitiveness. As the Bucks went from a 15-game winning team in their debut season at Milwaukee to a contender, Middleton quietly gathered a reel of signature shots and clutch performance, the most famous of which came on Wednesday. evening.
Dominant as Middleton was in the second half of the fourth quarter, the most dramatic game of the evening belonged to Antetokounmpo. With the Bucks hanging on to a 101-99 lead and Antetokounmpo ahead of him at the elbow, Booker threw an exquisite lob to Suns center Deandre Ayton that looked destined for a tied alley. In an act of body control that cannot be explained, Antetokounmpo turned around, then encountered Ayton on the verge of what will be recorded as one of the most famous blocks in NBA Finals history, one that even Antetokounmpo struggled to describe.
“I thought I was going to get soaked, to be honest with you,” Antetokounmpo said. “I felt [Ayton] roll to the edge behind me, so I knew the only chance to stop was to jump over to the edge and try to cover that angle to get him to score. “
Middleton called the play an “Oh s — moment” in which a potentially fatal defensive error turned into a story blow by the good grace of a living NBA legend. It’s somewhat fitting that even in the midst of his 40-point production, Middleton’s enormous contributions to Game 4 will be reported with a little less vividness.
The series now returns to Phoenix, where the Bucks will need to win at least one game – preferably, for them, Game 5 on Saturday (9 p.m. ET on ABC).
“Whatever we do here,” Middleton said, “we have to find a way to do it there.”
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