Khris Middleton’s Game 1 buzzer beating heave
After experiencing a post-Jason Kidd firing bump, many of the same maddening inconsistencies that defined the Bucks’ 2017-18 season resurfaced during head coach Joe Prunty’s reign in the second half of the season.
Inexplicable losses to the lowly Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic, as well as an especially grueling overtime loss on the road against the Denver Nuggets, only showcased how thin the margin for error was in terms of how quickly things could end in triumph or end in self-destruction.
Though missing the playoffs was never a serious threat down the stretch, the possibility of the Bucks losing the protected first round pick they traded to the Phoenix Suns to acquire Eric Bledsoe earlier in the season only grew more real with every dispiriting loss the Bucks logged during the last month of the season.
In the end, the Bucks limped into the playoffs, yet somehow managed to fall into the most favorable matchup against the shorthanded Boston Celtics on their end of the playoff picture, and kept their first round selection, thanks to some ping pong balls in a draw conducted by the league a couple of days after the end of the regular season.
In anticipation of the Bucks’ series with the Celtics starting, one question kept coming up time and time again through various preview pieces and discussions within Bucks fan circles: who would rise up to help relieve the burdensome workload on superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shoulders, to give the team a puncher’s chance?
It was only natural to first look at well-rounded swingman and Antetokounmpo’s long-standing running mate in Khris Middleton. But the Charleston native’s showings in the Bucks’ previous two playoff appearances gave everyone pause about whether his versatile capabilities could translate when the lights are the brightest (though, it should be noted Middleton’s health was far from 100 percent in the lead up and throughout the 2017 NBA Playoffs).
But as we saw the Bucks battle throughout the opening contest of the playoff series, any concern heading in over Middleton’s performance washed away as he perfectly stepped into a co-starring role that was desperately needed alongside Antetokounmpo. Knocking down multiple shots from beyond the arc, expertly making plays for others and providing solid to stout defense led to Middleton enjoying an overdue coming out playoff party under pressure-packed circumstances.
Then came the most improbable moment where Middleton, with 0.5 seconds left in regulation and the Bucks down by three, calmly heaved up a last second prayer near half court off a simple inbounds pass from Antetokounmpo that went down by hitting nothing but net. A replay review was promptly called, but it only reinforced the fact that Middleton got off the buzzer-beating shot just in time.
Although it came in a losing effort, Middleton’s late Game 1 heroics and his overall performance served as the basis for what arguably stands as his shining stretch in a Bucks uniform, given the circumstances and stakes involved.